My girlfried went to South Africa a few years before the World Cup was held for a mission trip and she has told me a lot about the culture and how badly the effects of Apartheid still affect the culture to this day. With that being said, I feel that it was a good idea to host the World Cup in South Africa because it at least showed some sort of unity in a country that was so divided for so long. The atmosphere was great and I think that even made it more exciting!
I understand our discussion about whether or not it was smart to build such magnificent stadiums, but I do feel that while the stadium may not be used a lot, it will still be used. I am not sure how often South Africa would use the stadium, and for what, but I feel that because it is there, there is a greater chance that it will be used for other events.
The World Cup was an exciting one in 2010 and the team I wanted to win (obviously other than the U.S. won) I did cheer for the U.S. to win, but once we were knocked out, I was cheering for the Spanish team. I wanted them to win because many of the players on that team played for Barcelona. Since I am on the topic of the roster of the 2010 Spanish team roster, I would just like to state that the majority of the players on the team came from two team; one being Barcelona, as I have already stated, and Real Madrid, the other big team in the Spanish Premier League.
Overall I was very happy with the World Cup and the location. South Africa proved to be a great host and had wonderful fans. Also who could forget the best part about the World Cup in South Africa? The vuvuzela! While annoying, that instrument is very cool, and the U.S. did a good job in outlawing them at certain venues/ conferences in a quick fashion.
Thanks for sharing your insights about the 2010 World Cup.
ReplyDeleteI actually meant to post a longer comment but wanted to see if it worked to use Firefox to make posts. I am glad that you shared about your girlfriend's observations from going to South Africa. Do you know where in particular she stayed? Did she mention much about seeing poverty and/or encountering crime? What were some of the residual effects of Apartheid? Thanks again for sharing what you did, Joey.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your perspective about the 2010 World Cup and some details about the chosen of location of South Africa. I think it would have been very interesting to experience some of the local culture in South Africa for those able to attend the World Cup in person.I can't even begin to imagine how different life would be living in this geography as compared to the life I have lived in the United States. While I also hoped that the U.S. would win it all, I was rooting for Netherlands to win it all.
ReplyDeleteThe controversy of South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup was good for the nation. Although, the local area did receive negative publicity, the attention Africa received was amazing. Africa was able to show the rest of the World it ability to host the most popular sporting event in the world. The cost of building the enormous stadium is debatable, but having the opportunity to host the event is well worth the expense. I pretty sure the atmosphere of the World Cup was something the locals were amazed by.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the fact that South Africa needed the stadium. When you host an event like that, the entire world is watching. Creating such a magnificent stadium help showcase what the country had to offer and it was essential to bringing in those teams to compete at such a respectable venue. Even if the stadium is not being used as much as expected, it can still be a tourist site for visitors and bring in revenue. I can't wait for the next world cup!
ReplyDelete