Owned Goals: France Exits Left

On Sunday, France witnessed one of the most surprising political events in years: In the second round of parliamentary elections, the New Popular Front, a left-wing coalition, staved off the French far right, which was poised to grab power for the first time since World War II. France’s soccer team was less fortunate—they were felled by Spain in an entertaining game two days later. But the team should hold their heads high: Their players spoke out repeatedly about the dangers of electing a fascist party and may well have played a crucial role in keeping Marine Le Pen out of power, at least for now. In the fifth episode of Owned Goals, hosts Alex Shephard, Miguel Salazar, and Ben Makuch discuss the pivotal elections in France and the United Kingdom, as well as the perceived stylistic differences between the Euros and Copa América, and make their picks for the finals of each. And in a bonus segment, Miguel talks to historian and podcaster Brenda Elsey about the Copa América, race and politics in South America, and efforts to privatize soccer in the Americas.