Mobbed-up soccer hooligans create chaos in southern Europe
This summer, all eyes are on North America as Canada, Mexico, and the United States host the 2026 World Cup. The “beautiful game,” as soccer (or football) is sometimes called, tends to bring people together who otherwise would never cross paths. For instance, citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, welcomed the Algerian national team to set up their home base in the University of Kansas town during the global tournament. But the sport has a dark side, too. Though most fans only want to cheer for their team and enjoy the game, a small subset takes their diehard support a little too seriously, ...
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Historians of the underworld
When media outlets need an expert to explain what might have happened to former labor leader Jimmy Hoffa’s remains, they…
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Former New York Mafioso shines light on syndicate ‘treachery’
When he was 20 years old, John Pennisi shot a man to death in a dispute over a girlfriend. “The…
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The 10-week-long Commission trial played to full courtrooms
Last of two parts. The Commission trial continued through November and into December of 1986. The eight men on trial…
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The Commission trial lifted the lid on the New York Mafia
First of two parts. In the annals of Mafia courtroom dramas, one case tends to stand above the rest, The…
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The afternoon that Joe Masseria dined on bullets
The tale of Giuseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria’s assassination on April 15, 1931, is one of many gangland legends that…
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How Prohibition changed beer
For dedicated home brewers and beer snobs, the tale is familiar. Prohibition killed small and mid-sized breweries, and after repeal,…
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A new look at Tony Spilotro in upcoming movie
When mobster Tony Spilotro was active in Las Vegas decades ago, doors opened for him in Hollywood. As the Chicago…
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