Category Archives: sports

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

Leave a Comment

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

Leave a Comment

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

Leave a Comment

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

Leave a Comment

Filed under Culture and the Cup, sports

Hitting the Links, Desert Style

by Jeff Kaiser AMMAN — Tucked into the rugged, arid hills just 14km from Amman, the 9-hole “brown” Bisharat Golf Course offers a truly unique golfing experience. Jordan’s desert landscape is not a natural home for a golf course, by any … Continue reading

Leave a Comment

Filed under culture, Middle East, sports