The announcement that 12 European football clubs intend to form a 'super league' occupied the top of the news agenda for most of the day on Monday.Why does football - a game designed for entertainment, predominantly followed by men - occupy such a significant place in Britain's public discourse?In this episode of the New Statesman podcast, Stephen Bush and Ailbhe Rea discuss the place of football in news, politics, and political reporting.Then, in You Ask Us, they take your questions on why Britain seems unable to attract a high calibre of mayoral candidate compared to other countries.Subscribing to the New Statesman helps us keep producing this podcast. You can now subscribe for 12 weeks for just £12. Visit newstatesman.com/subscribe12.We'd love to hear from you.Send us your You Ask Us questions via email: podcasts@newstatesman.co.ukYou can follow Stephen Bush on twitter @stephenkb. Anoosh Chakelian is @Anoosh_C and Ailbhe Rea is @PronouncedAlva.More audio from the New Statesman: listen to our weekly global affairs show World ReviewIf you are a New Statesman digital subscriber you can get ad-free access to this podcast by visiting newstatesman.com/nssubscribers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.