The World Cup is an opportunity for some to parade themselves to the world, to stand up and demonstrate that they are the epitomy of cool. yes, I’m talkng about the sports clothing companies.

The big names involved in this year’s World Cup are Nike, Adidas and Puma, but of the three, only Adidas has gone to the extent of building a scale model of a stadium in the middle of Berlin that fits around a five-a-side Foosball pitch.

Apart from playing games in there, they also show live telecasts of all the games. At a cost of EUR3 per person, that is.

Of course, there isn’t just the stadium. Around it are more five-a-side pitches with podiums from the other sponsors: McDonalds, X-Box and Nestle. The glory that is the commercialisation of football is in a 360 degree view around you.

I have to admit, without the money put into the game, you would not get the saturated television coverage that enables football to bring the world closer. We do have to be careful that the game isn’t dragged into a secondary position behind the business of selling Big Macs and X-Boxes. I believe that if the game is good, nothing else matters, which is why I feel a little guilty for basically paying Adidas EUR3 for the priviliege of watching a free-to-air television program.

Of course, all thoughts of this vanished, as soon as Holland took the field with the delectable Arjen Robben entertaining us mere mortals with a stunning display of one-upmanship.

Skimming along the ground with the deftest of touches, Robben humiliated the Serbian left-back over and over again. And the Center Back. And whomever else who dared to stand in his way.

Serbia were actually okay, but they just paled in comparison with the Chelsea winger.

The match ended and I didn’t even think about the EUR3 apple juice that I bought when I was in there.

When the game is good, nothing else matters.

Labels: germany, world cup