“Target Anxiety: the Penalty Shootout Reconsidered” by Fredorrarci – Norman Einstein’s Magazine, Sports & Rocket Science Monthly

Nothing that matters comes without dread. It’s the dread of failure. One team will get to cheat death; thirty-one will meet with the end to end all ends. For that damned lot, their tournament will turn out to have been a series of attempts to delay the mortal coil shuffle for just one more round, like someone joining a gym, or praying furiously. The beautiful cruelty of the World Cup is that it is held every four years, and four years is a purgatory of a time to wait for reincarnation. Every game assumes an unreasonable importance, which is what makes it such fun.

“Target Anxiety: the Penalty Shootout Reconsidered” by Fredorrarci – Norman Einstein’s Magazine, Sports & Rocket Science Monthly