World Cup Talk

So as many of you know, the World Cup is in full force and the 1st set of matches have been played.  Some of the favorites won and some lost (Spain!!). But the main topic of the 2010 World Cup hasn't been the upsets or the great goals, but rather about the sound of the vuvuzelas. For those of you who don't know, the vuvuzela (or sometimes called stadium horn) is a blowing horn that is approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at soccer matches in South Africa. The instrument is played using a simple brass instrument technique of blowing through compressed lips to create a buzz, and emits a loud monotone sound. Vuvuzelas have been controversial. They have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss and have also been blamed for drowning the sound and atmosphere of football games. A new model, however, announced on 14 June 2010, has a modified mouthpiece which is claimed to reduce the volume by 20 dB.


So what's the big deal? Why are you writing about this? Well I just felt that I needed to vent a little and say that I'm annoyed....not by the vuvuzelas buzzing out of my TV but by the columnists and fans around the world.  Especially those in the US. People are asking that these horns be removed because they can't stand the buzzing sound that comes out of the TV. Give it a rest. These instruments are the voice of South African soccer (excuse me, football). You knew going into the World Cup that fans would be using these horns, so why play in South Africa? Well I'm glad they chose to play there as it's the first World Cup on African soil. It gives them a sense of pride and they show it by blowing these horns. So for the sake of the game, just live with it! If you don't like it, mute the TV. Ok, enough ranting. Have a great rest of your week.