I’ve had people ask me why I started writing about football. My glib answer is that I got into it for the money. No one thinks this response is funny. I don’t even think it’s funny. But if I’m being honest, I think I started writing because I wanted to prove something. Specifically, I wanted to prove I was smart and writing about cosmology and Andy Carroll seemed the best way to do it. But what do I have to prove? And to whom? Nothing and no one because, outside of my mom (and even that is questionable), no one really cares. Instead of writing to prove something, I want my work to give something to its reader. That makes it much more important and relevant than any amount of insecure, florid prose.

Joel Slagle is from the mountains of northern California, but now lives in Seattle after stints in the former Soviet Union and Los Angeles. His greatest sporting achievement was marking a Brazilian youth international who went on to score 6 goals that day. He has contributed to Penalty Magazine, Hopeless Football Romantic, In Bed With Maradona, the Pride of London, Playing for 90, Nutmeg Magazine, and Football Paradise.