World Cup Notes

The World Cup is down to its final four (Holland v. Uruguay and Spain v. Germany), here are a few musings about the event so far:

• What a spectacle. Nationalism (patriotism?), politics, larger-than-life personalities, celebrities, technology, marketing...it's hard to enumerate the passions and excitements that go into the World Cup. Let me just say that the event, in its entirety, has been remarkable.
• Despite years of negative publicity, in the event South Africa has been amazing. The stadiums are spectacular, crime has been a non-issue, the organization has been (mostly) flawless, people on the street are welcoming and friendly and more than willing to assist fans visiting the country. Extra police and armies of volunteers have ensured that the event has been safe and well-run for everyone.
• The US played well and won a lot of support. Not well enough to win, and not enough to steal support from Ghana. But the soccer world has too many players who whine to the referees and lie on the ground at the end of games. The US played in some dramatic games and their hustle and grit were a credit to their country and to the game.
• Americans were the largest bloc of visitors and spent the most money (according to Visa). Thank God they ignored those news articles (you WILL get carjacked) and the crazy marketing (some British company sold stab-proof jackets), every American we've spoken to has had a blast.
• England fans are annoying, and seem to be mostly drunk. Or most of them, anyway. Apologies to our English readers, but that's the truth. One funny English fan moment...at the Ghana-Uruguay match some guy in front of us bellowed "Come On England" every eight or ten minutes for the entire match.
• South Africans have readily transferred their support. There were some wild expectations of the South African team, but when they went out the country switched allegiance to Ghana en masse. We saw the Ghana-Uruguay match with 84,000 Ghanaian supporters (um, no, there were very few actual Ghanaians). Brazil would have been a third choice, and Spain may be the fourth choice for the country.
• We've been to four stadiums, and Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg's Soccer City are all world-class. Durban's is probably the most dramatic, with a huge arch supporting the roof over the seating and, like Cape Town, situated close to the beach.
• Live 3D technology isn't a world-beater. Sony is broadcasting matches in 3D, and we watched Spain-Paraguay in a cinema, live, in 3D. It was cool, definitely a new perspective, but I don't think I need to run out and buy a 3D TV. Unlike HD-TV, which makes a huge difference in watching sporting events, 3D TV doesn't seem to add much to the experience that was previously missing. And the glasses are annoying.
• Who's going to win? After early South American dominance, we are down to a fairly normal European threesome in the semis. But Spain and Holland have never won the Cup and Uruguay hasn't won since 1950, so we could still have some drama in the final week.