The African Game

My dudes Knox Robinson and Lee Harrison, both former editors-in-chief of the Fader joined forces to produce "The African Game", a coffee-table size hardcover on the continental pastime. Working under the auspices of agency/collective US&THEM;, they got seed money from Puma, then reached out to Nigerian filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu and got layout and design help from Jeff Staple. Knox and Dosunmu hit Angola, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Senegal. They had dressing room access to stars like Samuel Eto'o, Michael Essien, and Didier Drogba, but the most interesting images come from the streets and the stands--unexpected scenes of handpainted buses, grainy television sets, and fanatical crowds. The result puts National Geographic to shame--a rich and detailed sporting portrait of a continent through five of its most soccer obsessed nations. We at No Mas tip our caps for a job very well done.

We are also extremely pleased to announce the arrival of Knox Robinson to No Mas. With his extensive recent travels under his belt, Knox is in a unique position to comment on the African teams in the cup. And fortunately for you, beginning with Ivory Coast v. Argentina, Knox will be dropping the socio-politico cultural science along with game analysis and anecdotes right here. Stay tuned.