The Voodoozela

I believe the saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words". As I'm sure we can all agree that this picture is no different, we can also agree that it's also worth a thousand sounds. You haven't forgotten have you? Did you need another sound bite to refresh your memory? Yeah, didn't think so...but in case you did, I believe it went something like this:

"BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! BZZZZZZ!!!!!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!! BZZZZZZZZZ!!!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!! BZZZZ!!!!!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!! BZZZ!!!! BZZZ!!!!! BZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!! BZZZ!!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!! BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!! BZZZZZ!!!!"

You get the idea. I'm sure you really haven't forgotten, because quite frankly it's impossible to forget. The sound of this now infamous vuvuzela is forever engrained into the eardrums of anyone who watched 2010 World Cup this year. But for those of you who have been longtime soccer supporters, this sound is as normal as your heartbeat at this point. Could it even be considered "The Heartbeat of the Game"?!?! ...mmkay maybe not. But we'd all be naive not to acnowledge the value of the vuvuzela in soccer, or even in sports as a whole. The only problem is that it was never really acnowledged from the beginning.

From the moment the first game of the 2010 World Cup began this year, viewers, broadcasters,and produces were immediately red in the face by the annoyance created by the bellowing vuvuzela. Viewers were irritated from having to hear the sound through each game. Broadcasters were fired up because their commentary couldn't be heard through the sound. And producers were upset because their viewers started changing the channel because of, well you know. I mean obviously it's easy to get pissed off at anything that distracts you from a game, or potentially costs you money from loss of ratings, right? If I was one of those viewers that had to sit there all game and listen to thousands upon thousands of those things the whole time, I'd probably be changing the channel too. But you know what? I was one of those viewers. I did sit and watch those games. And like everyone else, I also had to listen to that swarm of horns the whole time. But you know what else? I watched soccer, and so did you. Whether you want to admit it or not, everything you heard and saw was soccer.

Like all other sports, soccer is a culture. As perhaps the most culturally-rich sport in the world, it's quite impossible to ignore. Whether it's a chant, a flag, a jersey, or even a vuvuzela, this is soccer my friends. We have to remember this. Specifically for the United States, being the newest integration into FIFA, we need to understand soccer to appreciate soccer. Especially if we're going to call it soccer!! The worst thing you can do is ask for something you didn't make, and once you get it, try to change it. The vuvuzela is specific to the culure of South African soccer. It's their staple in the games. The world was completely taken aback when this meter-long horn was seen on the big stage at the Confederations Cup last year. Players, above all else, have been torn in their opinions of the instrument. Some think it's a cultural icon , and most say it irritates their play. Luckily for the dignity of the sport, the President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has stood by the vuvuzela every step of the way. While others have denied it, he insisted of this last World Cup "we should not attempt to europeanize the African tournament". He's absolutely right.

One of the most miraculous things about soccer is it's ability to act as an international safety net. No matter what else is going on in the world between countries, we can always depend on soccer to clarify things for us. It's a pretty basic message: Embrace diversity. Don't shy away from what's different from you. Annoying and irritating or not, we must walk towards and with diversity. While that's a pretty general statement, it's essential that we do this with our sports for if we don't, then the point of sports is lost. Whether it's with soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, or whatever else, we can't ever forget how they got here. Because at some point throughout time, each sport was created by a different mind with thoughts and ideas. From that, their idea spread to the entire world, creating thousands of interpretations of these sports. From the style of play in the athletes, all way to the style of support in the fans.

The funniest thing about the vuvuzela is that while it's a huge thorn in everyone's ears, it's also a huge reminder in everyone's ears as well. Appreciating and respecting diversity is a lesson that falls by the wayside far to often in this world, and sometimes it even takes an obnoxious horn to teach it...