World Cup Lessons

So sad...we have to wait another 4 years to experience World Cup fever again :(.  But have no fear, a little nostalgia will prolong the feeling just that little bit longer...Well just two days longer, the Final was only on Sunday...

So what have we learned over the last month? Have no fear I am here to tell you :)

World Cup fever does have an antidote. His name is Suarez. And he got what he deserved.

Karma is something not to take lightly.  If you trifle with it, there will be vengeance. Uruguay learned this. And if you think about it Algeria did too after their equally dodgy qualification to the Finals.

The Hand of God is alive and well and still wielding its power in football, albeit it in a twisted form, as demonstrated by the Green and Suarez.

Africans are not very good at using their own juju.  It seems to have helped the Europeans more. Sure Cote D'Ivoire were in the group of death and South Africa really didn't have a chance but what was Cameroun's excuse? And Algeria should have played better after denying Egypt, the African champions the chance to shine.

The next time we have a World Cup in Africa it should not be held in one of the coldest countries on the continent during "winter".  We need to take advantage of the heat like South America do to stop European teams from winning!

Do not underestimate the power that Mr. Boateng's loins has had on football and will have in the future.  Watch out the English Premier League!

The Black Stars are the light in African skies!

It is easy to pick what team you are on sometimes.  When it comes to Twilight (I know, my love of film takes me to very strange places) it's easy - Team Jacob. However when your fever has been mollified it can be hard to think logically when your mind is clear. I know, what an oxymoron.

The more you listen to Waka Waka, the more you realise how cartoonish and stereotypically useless the song is and wonder more and more why Wavin' Flag was not the official song...

Footballers are hot! ;} See here, here, here and here for proof he he he...

Nike and Coca Cola know how to market and create great adverts.

Paul the Octopus is amazing! Is it terrible to wonder whether his football prophesising is also an indicator of how tasty he is?

Footballers know how to cry appropriately - either due to the emotionality of losing quite terribly ala Gyan, of winning ala Iker Casillas or when appreciating the importance of the Word Cup ala "The People's Rooney".  Federer crying after losing the Australian Open because he couldn't tie Sampras' all-time Grand Slam record not so much.  His scant of tears of joy when he later won the French for the first time to equal Sampras and that fact that when he actually became the all-time great a month later at Wimbledon he didn't even cry wasn't good either!

Spain have something in their water. In the last two months Pau Gasol won the NBA Championships, Nadal has won the French and Wimbledon back to back for the second time and La Roja have won the World Cup!!!!

Whatever anyone may say i.e. the constant referral to how even though South Africa, a proxy for Africa, may be developing there are still problems - cue pictures of slums and little boys playing football in raggedy clothes, South Africa should be proud of the World Cup they hosted.  Having travelled the world some, this is true everywhere.  It may manifest itself differently, but whether you are in the West or the East, the North or the South of this planet, there are always disparities between the rich and the poor, but for some reason Africa is constantly being berated for this difference and in other places, the media is perfectly happy to hide them.  Which by the way makes it all the more shocking when you stumble upon these things, especially in the West.

South Africa 2010 will be remembered as the World Cup of firsts.

FOOTBALL IS THE BEST GAME ON EARTH!!!!!! And even though the Americans are to be commended for continuing to learn to appreciate the game, they have a long way to go in the media.  Even Paul who is an octopus gets it! Come on! I do have to say having watched a coupla matches at bars, it is clear that the public are getting into it.  However, this article REALLY annoyed me.  What kind of nonsense is this???!!! And to make it worse its written by a woman who is perpetuating the stereotypical view that women do not understand sport and couldn't care less. Silly silly woman! Which leads me to my next point...

It is a myth that women do not understand nor care for sport.  This is because a. sport is full of men in their prime flexing their muscles and being men which is thoroughly entertaining when coupled with the highs and lows of playing whatever game they are playing and b. you just need to be patient if the woman has been denied the opportunity to love sport and teach.  This is proven by the video below, which contains a lovely woman I know, but shall remain nameless, showing what World Cup fever can do to ESPN viewers and also by the fact that I have officially turned one of my roommates into a Nadal, basketball and football loving woman over the past year! Oh an the fact that my blog has been dominated by sports commentary for most of its short life ;)



We are ready for Brasil 2014 already he he he...