The World Cup has been fun to watch and here is a great little chart at the FIFA website with tournament standings and upcoming game times.    I think I’ll root for England because it’s time we all get over those tax problems of the 1770s.

The Globalist points out that international sports events are now signficant at a macroeconomic level, and that World Cup 2006 should add about 5 billion euros to the German GDP this year.    Their 2002 article was more interesting in terms of itemizing both the benefits to co-hosts Japan and Korea and the potential costs which included the *drag* on the UK economy if England made it to the final and people slacked off at work to watch their team.   Clearly, soccer sports quite an economic kick.