Dave Schilling's Taking Shots at World Cup Greed and Trump's Pope Beef
Guardian columnist Dave Schilling is calling out the absurd ticket prices keeping fans from stadiums—and exposing how Trump's using religion as a political weapon. Sharp takes on power, money, and hypocrisy.
AI-generated illustration · luv2h8 news
Dave Schilling loves soccer. He really does. But when the World Cup rolls into his hometown, he's staying home—and he's got receipts. In his latest Guardian piece, Schilling doesn't mince words about why: absurd ticket prices and the odious politics surrounding the tournament have made the experience feel more extractive than celebratory. It's the kind of honest take that makes people either love or hate him, depending on whether they're profiting from the ticket markup.
But Schilling isn't just mad about sports. He's also dissecting how the Trump administration weaponizes religion for political gain, using a grudge match with the pope as his case study. His argument? War and morality aren't actually the issue here—they're just rhetorical furniture. What matters is power, resentment, and keeping the base fired up. It's the kind of cynical-but-accurate observation that'll have some people nodding furiously and others dismissing him as another elite snob lecturing the masses.
What makes Schilling's commentary hit different is his refusal to pick a lane. He's not a pure politics guy or a pure sports guy—he's a culture critic watching how institutions fail regular people. Whether it's billionaire-owned stadiums pricing out working families or politicians hijacking faith for electoral advantage, the common thread is clear: somebody's getting played, and Schilling's here to name it. Love him for the candor or hate him for the preachiness—he's definitely making you think.