The Sound of the World Cup

I'm the kind of American FIFA probably hopes to capture with its presentation of the World Cup -- open-minded, able to see why it's called "the beautiful game" but still a bit mystified about the extreme nationalism, but still drawn to the bruising of Wayne Rooney. Plus I loved the 2006 France v Italy final and the delicious and heartbreaking foul by Zidane.

So I watched the first match of this year's cup: South Africa vs Mexico.

OMG.

I could only handle about 5 minutes of the vuvuzela -- the horrendous horn the Africans apparently love that
makes every second of the match sound like the largest collection of flies you've ever heard.

It is...simply obnoxious.



FIFA apparently decided to allow these plastic horns into the stadia because it's some kind of tribute to local heritage. What a mistake. The things are apparently even a health hazard, being as loud as 128 dB.

I can't imagine watching another World Cup match, even for a few minutes. The vuvuzela's are that annoying.