Rory Smith
@rorysmith.bsky.social
The Observer, Men In Blazers, the Monday Night Club, Libero. Author of "Mister" and "Expected Goals."
Funnily enough, the original inspiration for the story were Aberdeen. The club were…not especially keen to help.
November 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Funnily enough, the original inspiration for the story were Aberdeen. The club were…not especially keen to help.
They’re all part of a pattern, I think. People crave live experiences in general now - festivals, concerts, comedy, whatever - because so many aspects of our culture now happen online. That’s especially true in football, where the active fan has been replaced by a remote consumer.
November 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
They’re all part of a pattern, I think. People crave live experiences in general now - festivals, concerts, comedy, whatever - because so many aspects of our culture now happen online. That’s especially true in football, where the active fan has been replaced by a remote consumer.
But the best example is maybe Sweden, where a decade ago the clubs and the league made a conscious effort to focus on football as something you watch live, not something you consume remotely. I also wrote about that a while ago. www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/w...
Swedish Soccer Prioritized Fans Over Finances. Now, Business Is Booming. (Published 2023)
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 11:59 AM
But the best example is maybe Sweden, where a decade ago the clubs and the league made a conscious effort to focus on football as something you watch live, not something you consume remotely. I also wrote about that a while ago. www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/w...
I don’t think what’s happening in Scotland is coincidence. If you look at smaller leagues across Europe, something similar is happening. This piece on Bohemians for the NYT touched on it from an Irish perspective. www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/w...
How a Small-Time Soccer Team Draws a Crowd: With Its Activism (Published 2024)
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 11:59 AM
I don’t think what’s happening in Scotland is coincidence. If you look at smaller leagues across Europe, something similar is happening. This piece on Bohemians for the NYT touched on it from an Irish perspective. www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/w...
It is an...ongoing process. Bear with me!
October 15, 2025 at 12:27 PM
It is an...ongoing process. Bear with me!
This is one of many great questions
October 14, 2025 at 7:55 PM
This is one of many great questions
This is fair. There is, regrettably, a lot more of the M62 than that.
September 21, 2025 at 10:18 AM
This is fair. There is, regrettably, a lot more of the M62 than that.
You should be able to read all of it. Martin has done little to suggest he should stay. But I think there's a bigger issue of how quickly the fans turn as soon as the spectre of not overtaking Celtic appears.
September 20, 2025 at 7:31 PM
You should be able to read all of it. Martin has done little to suggest he should stay. But I think there's a bigger issue of how quickly the fans turn as soon as the spectre of not overtaking Celtic appears.
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The Correspondent w/ Rory Smith
A look at the places, history, humanity, and flavors that make football that most interesting of obsessions.
the-correspondent-rory-smith-newsletter.beehiiv.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
And if you like it, feel free to sign up to receive it straight to your inbox every week -- FOR FREE -- so that I don't have to remind you on here the-correspondent-rory-smith-newsletter.beehiiv.com
No, just at the mercy of word counts. I have lots more stuff to say about it, but limited space in which to say it.
August 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
No, just at the mercy of word counts. I have lots more stuff to say about it, but limited space in which to say it.
It was not, but that sounds good. The book in question is Evil Genius, by Kurt Andersen, which isn't about PE and football but is (in part) about PE more generally. Sorry if that wasn't made clear. It's worth reading, though.
July 18, 2025 at 9:58 AM
It was not, but that sounds good. The book in question is Evil Genius, by Kurt Andersen, which isn't about PE and football but is (in part) about PE more generally. Sorry if that wasn't made clear. It's worth reading, though.
OK, yeah, that makes sense. But as things stand now surely the only team even vaguely economically capable of competing with Celtic long-term is Rangers. As good as Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee Utd were at times last year
July 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
OK, yeah, that makes sense. But as things stand now surely the only team even vaguely economically capable of competing with Celtic long-term is Rangers. As good as Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee Utd were at times last year
And the second is about what that means for all of the other sports, and for football itself. I wouldn’t normally say this about something I’m involved with but I think they’re really interesting conversations. pod.fo/e/2f80e6
Libero: Libero 033: Can We Not Just Be More Like Wimbledon?
On today’s episode Jack Pitt-Brooke, James Horncastle and Rory Smith discuss the Club World Cup, where James saw the start of the tournament, with Rory now in New York to see its climax. They as...
pod.fo
July 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM
And the second is about what that means for all of the other sports, and for football itself. I wouldn’t normally say this about something I’m involved with but I think they’re really interesting conversations. pod.fo/e/2f80e6