French football and symbolic killing?

Just a few months removed from their embarrassing qualification win against Ireland and even more embarrassing appearance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, France is headed in some bold new directions.

The French team in 2010

You may remember that France was only able to advance to the World Cup after a deliberate Thierry Henry handball that went uncalled, led to the game-winning goal in a play-off game against Ireland. Once arriving at the World Cup, the French team tied Uruguay in their first group match, 0-0, and then lost to Mexico 2-0 in their second match. After that game, French forward Nicolas Anelka was kicked off the team for a profanity-laced tirade directed at head coach Raymond Domenech.

What happened next was pure insanity. The next day, Domenech's team refused to take the practice field in support of their banished teammate. The team's general manager/director marched off the field and resigned from the French Football Federation in disgrace.

French players huddled on the sidelines...

...while Domenech (white hair by the corner flag) faced the press.

The bizarre turn of events saw practice cancelled and, unsurprisingly, two days later the team lost their final group stage game to South Africa by a score of 2-1, thus, ending a disastrous World Cup campaign. Subsequently, Domenech was fired and, in order to quell fan uproar, the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy held meetings with a number of players to discuss the team's meltdown in South Africa.

Here's where rhetorical theorist Kenneth Burke steps in. Burke believed that in order to rid ourselves of guilt, we employ two rhetorical processes - victimage and self-mortification. So, in order to work towards repairing its national football image, first, the team - as well as the country of France - needed to find a scapegoat to burden with collective guilt and disappointment. Domenech served as one scapegoat, but to go even further, all 23 players from the World Cup team were suspended from the team's first post-World Cup match against Norway (France lost the away fixture 2-1). Furthermore, four of the more disruptive players from the World Cup were suspended from the French team for multiple games (Anelka was suspended for 18 matches).

The second part of the purification process, self-mortification involves what Burke calls "symbolic killing." Examples of this kind of mortification include things like New Year's resolutions or getting a drastically different hair cut or tattoo. These actions become transformative in some way, where the old persona is shed for a new one. In the case of French Football, their mortification process began just after the World Cup, when former French national team member - and 1998 World Cup winner - Laurent Blanc was introduced as the team's new coach.

But, it continued in today with the unveiling of a new team uniform. And not only is it a new uniform, but a new apparel provider. After 38 years with Adidas, the French Federation signed a 7-year deal worth roughly $56 million per year to wear Nike products.

The new Nike jersey unveiled on Monday is a stark contrast 

to the 2010 jersey, at the top of the post.

Stitched on the inside of the jersey, behind the badge, reads the saying "Nos Differences Nous Unissent" (our differences unite us), a subtle reminder against the infighting that took place in South Africa as well as national racial tensions that have surfaced around the team's multicultural composition.

Furthermore, in the press conference announcing the jersey, Blanc spoke to the new persona of the team as a result of the jersey change:

"This jersey represents the spirit of French elegance, something recognized all over the world. The true collar, the new blue, the addition of the red really enhance the new kit. It goes well with the philosophy I want to create: creativity, humbleness, ambition."

And, to cement the new kit with meaning, Nike has produced the following video that details not only the new product, but the team's "new philosophy" under coach Laurent Blanc.

To me, this is both obvious and fascinating. The next question is, will it work? Inevitably, as Kenneth Burke insists, any pursuit for perfection will let ultimately fail and the feeling of guilt will return, thereby initiating the process all over again. Even if France, and it's new philosophy, wins the next World Cup.

New logo video for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

This whole presentation is both interesting and weird at the same time.

And the logo, I guess it looks fine.  I'm not as blown away by it as Paulo Coelho but, then again, I'm no Paulo Coelho.

More posts will come.  The rigors of schoolwork and dissertation aren't mixing so well right now, but hopefully they'll even out soon.

The Daily Show tackles the World Cup

The following is a great piece from Daily Show correspondent John Oliver, who uncovers the commercialization and gentrification of the World Cup in Africa.  Just enjoy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
World Cup 2010: Into Africa - Goal Diggers
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Rough week for South Africa, mega-profits for FIFA

Wednesday, on the 35th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, now commemorated as South African Youth Day, the country had a bit of a rough go of it, to say the least.  Not only did their beloved Bafana Bafana fall to Uruguay by an embarrassing 3-0 scoreline, but their team will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, for their next game (against France) after he was shown a straight red card in the 76th minute.  The loss means that the team needs something just short of a miracle to progress out of the group stage and make the second round.

The problems for South Africa, however, don't end there.  In Durban today, approximately three thousand South Africans showed up outside Moses Mabhida Stadium to protest the government's lucrative spending to stage the World Cup tournament.  With 40% of the country's population living on less than $2 per day, much of the criticism in the build up to the World Cup has centered on whether the South African government should have spent money, specifically, on stadiums that will become obsolete after the tournament ends.

The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, for example, a 43,500-seat stadium built specifically for this month's tournament cost the nation's taxpayers about $140 million and will host just four World Cup matches.  That's a cost of about $35 million per game!  Known as the "Giraffe Stadium," there's no denying the beauty of the facility, but many of the residents in the surrounding areas (just a hundred yards in some cases) suffer from a lack of electricity, paved roads, proper housing, and clean water.

The orange trusses that support the roof of the Mbombela Stadium

were designed to look like giraffes.

The protest came just days after riot police in Durban used tear gas and rubber bullets to dissipate a protest by local security guards who claimed that they had been underpaid for their services.  According to the New York Times, the guards were promised about $200 per day for a 12-hour shift; instead, on their first day of work, they received just $27 for their workday in and around the Mabhida Stadium in Durban.  As a result of that protest on Monday, security guards in Durban and at other stadiums throughout South Africa have gone on labor strikes and forced FIFA to ask police to take over security at venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth.

Adding to this already-volatile situation, earlier this week, South African energy officials asked their citizens to "reduce their consumption of electricity" to ensure the tournament does not face any energy disruption.  Even though each of the country's 8 World Cup stadiums have backup generators, there is still a concern that the country's union of energy workers could strike at the state-owned energy company responsible for producing most of the country's electricity.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter illustrating how much he cares about

South Africa's financial situation.  About yay-much.

At the end of the day, a consistent level of anger has been leveled at FIFA, soccer's governing body, which demanded the South African government spend upwards of $4.3 billion to build new facilities and the infrastructure required for hosting a tournament of this magnitude.  And while South Africa will struggle with the lingering financial issues of staging the tournament, FIFA is set to reap profits of up to $2.5 billion from the sale of broadcast rights, marketing, and tickets for the tournament.  The best part? As an officially-registered charity in Switzerland, FIFA will pay $0 in taxes on that profit.

I don't get this new Adidas ad......

 ...I mean, did they make this just because they could?  And what more random collection of folks than Daft, Punk, David Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Jay Baruchel, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Franz Beckenbauer, and a host of crazy aliens in a remake of a scene from Star Wars that takes place in a Mos Eisley cantina.

Well done, Adidas. I guess.

Tom Rinaldi goes Emmy-hunting

ESPN's long feature master Tom Rinaldi, a 2007 Sports Emmy winner in that category, goes hunting again (like he does every week).  This time, the piece tells the story of the hero of the 1950 US men's national soccer team, Joe Gaetjens, who scored the lone goal in the US' 1-0 miracle win over England.

Touching, as always, from Rinaldi.

New Nike World Cup Commercial

Deadspin called it meta-referential.  Why else would they include Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer?  I'd say that applies, as does hyperbolic.

The following is a result of Nike's tireless effort to make the grandest statements in their commercials.  Though, in the case of an England victory in the World Cup, I dare say you'd see plenty of Wayne-babies in England in the coming months.  So, perhaps that's not an exaggeration.  One mistake that's made, however, is the inclusion of Brazilian star Ronaldinho, who did not make Brazil's World Cup roster.

In the end, Nike just doing it like only they can.

I'm sorry, what?!!?

The latest advert for ESPN's World Cup coverage is here, again with some help from U2.

So, is the lesson don't watch this year's World Cup with your sister?

The opportunity for ESPN this summer in South Africa

South Africa and FIFA have assembled an impressive collection of stadiums for use this summer in the upcoming World Cup.  Four, in particular, are especially impressive.  They are the Mbombela Stadium, the Green Point Stadium, the Durban Stadium, and the Soccer City Stadium.  Of those four, the Soccer City stadium is the only renovated facility while the rest are brand new and ready just in time for the World Cup's opening kick on June 11th.  For context, here are some photos:

Mbombela Stadium

Green Point Stadium

Durban Stadium

Soccer City Stadium

With ESPN (and other global networks) providing an unprecedented amount of coverage of this year's World Cup, I simply want to receive coverage of the games, but also the real (financial, cultural, or otherwise) impact of the games on the country and people of South Africa.  So, to start, this commercial is laying it on pretty thick.

Ok, ESPN needs to hype the event and grab viewers (although that, as we saw in 2006, shouldn't be a problem).  But, I will be disappointed (like blog, The Offside Rules) if we hear nothing about the continuing human rights violations taking place in South Africa as a direct result of the World Cup.

For instance, just 12 miles from Cape Town's $585 million Green Point Stadium lies a "temporary relocation area" known as Blikkiesdorp or "Tin Can Town."  A British photographer recently published a news article in order to publicize what is basically an apartheid camp for about 15,000 people displaced because government officials did not want them surrounding Cape Town's impressive new stadium.

Tin Can Town outside Cape Town, South Africa.

According to the photographer, who doubles as an eviction activist, Blikkiesdorp is a place where you have no address (and thus, rarely can find employment), no schooling, and no health services.  This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, as food is scarce, health problems are pervasive, and a 10 p.m. curfew is maintained by armed police.

Now, the facilities here, our photographer admits, "If you compare Blikkiesdorp with slums like the ones the residents lived in before, it might look better at first." "But," he continues, "when you go there and see the oppression, you think you'd rather be somewhere with life, where you can go out after 10, cook outside, build, [and] have a registered address."

Armored police vehicles patrol the perimeter of Blikkiesdorp.

His photos were supplemented earlier this month by UK newspaper The Guardian, which chronicled Tin Can Town with input from residents.  One such resident described it thusly,

"It's a dumping place.  They took people from the streets because they don't want them in the city for the World Cup.  Now we are living in a concentration camp.  It's like the devil runs this place.  We have no freedom.  The police come at night and beat adults and children.  South Africa isn't showing the world what it's doing to its people.  It only shows the World Cup."

And another resident sums up the situation poignantly, "I know we were moved because of the World Cup.  They don't want people to see shacks on the road in South Africa.  They want everything perfect for the World Cup."

If the South African government (and/or FIFA) thinks it right to make these people invisible, then I hope that ESPN puts some of those E:60 reporters to good use to bring these kinds of images and stories to light.  Because even if Bono proudly narrates in the advertisement above that "it's not about human rights," in Blikkiesdorp, it most certainly is.

Are you interested in (World) cup size upgrade?

So, what happens when you're hosting the World Cup in three months and you've yet to sell out the tickets for all of the matches?

Even worse, you're not just a few short, but more like 650,000 short.  With 2.95 million tickets available, that's 22% of tickets for the World Cup unsold - just four short years after Germany received almost 5 times as many ticket requests as seats (15 million applications :: 3.4 million seats).

Built on top of a former gold mine, will Johannesburg's Soccer City 

Stadium be a quarter empty come June?

Even (more?) worse, of the 570,000 total tickets you allocated to countries playing in the World Cup, almost 330,000 are still unsold; so, about 58% of the people you invited to your party have opted to stay at home and watch in 3-D rather than brave adverse conditions in South Africa like unfinished roads, insufficient electricity for stadiums, taxi driver protests, and elevated levels of violent crime.  Of course, if these stay-cationers really wanted to make the trip to South Africa, they could have figured something out - like, say, hire Canadian bodyguards.

No, they're not that kind of Canadian bodyguards.

Let me just reiterate that this kind of thing is completely unprecedented for a World Cup and so, the question remains, what are you to do?  The first thing?  Don't panic.  And South African government officials are holding firm.  Gauteng (the country's most populous province and home to 3 World Cup Stadiums) Premier Nomvula Mokonyane has insisted that the country is ready:

"In spite of negative reports emanating from known and unknown sources hell-bent on besmirching the image of our country.  I am confident that South Africa is ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup....We are a country that is intolerant of crime, a country that is prepared to make sure that this World Cup becomes a legacy.  Believe us, we have gone an extra mile compared to other countries that have hosted."

Men on horseback patrol outside the Cape Town Stadium as part of

a security test on Monday.  Comforted yet?

The second?  Get creative. According to the Wall Street Journal, while government officials are looking to up the visitor turnout to South Africa by trying to rein in backpacker groups and Christian evangelists who would be "eager to speak to large crowds of soccer fans," some local businesses are coming up with their own ideas.

One solution from a cosmetic surgery center in Cape Town: offer breast enhancement packages complete with accommodations and transportation to World Cup matches.  Surgical Bliss in Cape Town, which is known for their medical tourism, takes pride in combining plastic surgery visits with "amazing holiday opportunities" that the area offers.  According to Times of India, the World Cup package is designed to entice more female fans to tournament and, in total, costs about $9000.

Over 130,000 American fans have already bought tickets for the World Cup - second only to the host nation South Africa.  No word yet on whether the intriguing offer from Surgical Bliss will help boost - among other things - that number.