“FIFA is corrupt and generally sucks” is arguable the most evergreen sports post of all time. And yet, Infantino seems intent on merging that with the “hold my beer” meme.
Jason Reifler
@jasonreifler.bsky.social
Political Science Prof at University of Southampton. I study misperceptions, fact-checking, and foreign policy attitudes. American in the UK. he/his (y'all whenever possible). Spurs #COYS.
The Star Wars universe of day to day life consisting of authoritarian government, desert planets, organized crime, gambling, drug running, and street food feels a little too on the nose these days.
Catherina Gioino@catgioino.bsky.social · last wk.I wrote about how much Americans wagered on sports betting in 2025 and how it’s more than they spent on movies, art, museums and music combined. Read my article @fortunemagazine.bsky.social fortune.com/2026/07/26/g...
I would love Lankshear (or any player) to stay with Spurs if a high likelihood of a PL/CL level player. If judged below that level, staying helps neither team nor player. (And some errors in judgment will happen.) Regularly selling players at a good but not top level means the academy is succeeding.
Cartilage Free Captain@cartilagefree.bsky.social · 2w agoThanks! I hate it! cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/tottenham-ho...
This is a really excellent paper by a wonderful Southampton colleague!
Will Allen@williamlallen.bsky.social · 3w agoWhich immigrants do people prefer and why? Many point to skill levels, but @mfreino.bsky.social @isabel-ruiz.bsky.social and I argue people also consider the social value of work immigrants do, even if considered "lower" skilled. Open access in @ejprjournal.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1017/S147... 🧵
Who is going to play RB for Spurs in early preseason? With Porro and Spence still in the World Cup — and 3 weeks rest before reporting — who plays there? I I fully expect Porro to play the majority of minutes upon return, so this just dumb idle depth chart speculation.
Same. Farage won 45% of the vote. Winning on the platform unveiled “I’m not Nigel Farage” is unlikely but not impossible. I can see a world where that takes on a life of its own. It’s a one-off by-election with the incumbent rerunning. A high turnout protest vote seems imaginable.
Will Jennings📉🗳️@drjennings.bsky.social · 4w agoFound myself opining today on whether the anti-Farage bloc would turnout to vote for Binface at the by-election and started to wonder if this was smart electoral analysis or unserious madness...
Nobody actually understands the full process of buying a house in the UK. Everyone involved just nods along to the terminology and jargon, maintaining an unspoken bond of ignorance.
James Ball@jamesrball.com · last mo.I like this. Go on, let's get a few more: what's your low stakes conspiracy theory?
🚨New research! Joe Rogan’s audience is not exactly what conventional wisdom says it is. 1/ www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The Joe Rogan Experience: Epistemic Style Over Ideological Extremity in the Manosphere
Despite increasing prominence in the contemporary media ecosystem, podcasts have attracted limited scholarly attention. This study examines audience characteristics of the most popular podcast in t...
tandfonline.com
Thinking about Kulusevski’s unhealing knee and curious if anyone knows implications for team finances, especially under squad cost rules, of injury retirements? I assume there’s insurance, but how do the policies work? How does it affect amortization and how do payouts get accounted for in SCR?
Reputable sources have Lucas Bergvall and Luka Vuskovic of Spurs seeking transfers. I’d love for both to stay. But Spurs should be able to get at least £80m for the two (having spent about £20m). That’s reasonable player trading on future upside (and speaks well of Lange rather than ill).
Nothing shows your commitment to free speech more than painfully causing a permanent change to someone’s appearance when you disagree with something they said. And that’s your “friends”!!!
mtsw@mtsw.bsky.social · 2mo agowell def one of those posts that's inadvertantly revealing about the person posting it!
The only valuation metric that even remotely makes sense regarding the SpaceX IPO is that the market cap of SPCX is higher that the total value of all Bitcoin. But that only makes sense in relative terms. In absolute terms, both still seem bonkers.
I think data centers in space and magical thinking about AI enterprise applications is not actually a business plan. But apparently the investing world disagrees with me by like $1.7 trillion dollars.
Anyone has experience with Prolific asking questions 2 or 3 weeks apart? how's the attrition?
I like the idea that it’s actually a Johan Lange bid behind the purchase of Levy’s ENIC shares. Because 8 Sports Capital is Lange’s whole approach to player recruitment. (I don’t like the idea, just wanted to force the really bad play on words.)
As part of my poor allocation of time imagining Spurs transfer window scenarios, I (via Claude) checked compliance with various PL and UEFA financial regulations. Spurs in good shape in 27/28 even with net transfer spends of £125m and £100m the next two summers while also increasing wage structure.
On the first day of the 2026/2027 season, five of the “Big 6” clubs will have a different manager than on the first day of the 2025/2026 season. Has that ever happened before in the PL era (or before)?
Ok, here’s more armchair transfer window shenanigans, using publicly available stats (not reviewing hours upon hours of game footage or highlight reels). Assumes net transfer spend is less than £150m. Focus is on profiles more than specific players.
Jason Reifler@jasonreifler.bsky.social · 2mo agoAs Spurs enter transfer window, here are my thoughts. Spurs should target a 3-5 year window where they can realistically compete for a title. Hard to imagine that window opening before 28/29. Financially, that is probably easier with Europa League, so 5th-7th next year is reasonable goal.
As Spurs enter transfer window, here are my thoughts. Spurs should target a 3-5 year window where they can realistically compete for a title. Hard to imagine that window opening before 28/29. Financially, that is probably easier with Europa League, so 5th-7th next year is reasonable goal.
I had Claude put together a dataset of minute-by-minute xG and xGA for every Spurs PL game this season. Below is a ranked ordered list from highest-to-lowest of of xgdiff (xG-xGA).
My faster than light engine is 95% done. I just need a warp core and dilithium crystals.
The cult of management rarely thinks management is the problem.
Michael Caley@michaelcaley.bsky.social · 2mo agothe needle that Tottenham keep trying to thread in all their public statements is that the squad was not good enough and also their plan is to commit to backing the same people who built that squad www.tottenhamhotspur.com//news/107002...
Now that the misery of the 25/26 Spurs premier league season is over, I’m already genuinely looking forward to the misery of 26/27 season.
Like the “@assdeans” Twitter account, this satire is a little too on the nose. It’s decorative crackpot season, motherf**ckers!
Scott L Greer@scottlgreer.bsky.social · 2mo agoI can’t excerpt, every word is perfect
My favorite soda/pop/Coke is Diet Dr Pepper. The (new?) Sainsbury’s store brand knock off is called Prof Fizz. And now I kind of want that to be my nickname.
Here’s a puzzle from recent GOP primaries: Why has Trump seemed to become more/especially effective at using endorsements to shape primary outcomes despite being at some of his lowest levels of support in either term?
Dear Sickos, Be healthier. Love, Dr Cranky Crackpot (At a totally trivial level, it’s 100% by not dying before old age. Also, this feels like such a British frame — blame must be apportioned!!!)
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3mo agoAt least 80% responsibility for ill health in old age down to individual, says study
This is bonkers. Beyond that, at a total loss for words. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u...
Early War Goal Was to Install Hard Line Former President as Iran’s Leader
nytimes.com