With CHARLIE HARPER

PRELIMINARY results of the once-a-decade American census were revealed this week, and they largely confirm what we have been hearing for years.

Americans are getting older, and as they retire, they want more sunshine. But until they retire, they will move for job opportunities. These moves have led to a corresponding reshuffling of Congressional representation.

Over the past decade, the warmer and milder climate in the American South, together with more consistent economic growth, have produced an American southern migration. Predictable beneficiaries have been the states of Florida, Texas (2) and North Carolina, which gained four House of Representatives seats from the 2020 census.

Colorado, Montana and Oregon also gained one seat each, partly as the result of out-migration from California, which was among seven states losing a single House seat. The others were New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia and Michigan.

The American census is managed by the federal Department of Commerce, which under former President Donald Trump was led by octogenarian Trump crony Wilbur Ross. Imprudent millionaire Ross had foolishly hinted that he might cook the census books to help Republicans politically, but it doesn’t appear this happened.

Aside from seats in Congress, the census shows the net gain from 2010-2020 in overall American population was the second smallest since the US government began keeping such records – in 1790! The only smaller gain, by a tiny margin, was in the 1930s during the Great Depression.

About half of the net US population gain during the decade just past was accounted for by Hispanic immigration, according to the preliminary census results. And in 27 American states, the number of white people declined.

Furthermore, the estimated fertility rate in the US is now 1.73 percent, well below the 2.1 percent rate that is considered to be “replacement level procreation". The American birthrate has dropped and so has life expectancy, partly no doubt due to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But still. The trends are clear to see. America is producing fewer children. Whites are decreasing in numbers, especially compared with “browns,” mostly of Latin descent.

Republicans have seen this coming for a while now. It’s no coincidence the GOP has become the refuge of white nativists and others who cannot or will not adjust to the realities of demographics and world migration trends.

So, was it all worth it?

US President Joe Biden has announced he is pulling the plug on American military troop presence in Afghanistan on September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.

Afghanistan’s strategic location and impenetrably mountainous terrain have long made that part of the world both tempting and unconquerable for global empires. The US will this year conclude an active military presence there that has cost thousands of American and NATO allies’ lives, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of Afghan casualties.

Many are questioning what the US has accomplished with its massive financial and military investment in Afghanistan. One obvious answer is the Americans managed to catch and kill Osama bin Laden, avenging the nation for his masterminding of the 9/11 attacks.

What else? While virtually no American not directly involved in this war effort could likely identify a single additional achievement, the US presence has doubtless made a positive difference in many aspects of Afghan and regional life. History will look back on this period and identify those gains.

Meantime, the focus of President Biden is clearly going to be a domestic one, as was the case with Barack Obama.

The beautiful game tarnished by greedy owners

It has long been an axiom in professional sports that while supporters will tolerate incompetence and even malfeasance from the owners and directors of their favourite teams, the rich folks who control professional sports franchises must also recognize there is always a line that ultimately may not be crossed.

This was a lesson learned anew in the last fortnight by some wealthy plutocrats, many of them Americans, who own English Premier League soccer teams. But even as the management structure of the world’s most popular game was shaken and appeared briefly to wobble, the inherent beauty of the “most beautiful game” shone through and reminded fans across the world that there is no team game to compare with “real football".

The heart of the matter, as it often is in sports, was greed.

To the average worldwide soccer fan, the announcement came as a shock ten days ago that a dozen of Europe’s most powerful and wealthy clubs had decided to form their own, elite league. While there had been rumours for many months that some preliminary discussions had occurred, few paid much attention.

But then the “Dirty Dozen” of Europe’s elite dropped their bombshell. Spanish megateams Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletico Madrid and Italian power houses AC Milan, Juventus (Turin) and Internazionale Milan revealed plans to link up with six top English clubs to form a new Super League.

While owners and public relations consultants raved about the competitive and artistic beauty of the new arrangement, pundits and fans immediately recognized that this action would wreck the world’s greatest club competition – the European Champions League – and at the same time, leave astern the dozens of less wealthy and competitive clubs in Spain, Italy and England.

Within 48 tense hours, the new league proposal was summarily abandoned by the English and Italian clubs, with only the haughty Real Madrid and Barcelona still to yet disavow the proposal.

The six English teams were Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham. These are widely known in England as the Top Six, and since the establishment of the top-tier English Premier League in 1992, the first four listed have won 26 of the 29 EPL titles, including City’s certain triumph this season.

But the Super League, by which device the 12 owners proposed to diminish contests against their lesser local rivals and focus instead on each other, generated a passionate and immediate resistance from fans across England and elsewhere.

Supporters took to the streets in London’s SW6 to angrily denounce Chelsea’s intent to join the new league. Fans in North London and England’s Northwest resolutely joined the protests. Politicians jostled each other to be first with stinging denouncements. Sponsors quaked.

The owners quickly caved, shocked at the overwhelming public response.

Chelsea released the following statement:

“As concerns were raised following the announcement (of the new league), the Club took a step back to listen and speak to supporters. Following those conversations and taking into account the extremely strong views against the proposal, we reassessed our initial decision and decided we did not want to be part of this league.

“We recognise we should have addressed these issues in advance of joining the group. The Owner and Board understand that involving the Club in such a proposal was a decision we should not have taken. It is a decision we deeply regret.”

Wealthy Americans control Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Oil sheikhs from Abu Dhabi pay the bills at Manchester City. Chelsea is owned by a Russian oligarch. Albany developer and New Providence resident Joe Lewis holds controlling interest in Tottenham.

This is all big, lucrative business for some of the world’s wealthiest people. But they quickly, and wisely, abandoned the sinking Super League ship. And then the game rescued them.

On Tuesday two of the conspirators, Chelsea and Real Madrid, squared off in the first semifinal match of the 2021 Champions League competition. Madrid has dominated the European championships with 13 titles since the tournament began in 1955, and this year’s team features some of the most prodigious talents in the world.

Chelsea has been relentlessly efficient since its new German coach took over in January, and Tuesday’s 1-1 final score capped a brilliant tactical chess match between top managers and players. The best current American men’s player, Christian Pulisic from Pennsylvania, scored Chelsea’s goal, and was soon matched by a spectacular strike from burly French superstar Karim Benzema.

The match epitomized the world’s most beautiful game, and next week’s rematch in London between Chelsea’s fleet young stars and Madrid’s established icons promises more of the same.

It reminded fans everywhere of the game they will always cherish, notwithstanding the mischief of some of its owners.