VuVuZela Madness

The Vuvuzela has definitely been a topic of debate during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Some are saying it drowns out the atmosphere of the game, others claim hearing loss (there’s been a subsequent rise in earplug sales in South Africa over the past two weeks) and some just don’t understand the need for these plastic noisemakers.

On the other hand, the Vuvuzela has long been a part of the South African soccer fan’s kit, but only now is it gaining global attention as the world watches this latest clash of the futbol titans.

What exactly is a Vuvuzela you ask? It’s a thin plastic tube with a 1-inch (2.54cm) opening on one end, a 3.5-inch (8.9cm) on the other, and is 2 to 3 feet in length (60.96 to 91.44cm). All you have to do is compress your lips on smaller end and blow. What you produce is a trumpet like noise that carries on for city blocks. Put thousands of these together and you have what sounds like a giant swarm of bees.

I was lucky enough to have scored one of these devices while viewing the 2008 European Cup in Austria/Switzerland. You could buy them right on the streets of Innsbrooklyn for five-Euros, what a deal! The European version is slightly different than the South Africa model, but I shot my Spain colored Vuvuzela to give y’all a glimpse of what’s become synonymous with the 2010 World Cup. Enjoy, Blotto

The bowling pin and canine are for size reference purposes only. They have nothing to do with the 2010 World Cup of Futbol. Photo by Blotto