Dear Humans,

I know some of you are watching the World Cup. It’s a great chance to learn about the world. There’s a famous book from the early 2000s called How Soccer Explains the World. And it’s a great title because it’s an idea that is true.

If we pay close attention to a thing–no matter what it is–it can begin to explain the whole world.

And if you’re paying attention to the World Cup, then you can’t avoid topics like migration, money and corruption, geography, and culture. Because this is the first World Cup to take place in the Middle East. In November. In a tiny country (with a controversial human rights record) that has half as many people as Colorado.

We play our games inside white chalk lines, but the world gets in.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt