Photo by Unknown

In anticipation if next Summer's World Cup and in direct response to the uproar that was caused during the Confederation's Cup this past Summer, we have decided to do a Pro versus Con battle on the inclusion of the infamous Vuvuzela. Should they be allowed at all games next year or should a large part of soccer culture in South Africa be stripped from its own residents? The battle ensues....

Biggy: Ah the painfully annoying Vuvuzuela. They make me feel like I'm watching a game that is being played in a bee hive, and the bees have somehow landed in my living room and are anxiously watching the game with me. Which truly is a bizarre feeling, who exactly would bees cheer for? Is there even a national team that rocks a bee's colors? Maybe they just like South Africa because they feel most at home in the bee hive atmosphere.... Regardless, those horns are ridiculous. Which is why I absolutely love them. Couldn't like them more. Chamo I think feels just slightly differently then I do.

Chamo: I'm pretty sure you just made my argument for me. See, there are many annoying things fans do during a match that have been deemed "acceptable: whistling when fans want the match to end, yelling when a player skies a shot miles over the bar in jest, etc. However these things happen for a reason. The people with vuvuzelas blow on their stupid horns for the ENTIRE match. There is no reason, there is no purpose, just noise. This does not add to the game like the other quirks the fans do, this just becomes a nuisance, not only for the players on the field but for the fans actually attempting to enjoy the game. Sure it may sound like a bee hive on your TV now, wait till we get there next year.

B: Ever heard the expression "One man's trash is another man's treasure?" because it applies nicely in this situation. What you find annoying might be something someone else finds beautiful. Sure, when the Confederation's Cup started, I found them to be annoying. The longer the tournament went on, the more I liked them. No other sport has the constant buzz during a game like soccer does and the Vuvuzela is a part of that in South Africa. It's not like they picked them up just to annoy you, they've been around for two decades and are ingrained in the South African soccer culture. Plus, are we playing tennis? When did crowd noise become a problem? Should we outlaw fans making noise too? We might as well go to a baseball game. The atmosphere for games is different everywhere in the world, and I wouldn't want to be robbed of an authentic experience next year in South Africa. Plus constant crowd noise means I won't have to hear you bitching about what a shitty manager Bob Bradley is.

C: I don't really care if anyone finds it beautiful, the only people who seem to side with the positive on this issue are the South Africans and a person that consistently thinks the US has a quality national team. How you found a way to throw Bob "Bad Decision" Bradley's name into this conversation is beyond me, and while I could completely take this argument off topic, I will drop the matter for the time being.

Soccer's "constant" buzz you speak of goes with the natural ebb and flow of the game. It has highs and lows, peaks and valleys, not constant noise. There is a difference between the constant drone of a Vuvuzela and the excitement and despair you can feel with a crowd as a game progresses. How can you show appreciation for a quality play when the exact same noise is emitted for a yellow card, red card, goal, offside, bad call, good call, substitution, injury, dive, and on and on. The Vuvuzela dumbs down the crowd, it doesn't liven it more, it makes the fan capable of not having to show emotion, and there is no doubt that there is not a more emotional sport than soccer on the planet.

B: Funny, it certainly seemed to get louder when Dempsey and Donovan scored in the final. Wait, I'm sure it did. English fans do songs, German fans do chants, American fans do little to nothing, and South African fans do Vuvuzelas. Soccer isn't about what everyone likes, it's about each individual's flair and what they bring to the table. To have the World Cup in South Africa and then tell them they can't bring THEIR FAVORITE FORM OF CHEERING to THEIR STADIUMS in THEIR COUNTRY is ridiculous, absurd, and pretty comical. I don't invite myself over to your house for dinner, enjoy a nice meal, and then tell you to change the channel on your tv when you state that we are going to watch your favorite show. Why? That is rude.

Part of the World Cup is that it brings nations together and celebrates their differences while playing a common game. Especially when it is clear that the noise level changes based on the play, that it isn't one steady din but a low din that increases with drama and excitement. The people complaining the most about this are announcers, who are worried they won't be able to be heard as much. You mean, we could watch a game on tv with just crowd noise and limited spew from announcers? Forgive me if that excites me tremendously. The World Cup isn't about what four players, three announcers and a bunch of whiners want, it is about experiencing soccer in a unique soccer culture. Plus, you can always turn the sound down on your tv.

C: Two side notes first, 1) I'm almost positive you DO invite yourself to my house, eat my food, and change my channel whenever you damn well please. 2) I am just as excited as you to have the possibility of NOT having to hear Alexi Lalas or Julie Foudy commentate on any of the World Cup games. Unless Wynalda comes back, I prefer watching the games in Spanish.

That said, yes, you are right, different cultures have different responses during matches, and yes, it would be ridiculous to ban them completely. Which is why I am completely in favor of only allowing them at South Africa games. Let me explain why this makes sense, British fans don't go to a France v Saudi Arabia game and sing their songs, it makes no sense, thus why bring a Vuvuzela to a US v Italy game? Part of the wonderful thing about the World Cup is (and I can say this having been to three, US '94, France '98, Germany '06) enjoying the game with your fans, and your squad in your own way. If all the sudden the South African fans come into an England game with the Vuvuzelas and make it impossible for the Brits to sing their songs, you can be guaranteed something will go down (especially with the Brits). Yes, some of the songs and chants jeer opposition, and the Vuvuzela's certainly don't hurt anyone's feelings, but it takes away from other fan's ability to truly soak in the game. If I'm at a South Africa game, I'd want the Vuvuzela's there, but if its between other teams, I'd want the atmosphere they provide.

B: Well at least we can agree on two things, I eat your food, and that no one wants to hear Julie Foudy. Lalas is at least opinionated enough to rag on the national team, and while I don't want to hear about what Alexi and his teammates would have done, at least he will say that Bob Bradley needs to make changes or other things.

Anyway, your suggestion raises another problem in itself. Certainly if songs are being sung, I can understand the lack of need for a Vuvuzela, but realistically when Mali and Costa Rica square off, who is going to be there to sing? Attendance is going to be a problem regardless, but if you eliminate the Vuvuzela, well you might be selling the ship down a short river. Eliminating the Vuvuzela limits the amount of attendance and inflicts damage to the soccer culture of South Africa, and that just isn't a precedent you want to set. The South African people, especially the construction workers, have been promised tickets by FIFA that so far have been unfilfilled. The last thing they need is another reason not to attend games.

C: If South Africans, or anyone for that matter, boycotts the World Cup simply because a 50 cent piece of plastic can't come into the stadium with them, then that is their prerogative. Is Mali even going to qualify? Last I checked they were in second by 5 points with 3 matches to go. They need Ghana to lose twice, but that is besides the point. Coming from a guy who has never had a first hand experience in a foreign country who is hosting the World Cup, you'd be surprised how many people will be there, regardless of country size, typical income, or any other limiting factor. In Germany I went to a Paraguay v Trinidad and Tobago game, and let me say I'll be damned if there were LESS Paraguay fans than Soca Warrior fans! It was incredible, not to mention it made the game a ton of fun (I was seated amongst the Trinidad and Tobago faithful). Any law they make will not stop people from going, I would not even hesitate to still walk into that stadium if they told me I could not wear any pants and had to hop on one foot for the entireity of the match. That's the wonderful thing about the beautiful game.

B: Glad to see you are paying attention to African qualifying. It's true, I haven't been to one yet, which is why I want the most authentic experience possible. I agree, tons of people will be there and I don't see anyone boycotting, but I would prefer the South African people have no reason not to attend, especially not because of a rule that Sepp Blatter decides to implement. Fortunately, no one will ever implement a rule that lets you get in anywhere without pants on. I just would hate to see an authentic country experience marred by a rule implemented on the behest of people who don't live there. Certainly it will be interesting to see what FIFA does, but it's clear that they are going to have to think it over long and hard to come up with an appropriate solution, since we certainly cannot.

C: Authentic is in the eye of the beholder. I figured an authentic German experience would include beer falling from the heavens and women running around in lederhosen and nothing else, but I was sadly mistaken. If the Vuvuzela is what you think will make it authentic, I have nothing to say, but I can understand that, if one of our tickets happened to be to a South Africa game, that fans should be allowed to support their team in the fashion they see fit. That is as far as I will compromise with you, and until Sepp Blatter's ruling, we are no closer to an answer than we were when we started. Stop eating my food.

What's your take on the Vuvuzela argument? Let us know below.