local
In soccer and war, it’s how you keep score
By Tom Baxter at SaportaReport (Atlanta civic/news)
· June 29, 2026
· 4 min read
The World Cup has afforded us a timely lesson that applies to much more than sports. On the world stage, winning and losing have everything to do with how you keep score.
Bear Bryant once said that a tie in football was like kissing your sister. His sport listened, and over time instituted a v...
Key takeaway So how is it that the first World Cup game played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a 0-0 tie between Cape Verde and Spain, has been proclaimed not only as a staggering upset, but a classic example of what they call the beautiful game?
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About this story
Original reporting by SaportaReport (Atlanta civic/news) . The Atlanta surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
For the complete original report, visit SaportaReport (Atlanta civic/news) . Have a tip or correction? Contact our newsroom .
Category: local ·
Published: June 29, 2026 ·
Source: SaportaReport (Atlanta civic/news) ·
Reading time: 4 min
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Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? The World Cup has afforded us a timely lesson that applies to much more than sports. On the world stage, winning and losing have everything to do with how you keep score.
Bear Bryant once said that a tie in football was like kissing your sister. His sport listened, and over time instituted a v...
When was this published? This article was first published on June 29, 2026 by SaportaReport (Atlanta civic/news) and curated for The Atlanta readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Tom Baxter at SaportaReport (Atlanta civic/news). To learn more about how The Atlanta selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more local coverage from The Atlanta, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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