I Can't Stop Thinking About Var: Forward by Jonathan Wilson by Daisy ChristodoulouMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is primarily a book about VAR (Video Assistant Referee), its problems, and some ways to think about possible improvements. But there is an undercurrent of some deeper themes about the natural and limits of rule-governed orders and how to make sure they function well towards their aims.
It is a quick read, with many interesting ideas and analyses of VAR. The author discusses the way VAR has affected the rules and the games. She explores the why of these changes as well. She discusses how VAR might be improved, but also the limits to any such improvement. The writing is smooth and interesting.
It’s worth reading for anything interested in football, but also for those interested in the philosophy of sport. There isn’t any reference to the philosophical literature on these issues, but it’s not really about the higher-order questions here: it’s more practically focused. That said, the things she covers have relevance for those philosophical questions, the philosophy has relevance for the issues she is looking at.
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