Brian Phillips founded The Run of Play in 2007. He is a staff writer at Grantland, and his work has appeared in Slate, Deadspin, The New York Times Magazine, The Awl, The New Republic, The Hudson Review, and Poetry, among other publications. You can follow him on Twitter.
The naked thrills of the FIFA Financial Report.
August 16, 2011
Where I’ve been, where I’m going, what power tools I’ve bought.
July 26, 2011
On Paul Scholes’s retirement.
May 31, 2011
How the Champions League final redeemed a season of math.
May 29, 2011
Is it coming?
May 25, 2011
Before we let this go.
May 10, 2011
Or, how to write a preview, by cognitive dissonance.
May 7, 2011
Stop feeling it.
May 5, 2011
Why the story matters.
April 7, 2011
Phil Scolari and the anarchy of ego.
March 30, 2011
The Old Firm and an update.
March 27, 2011
Gareth Bale as a beautiful cartoon.
March 10, 2011
He’s about to discover Atlantis. He’s about to dot Jonathan Lethem’s i’s.
March 9, 2011
So your favorite team is the victim of a vast systematic conspiracy. . .
March 9, 2011
UEFA’s new regulations could make it harder for small clubs to succeed.
March 3, 2011
The Prophecies of D.W. Griffith, second canister.
February 27, 2011
Remembering the last Premier League side to feature an all-English lineup.
February 26, 2011
A very important RoP announcement.
February 18, 2011
Of all the players from his era, he was the one who made the game feel most like joy.
February 15, 2011
The British spinoff of an American magazine speaks out against cultural impurity.
February 8, 2011
Newcastle 4 – 4 Arsenal and narratives of information vs. narratives of suspense.
February 7, 2011
Liverpool’s transfer policy, sentimental chaos, and the shocking fate of baseball.
January 31, 2011
Amaze the community.
January 28, 2011
When a manager goes electric.
January 27, 2011
Restoring semantic clarity to caring who footballers sleep with.
January 12, 2011
It’s time to talk about greatness.
January 10, 2011
A leisurely stroll through a casual machine.
December 19, 2010
A gentleman defends his honor.
December 13, 2010
Manchester United vs. Arsenal edition.
December 10, 2010
The easily-uncovered truth.
December 8, 2010
Gunning down bullet points one by one.
December 6, 2010
“Sporting Kansas City” shows why MLS should embrace American soccer history.
November 18, 2010
Where we’re going, we won’t need chalkboards.
November 17, 2010
The new FreeDarko book is fantastic, whether you’re a basketball fan or not.
November 9, 2010
What the Rooney contract saga says about the idea of loyalty in sports.
November 5, 2010
The weather is fine.
October 28, 2010
Wish you were here.
October 26, 2010
The Run of Play celebrates a birthday.
October 24, 2010
![For a Break-Up [UPDATED]](http://web.archive.org./web/20170121032527im_/http://www.runofplay.com/blog/wp-content/themes/lulu/images/grid/grid-rooneyzoom.jpg)
A Manchester United fan says goodbye to Rooney…or does he.
October 21, 2010
Are English and American soccer culture at war, or are they growing closer all the time?
October 13, 2010
A fake Togolese soccer team and a real Nigerian basketball player.
October 4, 2010
How to tell if your club got a good one.
September 20, 2010
A biplane screaming through a guitar solo.
September 12, 2010
On joy and perfection in sport.
September 2, 2010
Watching the 1977 Soccer Bowl, Pelé’s last competitive game.
August 16, 2010
It’s time we took pity on this sadly neglected star.
August 13, 2010
When was the last time you looked up his highlight clips?
August 10, 2010
With the additions of Joe Cole and Roy Hodgson, Liverpool are getting English.
August 4, 2010
Swing low, sweet chariot.
August 3, 2010
The Run of Play goes on vacation. Plus: How to build an audience on the internet.
July 16, 2010