This Substack is part of a larger exploration into the crossroads of sports, history, culture, and politics. Its title draws inspiration from historian Eric Hobsbawm’s observation that “the imagined community of millions seems more real as a team of eleven named people.”

Sean Jacobs is a writer and researcher. Most recently, he was a tenured full professor of international affairs at The New School. He founded Africa Is a Country and runs this Substack. He was born and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Occasionally I also write about jazz music.

…

Ivan Pech, a writer from Mexico City, is a regular contributor to Eleven Named People. His work has appeared in Golden Goal, Africa Is a Country, Public Seminar, and The Michigan Quarterly Review.

Nirkhunan Kuppuram designed the logo and is responsible for the Substack’s layout.