Simon Kuper is a Paris-based columnist for the Financial Times, specializing in the intersection of sports, politics, and urban culture. With dual British-French citizenship, his work offers unique transcontinental perspectives on European affairs.
Simon Kuper, a British-French journalist and author, has carved a unique niche at the intersection of sports, politics, and culture. With a career spanning three decades at the Financial Times, his work combines anthropological rigor with narrative flair, offering readers fresh perspectives on familiar subjects. Born in Uganda to South African parents and raised in the Netherlands, Kuper’s transnational upbringing informs his global outlook, evident in his analyses of European politics, football culture, and urban transformation.
Kuper joined the Financial Times in 1994, initially covering currencies before transitioning to sports journalism. His breakthrough came with Football Against the Enemy (1994), which won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year for its exploration of football’s geopolitical dimensions. This set the tone for his career: using sports as a lens to examine broader societal trends.
This incisive critique of Anglo-American infrastructure paralysis compares US and UK bureaucratic inertia with France’s construction capabilities. Kuper dissects the $1 trillion US infrastructure bill’s failures through case studies like the seven functional EV charging stations built versus 500,000 promised. His analysis extends to constitutional constraints on green energy projects, arguing that environmental regulations paradoxically hinder climate progress. The article’s comparative framework—contrasting democratic and authoritarian models—showcases Kuper’s ability to synthesize complex policy issues with cultural observations.
Written during Britain’s transition to King Charles III, this op-ed analyzes the monarchy’s paradoxical resilience. Kuper traces Elizabeth II’s symbolic role in maintaining national unity despite declining relevance, noting how her “professionalized nostalgia” masked institutional decay. The piece exemplifies his talent for institutional analysis, connecting royal pageantry to broader debates about British identity post-Brexit. His observation that “the Crown persists as collective fiction” demonstrates his anthropological approach to political structures.
Kuper’s examination of longevity economics reframes aging as societal opportunity rather than crisis. Analyzing workforce trends in Japan and Scandinavia, he proposes innovative solutions like phased retirement systems and intergenerational mentorship programs. The article balances demographic data with human stories, such as Swedish octogenarians launching second careers in green tech. This work typifies Kuper’s ability to translate academic research into actionable policy insights.
Kuper’s upcoming book Impossible City signals intense interest in Paris’s suburban transformation. Pitch stories about innovative housing policies in Seine-Saint-Denis or cultural initiatives in banlieue neighborhoods. His coverage of the Grand Paris Express metro expansion demonstrates preference for infrastructure projects with social equity dimensions.
Following his Chums exposé of Oxford’s political networks, Kuper seeks case studies of institutional decay. Propose investigations into lobbying networks or comparative analyses of anti-corruption frameworks across Europe. Avoid partisan angles—focus on systemic failures and reform models.
While avoiding match reports, Kuper welcomes pitches about football’s evolving cultural role. Recent work on Qatar’s World Cup legacy and women’s football in Morocco suggests interest in sport as soft power. Propose ethnographic studies of fan communities or analyses of stadium economics.
Kuper’s debut redefined sports journalism by framing football as geopolitical theater. The award committee noted its “unprecedented fusion of travel writing and political analysis,” setting a benchmark for narrative nonfiction. This recognition established Kuper as a pioneer of sports anthropology.
The British Society of Magazine Editors twice honored Kuper’s FT Weekend Magazine columns for their “intellectual range and stylistic verve.” His winning pieces on Brexit’s urban impacts and COVID-19’s effect on European solidarity demonstrate his ability to connect policy to lived experience.
