Category Archives: Culture and the Cup
Cup of Contrast (a World Cup Flashback)
Night: Players from the English and American teams take the field, before singing their national anthems. (Amatruda/TYG) And day: Bandana-clad fans from the Mtuba Football Academy at the Japan v. Netherlands match in Durban, SA. (Messing) By Jake Amatruda SOUTH … Continue reading
Filed under Africa, Culture and the Cup, sports
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 7: Madrid
By Raisa Bruner MADRID – Never underestimate La Furia Roja. I can’t make any comments about the style, skill, or success of the Spanish national soccer team on the field in the World Cup final Sunday night against the Netherlands … Continue reading
Filed under culture, Culture and the Cup, Europe, sports
The Summer of the Vuvuzela
By Jake Amatruda It is the summer of the vuvuzela, and people are marching through the streets blowing those obnoxious plastic horns that seem to be a staple of South African fan craze. The vuvuzela has been around for the … Continue reading
Filed under Africa, Culture and the Cup, sports
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 6: Madrid
By Raisa Bruner MADRID — This city is in the center of Spain. Puerta del Sol, a wide open plaza featuring not one but two fountains, is in the center of Madrid. And on the biggest billboard around Sol, overlooking … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and the Cup, sports
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 5: Buenos Aires
By Ramon Gonzalez BUENOS AIRES — After going back to the tape, a few reactions to a day so troubled by the lack of instant replay. Undoubtedly the demand for limited video replay (on goals, major penalties, etc.) grew even … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and the Cup, Latin America, rivalry
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 4: Paris
By Charlotte Parker PARIS — “Defeated by chaos,” “Disaster,” “Journey to hell and back.” The headlines would be funny if their meaning didn’t carry real implications for France. They reference, of course, the country’s humiliating first-round elimination from the World … Continue reading
Filed under conflict, controversy, Culture and the Cup, Europe, nationalism
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 3: The Andes
By Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins FIMBALÁ, Argentina — Hard as it may be to believe, when I found myself watching Argentina’s World Cup squad battle Nigeria’s on a flickery TV screen 200 km away from the closest permanent human settlement, 4,000 meters/13,000 … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and the Cup, Latin America
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 2: Buenos Aires
By Ramon Gonzalez BUENOS AIRES — It began as a World Cup, has become South America’s, and the hope here is that it will end as Argentina’s. With confident play so far and brief glimpses of brilliance, the national squad … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and the Cup, economy, geography, Latin America, partisan politics
Culture and the Cup, Dispatch 1: Jordan
by Jeff Kaiser AMMAN — Despite the fact that Jordan has never qualified for a World Cup, football fever here in Amman is inescapable. Flags adorn storefronts, cafés, and cars, and children peddle shirts, flags, and colorful, cat-in-the-hat-esque hats in … Continue reading
Filed under Culture and the Cup, Middle East, USA
