Trade Winds

Has FC Barcelona Ruined Its Brand?

A Soccer Team That Was Supposed to Be About More Than Winning Betrayed Itself by Signing Biter Luis Suárez

Et tu, Barcelona?

I’ve rooted for you—the Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona, one of the most successful sports franchises in the world, founded in 1899—since I was a kid. And for good reason. Remember your slogan, mes q’un club—“more than a club”? You weren’t supposed to be just about winning, but about playing, and conducting yourself, in a certain way: with artistry, open to the world, and without excess of ego. That is what your more than 160,000 registered member-owners (“Barça” pioneered the communal form of ownership that is common among …

by Andrés Martinez |

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More In: Trade Winds

Show Your Airline Some Love

Recent Megamergers and International Alliances Have Made Flying Cheaper, More Efficient, and Better Than Ever Before

by Andrés Martinez |

Flying to Arizona on the eve of the recent holiday was a delight: crammed terminals, crammed security lines, crammed overheads, crammed runways, and harried airline employees imploring passengers to consider …

Can the World Cup End U.S. Cultural Hegemony?

Soccer Remains One of the Few Non-American Narratives That Bind the World Together

by Andrés Martinez |

When I was 17 I spent the summer in France on an exchange program, living with a family in an idyllic town in Normandy, parlando the language of Napoleon and …

Why Do We Love Being Frequent Flyers, Buyers, Shoppers, and Eaters?

In Exchange for Our Data, Customer Loyalty Programs Give Us Discounts—and a Sense of Intimacy

by Andrés Martinez |

I am having a hard time being loyal to all my loyalty programs. I have frequent flyer/buyer/rider/sleeper/eater/drinker cards with two airlines, three hotel chains, a grocery store, two booksellers, one …

Is Singapore the Perfect Country for Our Times?

The Island Nation Has Mastered the Art of Profiting Off Globalization—Even At the Cost of Authenticity and a Sense of Place

by Andrés Martinez |

You land at Changi Airport after flying for what seems a lifetime, and you’re naturally disoriented, even before you hit the customs booths that feature bowls of mints, dire warnings …

Tired of Europeans Scolding the U.S. For Our Inequality? Talk German Soccer.

The NFL Is a Socialist Paradise Compared to the Soccer Leagues of Europe

by Andrés Martinez |

Don’t let Europeans self-righteously lecture you about inequality in America—especially not Germans. If you compare the American and German professional “football” leagues each society considers truly important, you quickly arrive …


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