State Of Play - Update #1

Expectations play a critical role in determining the success or lack of success of a World Cup. First of all, every team has played one game and it is still early to get a read on the tone and style of play in South Africa. Furthermore, do not expect the World Cup to be a showcase for the world's best football. Usually that honor is bestowed upon the Champions League. During this posting I am going to touch upon a couple issues that have created the backlash for the poor play at the World Cup. I would be interested to know your thoughts on the matter, so either write a comment or vote in the poll question to the right.

The Ball

Adidas, every 2 years, is asked to design and develop the ball that is used at the upcoming World Cup or European Championships. And every 2 years each newly created ball garners the same complaints from goalkeepers and attackers. Jabulani, this World Cup's ball, has been claimed to be the best ball ever created by Adidas with the straightest trajectory and truest bounces. But really c'mon it is a ball and excuse the crude commentary but all balls are the same. Most of the players at the World Cup did not grow up with the most perfect balls, most of them had flat balls, played without shoes and usually played on dirt, back alleys or streets, not the pristine fields of green grass that they are so accustomed to. Just because they are superstars they have no right to complain about a ball that is a tad too light, give me a break. The sorry excuse for your poor play is not a ball it is quite frankly your own damn fault.

The Competition

Brazil struggles against North Korea, Argentina outlasts Nigeria, Italy, France and Portugal all draw their first game. The talent gap between the top-rated teams and the lower-ranked teams has gotten considerably smaller throughout the years. More and more teams are scouting around the world and developing talent at an earlier age. Players are being selected for youth teams at earlier ages and being plucked into academies across the world. Furthermore, there is a growing sense of familiarity between all the teams as more and more players are playing internationally across a variety of leagues and are accustomed to each other styles and tendencies.

The Vuvuzelas

In my opinion the beauty of the World Cup lies in the pageantry of the spectators and fans of all the various countries that participate in the tournament. And when I am enjoying a game I love hearing the various chants and cheers that all the spectators share in the stadium. From the 'Hup, Hup Holland,' to the good ol' 'USA USA USA' chant every country brings their own flavor to the match.

You can probably guess where I am going for this. In order to hear the chants resonating from each country's fans I need to expose myself to the constant buzzing from the vuvuzelas. Supposedly, there is some historical significance associated with the vuvuzela in South Africa, but how historical are we talking about when we are dealing with plastic blow-horns. 

From what I gather plastic has been around since 1855, so in terms of historical significance, I am not buying it. Maybe, it is because I am Greek and for me history needs a BC after the date. Regardless, the vuvuzela was used to call antelopes during hunting trips but this is 2010 and who is the hell is going to be lining up antelopes during a World Cup match. Granted, I haven't seen what is going on outside the stadiums but if there are rows of antelopes lining up outside then damn I will leave the vuvuzela issue alone.

Bloggers, pundits, columnists across the world are trying to describe the noises that the vuvuzelas are making and John Leicester, from the AP, put it plainly: "The constant drone of cheap and tuneless plastic horns is killing the atmosphere at the World Cup." Amen brother, preach on! The World Cup is all about atmosphere, so until those vuvuzelas die down this World Cup will constantly lack the atmosphere that makes this sporting event so special.

The Weather

It is the middle of winter in South Africa, temperatures have been near freezing during the matches, and the players are bundled up trying to literally 'warm the bench.' Furthermore, the fans are also freezing and with the exception of the vuvuzela tooting crew they aren't making as much noise as other World Cups. Also, how can we let the World Cup go by without seeing the mid-drifts of some of the South American babes, this is an outrage.

But in all seriousness, the World Cup is meant to be played in sun soaked stadiums and warm summer nights where the beads of sweat are dripping from the players' faces. But weather is something that cannot be controlled but has played a factor in the level of play at the World Cup. Colder weather favors team from Scandinavia, but somehow the South and Latin American teams are playing the best football, so that theory should be thrown out the window.

So what do you think, has the level of play suffered from one of the reasons listed above, or is everything fine as is? Let me know your thoughts!