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New York Times

Read of the Day: Birth of a Nation

The South Africa of Roger Cohen’s youth was about denial — of everything to blacks, and of the possibility of a peaceful end to a monstrous system. Which is what makes this World Cup so wonderful, despite the 40% of South African homes without flush toilets and 25% unemployment — “it is the affirmation of a nation’s miraculous (if incomplete) healing.” This is not Zimbabwe. This is not the DRC. The reaction to a 0-3 loss to Uruguay was “dignified, peaceful: the intangibles of nationhood.” (Roger Cohen/The New York Times)

(Image credit: Dundas Football Club/Flickr through a Creative Commons license.)

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Read of the Day: The Future Factory

Ajax’s youth academy — De Toekomst, Dutch for “The Future” — plucks incredibly talented 5-year-olds, pays for their drill-heavy, game-light training, culls them ruthlessly, and then sells the cream (like Wesley Sneijder) to keep the whole thing going. Nothing like the parent-dominated, win-obsessed, college-oriented U.S. youth system. The difference might be why the U.S. never produces superstars. But isn’t the Ajax way perilously close “to the trafficking of child athletes”? (Michael Sokolove/The New York Times)

Read of the Day: Against Shootouts

Sepp Blatter promised a rethink four years ago…but here comes another World Cup that could be decided on PKs. Instead, what about overtimes with progressively decreasing squad sizes…down to seven on seven, say? (Christopher Clarey/NYTimes.com)