Sports

For Brazilians, Game-Day Rituals Lead To Sense Of Community

9:51am July 08, 2014

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Brazil faces off with Germany on Tuesday in the semi-finals of the World Cup. Deep into the tournament now, Brazilian fans have developed a clockwork game-day routine they hope continues.

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Sports

Nil-ism In America: When You Stare At The Pitch, The Pitch Stares Back

7:56pm July 07, 2014

Amid this year's World Cup, American sportscasters have been turning frequently to the term "nil" when talking about scores, using it instead of zero. Nil, though, is a British term — not a soccer term. Katherine Connor Martin, head of U.S. dictionaries for the Oxford University Press, tells Robert Siegel why the word might be gaining currency.

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Acaraje are a regional food in Brazil made from fried balls of mashed-up beans, onions and salt. The balls are sliced in half, slathered with a spicy pepper sauce and cashew paste, and then topped with shrimp.

Want To Eat Brazilian Food At The World Cup? Please Step Outside

10:53am July 07, 2014

by Russell Lewis

There's virtually no Brazilian fare inside the World Cup stadiums, but outside you'll find proud vendors of traditional foods. They fought FIFA to be there, and surprisingly, they won.

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Sports

Continental Rivals Take Spotlight In World Cup Quarters

6:27pm July 06, 2014

by Tom Goldman

NPR's Tom Goldman talks with Robert Siegel from in Rio, Brazil, about Friday's World Cup matches — between Brazil and Colombia, and between Germany and France.

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Down Two Key Players, Brazilians Worry About World Cup Prospects

7:14pm July 05, 2014

by Tom Goldman

Despite Brazil's win against Colombia in the quarterfinals, fans aren't entirely sure they can win the tournament. One key player is out for an injury; another for racking up too many penalties.

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Here's Why You Should Still Care About The World Cup

1:08pm July 05, 2014

NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman says Americans should still be watching the World Cup matches, even with their home team out of the running. He makes the case to NPR's Tamara Keith.

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A Cleaner Tour De France Kicks Off With A Nod To WWI

1:08pm July 05, 2014

by Eleanor Beardsley

The 101st Tour de France starts Saturday in England. To mark the 100th anniversary of WWI, the Tour will roll through former battlefields in the farmlands of northern France.

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Tiny Costa Rica Is A World Cup Surprise — Even To Its Own Fans

6:26pm July 03, 2014

Costa Rican fan Ericka Mora speaks with Melissa Block from San Jose about the World Cup excitement in the country's capital.

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Sports

Traded MLB Pitchers Meet For The First Time During Bathroom Break

11:14am July 03, 2014

Ernesto Frieri of the Anaheim Angles was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jason Grilli. During a layover in Chicago, they both decided to hit the bathroom. Same terminal. Same bathroom.

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Belgium Ends U.S. Team's World Cup Hopes

2:09pm July 02, 2014

by Tom Goldman

The U.S. men's soccer team is out of the World Cup. For 90 minutes, the score was tied at 0-0, but the team lost in extra time to Belgium on Tuesday, 2-1.

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