An essay for Mint on Sunday on Portugal’s national football team and its chequered political history: http://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/5IgxvnKFsZrMo1fqqJ0cAI/A-look-at-the-fascinating-history-of-Portugals-road-to-Euro.html
Tag: Sports
Floating like a butterfly
A piece for The Hindu on two seminal books on Muhammad Ali’s life and career: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-tribute-to-muhammad-ali-by-suhrith-parthasarathy-floating-like-a-butterfly/article8691114.ece
Be on the ball
A column on why for test cricket to remain relevant, what we need is not better pitches but greater application of mind from its participants: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/play/be-on-the-ball/article7899755.ece
Let’s talk about Serena
A column for Business Line’s Ink on Serena Williams: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/play/lets-talk-about-serena/article7309063.ece
Pitch perfection
The first of a new monthly column for the Business Line’s Saturday Supplement. This piece is on Richie Benaud: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/blink/play/pitch-perfection/article7109497.ece
BCCI monopoly and judicial review
An op-ed in The Hindu on the Supreme Court’s judgment holding the Board of Control for Cricket in India amenable to judicial review: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/bcci-monopoly-and-judicial-review/article6824141.ece
The Celebrity-Coach Conundrum
A piece for The New Yorker on tennis’ new celebrity coaches: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sportingscene/2014/01/can-great-tennis-players-be-great-coaches.html
Criminalizing match fixing
A joint op-ed in The Mint on why match-fixing and related activities ought not to be criminalized: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/dbd5GvPhdmOEUaWw755bYP/Indian-cricket-needs-to-look-within.html
Why Being an Obsessed Soccer Fan Can Make You Really, Really Happy
A piece for The Atlantic in which I endeavor to rationalize distant fandom — why supporting your national team in the Euros can be a very good thing: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/06/why-being-an-obsessed-soccer-fan-can-make-you-really-really-happy/259178/
“Supporting your national team goes beyond the traditional contours of fandom, and in many ways transcends sport. Supporters—both highly identified and weakly identified ones—may only come together for short periods (as is the case during a World Cup or a European championship), but an inherent feeling of nationalism helps them find a strong, common bond.”
Searching for U.S. Tennis Stars
This is a piece I wrote for Columbia University’s Sports Journalism website on John McEnroe’s tennis academy, and on Jamie Loeb, an upcoming tennis star: http://columbiasportsjournalism.com/?p=1103