FOLIO
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind… Thoughts/Notes…
I have been totally entertained by all the World Cup matches being staged in South Africa so far the first couple of weeks. While there hasn’t been a lot of scoring, the play nonetheless has been competitive. I think it shows that the talent levels and parity for soccer around the world is becoming stronger than ever. It is similar to what we’ve seen with the worldwide growth of basketball, being played that much more in so many other countries.
Even before the World Cup began, there was a lot of talk about how abundant ticket sales were. FIFA mentioned how matches were ‘selling out’.
Well, I for one have watched almost all of the matches, and I have seen empty seats at a vast majority of them. At the Paraguay/Slovenia match last Sunday, the stadium wasn’t even half-full! Its quite obvious many of these events are not sellouts. I’d be willing to bet you can go outside a stadium and scalp a ticket for below face value easily! And that’s not a good thing for the reputation the South Africans are trying to establish throughout this event. It makes you wonder whether it’s a matter of locals not having the cash to buy the tickets, or maybe not enough fans from all 32 countries not showing up to attend the contests… Whatever the case, the bottom line here is that attendance has not been 100% by any means at all…
It never, ever ceases to amaze me what being on television will do with the actions of human beings! I’m talking about some of the idiot fans that have been attending the World Cup soccer matches, and getting their ugly mugs on the world TV feed! These people act like complete imbeciles once they realize they are on the candid camera! They get absolutely crazy in a heartbeat! You would think they just struck gold or something! I simply don’t get it. What’s the big stink all about? You’re on TV…GET OVER IT! Look…if I’m a fan at an event to watch my favorite team, I want to be there and cheer them on. Being on TV means NOTHING to me! Just go to the matches and get wild and crazy during play…
Another scene that has been killing me before each World Cup match has been hearing the players singing…or, at least TRYING…to sing their respective National Anthems! OMG!!!! These guys have ZERO vocal talent! Simon Cowell would TORCH them on American Idol!
Hey guys…its not a requirement to sing your National Anthem…especially if you CANNOT SING! There is nothing wrong with letting the words flow through your mind while the Anthems are being played, all in full support of your home country. But for goodness sakes…if you are a bad singer, the last thing you should do is start blurting out the words with your fellow teammates! Please…STOP! Furthermore…as a note to the TV Directors, Producers and camera guys…kill the shots of the players, as they are so close to the guys from each team! There is no need to pick up their audio and awful singing! THEY SUCK!
Getting into the Round of 16 can be considered an accomplishment, for all intents, after playing through the First Round and the group stages. So, give the USA credit for sliding into this knockout Round with a wild, incredible win over Algeria last Wednesday! For them to pull that one out says a lot for their own internal resolve. They deserve credit for doing so. Of course, the strength of the powerhouse countries that are still playing is there, with Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, and Germany all right there in the hunt. It should make for some rather interesting matchups in this Round of 16…
Follow FOLIO!