You know that feeling when sports content just hits different? Every month, I round up the best articles, charts, video, and audio I’ve consumed. “Seven Wonders” is a Butterflies series where I share my favorites.
It’s been a while since I’ve written my Seven Wonders series. I’m glad to be back at it and share some of my favorite pieces of content I’ve come across. In the past, I’ve just shared articles, but I think I’m going to branch out now and share any type of content, whether that’s interesting graphs, charts, videos, etc.
But first, seven of my recent posts:
The Best Sports Summer. I take a look back at this summer with Arsenal, the Knicks, and the World Cup and share why sports can make our lives better, using research to back it up.
Which Premier League Teams Get Their Money’s Worth? Five seasons of spending and performance data show which Premier League clubs are the most efficient teams. Tap in to see who is at the top and bottom of the table.
How Seattle Lost Its Basketball Team. The Sonics didn’t disappear overnight. Their move to Oklahoma City was the result of years of arena disputes, ownership changes, and political failures that offer an uncomfortable warning for other NBA cities facing similar battles.
The Football War. El Salvador and Honduras famously went to war around the same time they were playing each other in World Cup qualifying. Look back on the interesting history of how sports and geopolitics got intertwined.
The Top 10 Games of the 2026 World Cup. The ten most memorable games from a World Cup filled with comebacks, controversy, and underdog stories. Do you agree with my ranking?
What’s Next for the USMNT? The golden generation captured the country’s attention but still exited in the Round of 16. The next step is getting more Americans playing meaningful minutes at the highest levels in Europe.
Any Ball That Rolls. America has built leagues, academies, and infrastructure for soccer. Still, the next step is building a real soccer culture where kids grow up playing the game everywhere simply because they love it.
And now, here are the seven best pieces of sports content I’ve recently consumed:
If you enjoyed my recent article on Premier League spending, you’ll love these three articles:
The Quants Who Bought Football by The Arc Sport. Matthew Benham and Tony Bloom made their money using math and data to beat the football betting market. They then took the same approach into club ownership with Brentford and Brighton. The result is basically the blueprint for modern football ownership.
Inside Como 1907’s rise from Italian afterthought to the envy of Europe by Stephan Teodosescu. Como went from bankruptcy and Italy’s fourth division to the Champions League in just a few years. Take a dive into the interesting combination of money, analytics, and lofty goals that has turned Como into one of the poster children of modern football.
When Chelsea’s money stopped being special by Carla Bilche. Chelsea have spent like crazy and implemented a unique strategy in recent years focused on a youth movement and long contracts. This piece dives into the interesting history of how money transformed a club and its culture, with an open question of how Clearlake Capital will continue to operate now that they have full control of the club.
The fall is a great sports season:
The Week That Was (September 7-11, 2026) by Neil Paine. This graphic shows the total sports volume and month-over-month change we see throughout the year. Get ready for weeks of intense sports viewing.
Are you looking forward to the new NBA season? If so, these next three will be right up your alley:
30 Teams in 30 Days in 30 Charts by Chris Gunther | Charting Hoops. This is a fun visual preview of the 2026/27 NBA season. There is one chart for each team focused on a question or insight that could define the team's year. Below is an example of one of Chris' charts. This covers half the league, so be on the lookout for Part 2.
NBA News and Rumor Roundup 9/30/2026 by Jacob Sutton. If you need to get caught up on the latest happenings around the Association, look no further. This article offers a quick snapshot of where the NBA stands after Media Day, plus everything else you need to know (and probably don’t 😜) as the start of the season is less than a month away.
Swamp Dragons Night. FINALLY! by Sports Branding, Brigitte Smith, and Patricia Aguilar. If you want to learn a bit of branding and logo history about the Brooklyn Nets, this is a great one. The Nets almost completely reinvented themselves in 1995 as the New Jersey Swamp Dragons, and this is the inside look into that rebranding process. Brooklyn is finally celebrating the Swamp Dragons identity this season.
Thanks for kind words on the Swamp Dragons. It's a favorite of ours.
Appreciate the shout out!!!