The first few days of the World Cup were met with plenty of chatter about a constant buzzing sound in the background of television broadcasts. Many compared it to the sound of a swarm of bees. The source was a Vuvuzella , an African horn, which is a traditional instrument at soccer games there. Thousands of fans blow them constantly to create a festive atmosphere. Many people around the world asked for a ban, or at least complained to the television networks to muffle the audio feed.
The problem with that is it takes away from the local traditions and atmosphere. Wanting Vuvuzellas limited or banned would be the equivalent of outlawing the Seventh Inning Stretch, or even tailgating. Could you imagine baseball and football without those age-old traditions? So realize that the South Africans and other soccer fans around the world deserve to have their own customs. We should embrace something new like this, and not quickly look to tailor it to what we’re used to.
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Cup. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
In World Cup, U.S. has tough battle to win games, fans
The World Cup begins in less than a month, and interest is starting to build for the event being hosted by South Africa.
This always reverberates the discussion of the state of U.S. soccer. Many wonder why the sport is the most popular among our country’s youth, but the Americans are lucky to be in the top 10 of the world.
Because there’s such little mainstream interest, the only way the World Cup will get any attention is if the Yanks somehow win their pool, and challenge one of the world’s powers, like the 2002 team that reached the quarterfinals before falling to Germany.
Because it’s summer, people will at least give it a chance. There isn’t a lot of competition for the regular sports fan, and some might stop the clicker long enough to see something different than baseball. But if the Americans play poorly, or get thumped early, a lot of fans will reach for the remote or head for the pool.
The sport has such a ways to go in this country, both in talent and interest. It’s at least fifth on most sports fans’ ranking of favorite sports, and young stars such as Freddy Adu haven’t panned out yet after a lot of hype. Combine that with the overwhelming talent and interest around the world, and this is an uphill climb on a treadmill to make a splash here, even in the summer.
This always reverberates the discussion of the state of U.S. soccer. Many wonder why the sport is the most popular among our country’s youth, but the Americans are lucky to be in the top 10 of the world.
Because there’s such little mainstream interest, the only way the World Cup will get any attention is if the Yanks somehow win their pool, and challenge one of the world’s powers, like the 2002 team that reached the quarterfinals before falling to Germany.
Because it’s summer, people will at least give it a chance. There isn’t a lot of competition for the regular sports fan, and some might stop the clicker long enough to see something different than baseball. But if the Americans play poorly, or get thumped early, a lot of fans will reach for the remote or head for the pool.
The sport has such a ways to go in this country, both in talent and interest. It’s at least fifth on most sports fans’ ranking of favorite sports, and young stars such as Freddy Adu haven’t panned out yet after a lot of hype. Combine that with the overwhelming talent and interest around the world, and this is an uphill climb on a treadmill to make a splash here, even in the summer.
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