I gather there is some kind of supposedly significant metric football competition happening some godforsaken place that rhymes with gutter. And like the Olympics, this quadrennial spectacle is a huge money-loser for the host country or city. The chart below displays the costs and revenues, showing not only the soaring costs to host, but the shortfalls most of the time. But this chart omits one key variable—the amount of graft and bribes involved, which always benefit the political class and well-connected businesses. (Does anyone really believe the Russians turned a profit on the 2018 Cup?) So don’t expect any change any time soon. Almost as exciting as a tie score.
