Some question whether there was a positive impact for the average South African at all. Did infrastructure improvements and new stadiums benefit the majority of the population? It has been reported that the 2010 Cup did not bring in as much tourist income as expected. For certain parties with access to the economic benefits the tournament is a golden goose, a great profit for the year. For others the Cup is more about the hype and hope that a team might bring to a nation or to the people of Africa for example.

Culturally for Africa the 2010 Cup was a big lift for a continent who had been neglected by FIFA in the eyes of its football fans. Finally FIFA rewarded Africa with the recognition of holding the World Cup and all of the African fans rallied around the continent’s teams, wishing and praying for any African team to keep winning. A collective euphoria enveloped the whole of Africa with dreams of possible victory by an African team. When Ghana finally succumbed to Uruguay one could feel the entire country deflate with a sad hangover aftertaste, a feeling that spread over the entire continent.

So many people have hopes and dreams for such an anticipated event that their expectations are rarely met. The collectivity and equality of football on the playing field is a stark contrast with the inequities formed by the massive commercialization of the modern game. South Africa is a place where those contrasts were evident everyday and don’t get me wrong, we saw FIFA and many other corporations sponsoring positive community programs that help locally but the problems are much larger than the resources available.

Even though the economic effects were not as positive as expected the fact remains that there was more money and attention in South Africa than if the Cup had been held elsewhere. This attention has been harnessed by the many organizations committed to helping the people of South Africa. Organizations like Open Arms of Minnesota who work with communities in South Africa and help people with the problems they are facing.

This to us is the legacy of the tournament in South Africa, that we are able to help raise awareness to some of these issues and try to focus resources towards a positive cause.

Viva México
—Erick Biard

Yesterday was one of those days when you can actually tell your life is gonna change. Not because of the Cup or what my friends are doing, but just how things fell into place. Just how I was able to watch and learn, finally starting to understand where I am. Like any big game day, you wanna be aware so you remember it well, but not too pumped so as to spaz out and blast it over the net.

We were going to Soweto, one of the world’s most famous ghettos. I’ve known about and been in awe of Soweto because of its raw power, I learned about it through music and its political history. We were going to the St Peter Claver Public School to film with Team Up and then go to the Soccer City Stadium for Brasil vs. Cote dIvoire a couple of miles away. It was quite a one-two punch and the only thing I knew about Soweto is I probably shouldn’t hang out there.

I would like to say it was an ecstatic experience, soaring out to space to watch the world turn on its axis, witnessing the arrival of the summer solstice from up above, a glorious spectacle in surround sound with a full orchestra playing “Bold As Love”. But it wasn’t really like that.  It was more like when a fly is a about to get splatted by a flyswatter and gets a feeling that something is wrong, that is what going to Soweto is like.

I was sleeping in the back seat of a small car at a little school in Soweto after a week of stomach flu and jet lag. I really needed some zzzs. My friends had been up since 6 AM, getting some unreal footage in Soweto.  They were now at the school filming Team Up, and I was still down for the count. Another lazy bastard sleeping-in while there was work to be done. But then something called out to me, I went around back of the school where the kids from Team Up were playing ball while Damian finished his interviews.

It was warm, sunny and wonderful, the lone tree that had been saved from becoming firewood was there, welcoming my belated arrival. I lay in the sun on the dry but comfy grass next to what I later learned is called the “Tree of Life.” Then got up and did a little stretching. Eyes closed, my color was red, definitely red from all my pent up stress and douchebaggage following me halfway round the globe. Facing the sun my breathing started to finally relax.  As I continued to breathe, a yellow began to slowly descend over my  closed eyelids. I invited the yellow to come in, the same yellow of the sun I was facing, the same yellow of the verdeamarelha, the yellow and green of Brasil who we would see in a few hours. I needed the cleansing power of the jogo bonito to wash over me and recharge my empty batteries, the same beautiful game that raised and nurtured generations of impressionable schoolboys who grew up wanting nothing more than wanting to be Pele. Hell, Ive been one since Mexico 70. Amarelho!!!!!

It was brief but one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve had in a long time. As we left, I saw a stray dog that looked like my favorite street dog from my old neighborhood. I love dogs, tough macho dogs more so but it was very evident this was a Superdog. He was rough but not starved, well filled out and no ribs were visible. He knew how to avoid cars and people as he froze and bolted when someone 70 yards away suddenly stood up. As I watched him effortlessly cross a street full of speeding cars it became obvious he was a true survivor. It was then that I realized that with a little guidance and protection we might just be ok.

El fútbol tiene muchas tradiciones y para mi no hay ninguna mas evidente que el calzado. Todos los grandes futbolistas usaban botines negros. Pele, Cruyff, Platini, Rummenige y Maradona todos usaban los queridos botines negros. Hoy en DIA mis futbolistas mas respetados siguen la gran tradición de usar los zapatos negros.

El zapato blanco fue el primero en faltarle respeto a las tradiciones futbolísticas del pasado. Ahora hay muchas compañías, cuyos nombres no voy a mencionar, que han inventado todo tipo de zapatos ridículos, naranjas y verdes. Cualquier futbolista con un poco de modestia y sentido de historia y respeto al pasado se negaría a ponerse ese tipo de zapato de payaso. Queremos zapatos de cuero negro que se ablanda con el uso repetido de la temporada, y que a fin de cuentas te quedan como un par de guantes de carrera. Los zapatos blancos representan el modernismo y la comercialización que destruyen a tradiciones culturales.

Hay tanta gente que no le tienen respeto a las tradiciones en sus vidas cotidianas que ni se dan cuenta de la historia y tradición que existen no solo en el fútbol sino en todas las culturas. Creen que pueden inventar sus propias reglas y por su propio egoísmo imponer su voluntad sobre el resto de su equipo o comunidad. Esto puede resultar en el fracaso y este fenómeno se puede nombrar el síndrome de los zapatos blancos.

No quiero decir que todos los futbolistas que usan zapatos coloridos son egoístas, me refiero a aquellos que se consideran muy especiales y en realidad no lo son. Me refiero a ese guey en tu equipo que se cree mejor de lo que es y por lo regular nomás es una ancla que arrastra al equipo. Siempre le dan tarjetas amarillas y rojas y juega como un bruto, cuando todos los demás tienen un ritmo común y un sentido de conjunto. En todas sus entradas hasta te da miedo verlo y rezas que no acabes con diez por su culpa. No me refiero a ese veterano que ya las piernas no le alcanzan a las ganas y la habilidad que  siempre ha tenido, hablo del ese con la peor actitud.  El que te da pena ajena y hasta te dan ganas de disculparte con tus adversarios mas respetados por su comportamiento.

Se compara con ese imbécil que siempre se viste demasiado elegante en ciertas ocasiones para impresionar a los demás, pero en realidad es una seña de su inseguridad y la falta de preparación y talento que carece. Ya sabes de quien hablo, ese que viste de traje y pelo grasoso cuando nomás es una reunión de camiseta y mezclilla. Siempre hablamos de el y nunca entiende por mas que le digas, esta tan envuelto en su propio mundo para voltear campo arriba y ver lo la obvia realidad.

Hay gente que si puede lucirse y les doy mis respetos, listos y preparados para compartir y cooperar; uno de mis amigos mas queridos es un músico que usa botas de vaquero de cocodrilo. Son blancas y le quedan bien, el es la neta, tiñe alma y corazón y que Dios lo bendiga, carnal. Yo me refiero a esos presumidos que se sienten soñados pero son una pesadilla, el que se pone los botines blancos.

Estos presumidos de botines blancos, equivalen a los equipos que se deben de largar del Mundial en estas etapas. Los equipos con estrellas egoístas quienes no quieren compartir la gloria con nadie, y la quieren para ellos solitos. Ellos representan a ciertos miembros arrogantes de algunas comunidades que no quieren compartir para el bien de los demás. Esto es imperdonable para algunos jugadores profesionales a quienes les pagan una fortuna y aparte todavía quieren mas, su actitud arrastra al equipo entero y por fin los hunde, haciéndolos náufragos a todos.

En esta etapa del mundial solo los equipos con jugadores bondadosos y dispuestos a sacrificarse pueden avanzar hacia su meta. El resto de los equipos con jugadores egoístas tienen que aguantarse y cambiar las expectativas que antes tenían.

Estas lecciones han sido reforzadas en nuestras visitas y viajes aquí en los barrios mas bravos de Sudáfrica. Hemos visto la bondad  de muchos lideres comunitarios en las vecindades que hemos visitado. Estos son ejemplos que van mas allá de las fronteras y culturas y estas lecciones son mucho mas importantes que un jueguito practicado por hombres consentidos. Son un recordatorio de las cosas que realmente tienen importancia en nuestras vidas y un mensaje acerca de las cosas que debemos valorar como miembros de una sociedad “moderna”. Me da mucho gusto poder aprender acerca de los esfuerzos hechos por tanta gente tan bondadosa y también me da gusto que nuestro equipo pueda compartir sus historias con ustedes. Ellos son los verdaderos héroes de nuestro viaje y hay que reconocerlos como tal.

Esto es dedicado para todos nosotros que tenemos que estar mas atentos y respetar las comunidades en donde nos encontramos. Este viaje nos ha recordado que todos necesitamos cambiar nuestras expectativas dependiendo de nuestras circunstancias y siempre hay que estar dispuestos a cambiar lo que consideramos nuestras necesidades. Me gustaría decir que hay que ser menos egoístas y mas generosos, aunque dudo que yo lo pueda lograr. Este viaje simplemente me recordó de lecciones que yo ya había aprendido.

Entonces esto va para aquellos que llegan con sus zapatos y botines blancos o naranjas, aquellos quienes se niegan a cambiar de actitud, aquellos que no le tienen respeto a las tradiciones locales, aquellos quienes ignoran  y no se quieren dar cuenta que sus acciones le afectan a sus vecinos. No se tienen que ir a su casa, ni a ningún otro lado, nada mas no están bienvenidos en nuestro equipo.

I want to be clear here.  What you are about to read is not based on any research, but only my thoughts after being in South Africa for the last month.  I encourage everyone to question or comment on what I am saying below.  Please!

Did you know that life expectancy rates in South Africa have declined from age 61 in 1995 to less than 49 in 2009?  Daunting when you compare US rates that are slowly increasing towards 80. How can this be at a time when medical companies are developing new drugs and miracle cures everyday?  How can this be when aid to Africa is growing every year?

You get one answer when you walk through townships like Khayelitsha or talk to community leaders like Mandle Majola, the head of the Treatment Action Campaign (http://www.tac.org.za).  Poverty! What you hear and see is that there is not enough money being spent on the infrastructure, and I am not talking about roads when I use the term “infrastructure.”  What I’m talking about is things like a roof over your head, a healthy dinner to eat, or an education that will one day enable you to get a good job to support your family.  The things that allow a community to grow.

When you enter the Khayelitsha the first thing you see is a sign that says, “Welcome to Hollywood”, this isn’t the Hollywood that I know! I would take the time to describe it here, but I think these pictures are worth 1,000,000 words.

There, Mandle talked about the importance of a home.  In his words,  “There is nothing that gives a man dignity like getting a house with a proper toilet or proper tap water.”  Simple things that make life just a little easier.  Is it too much to invest in fixing the homes in this township, homes where the tin walls are filled with holes that permit the winter winds to blow through, homes that are free from the flooding after every rain, and homes where you have running water so that you don’t have to go to the bathroom in a field next to the highway?   Is it really too much to ask at a time when the South African government is investing 600 million dollars into buying World Cup tickets?!

A house not only gives a person dignity, but it is also important to health.  For example, there are some good projects out there right now that focus on helping cure malaria, but how good is a cure for malaria when once you come home from the hospital you’re back in a house that gets flooded with dirty insect infested water, promoting the disease again?  I also have not figured out how you get an ambulance down these streets if there’s an emergency.  That could probably be addressed as well.

Treatment once someone gets sick is important, but just as important is education.  For example, HIV prevention education, like what we have been talking about during this trip.  It really works!  The Treatment Action Campaign has sent given away 6 million condoms in the last year and has found that transmitted infection rates are down by 3%.

But the education infrastructure can be simpler than that.  We were told that kids couldn’t get into school without a uniform.  In other words, without a uniform, you can’t get an education or get the skills you need in order to get a job to provide for your family in the future.

When you look at education, how does food fit in?  In 2000 the United States spent over 6 billion for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program for young kids in families near or below the poverty line.  There’s research that shows that kids concentrate better and thus retain the information they’re taught when their young brains have the nutrition they need.  How do you think young brains work when kids have not had a bite to eat in a couple of days?

When looking at South Africa’s Life Expectancy numbers they are very shocking, but worse, I have a feeling that the middle and upper classes here are living way past 49.  They have big houses, medical care, education, and they are not going hungry.  That leads me to ask the question, “What is the real life expectancy in towns like Guguleta and Khayelitsha?”  More importantly, in the United States we always talk about the “right” of free speech.  What about the right to healthy living conditions, a meal, or an education?  That just seems a little higher in my book.

Nick

Not because of the organization and infrastructure improvements the government had to make to get the venues approved and the short lived benefits that it may bring to the local people. The people of South Africa do not need more stadiums, they need attention and help and the Cup has focused more attention on these local needs. More importantly the Cup brought some joy to a lot of people in Africa even though it may not have brought the expected economic benefits. As one musician we encountered said, “The joy of football is for the people, and the money is for the FIFA!”

Not because the game of football received a boost, the two finalists Spain and Holland have never won the Cup previously so we will have a new Champion crowned and one of those nations will be celebrating for weeks, months and even years to come. None of the superpowers will be able to extend their monopoly on the happiness that football can bring  to their people. These two teams also played offensive and attractive football, which has not been the case for a while. Since 1990 World Cup football has been in a slump because of the emphasis on playing “catennaccio” style, park the bus in the back of your area, ultradefensive football. This Cup has proven that even Brasil cannot get away with abandoning offensive and beautiful soccer.  Long Live the King! An awesome game played with no fear and a heart the size of an elephant.

So culturally (in football culture terms) the Cup brought some joy to the people of Africa, Spain, Holland and many more nations from around the the world. Yes, it also brought broken hearts and tears but thats a big part of the game. (ask our teammates at cryingaroundthegame.com It also brought joy to many objective football fans everywhere.

This was not the best Cup because of the positives or negatives it gave to the continent of Africa or to the people of South Africa. It was not the best Cup because football regained its offensive flair and style that we romantically longed for and we thought were gone forever. It was not the best Cup because it crowned a new king end we always root for the underdog. (neither Spain or Holland can be considered a true underdog like Ghana for example)  It was not the best Cup because it united many diverse cultures from around the world like no other Cup has ever done before. It was not the best Cup just because I was there and say so, but please write to us if you think you can debunk my theory.

It was the best Cup for of all those reasons but most importantly because of the people we met who really are making a difference in the communities. Starting with organizations like Open Arms and all of the other leaders working in the townships of Johannesburg in Soweto and Kliptown, to the community organizers like Mandla,  who we met in Capetown in the townships of Guguletu and Khayelitsha. They, among many others, all welcomed us with a surplus of hospitality we had not expected.

Not only community leaders but just everyday people from several diverse cultures and ethnic groups who opened their doors to us and showed us a positive side of South Africa, like Charl, Naven, Joanna, Cristianel. We were also able to invite some local acquaintances to games and share whatever we could from our silly game.

It was the BEST CUP EVER because they were able to share their experiences with us, and with you.

So thank you to the people of Africa, South Africa and everyone who helped us.

We will continue to post a huge backlog of work, videos and blogs in the coming weeks so please stay tuned to share in this journey and see what we have learned at ifearoundthegame.com.

Íbamos rumbo a Soweto que es uno de los barrios mas bravos y famosos en todo el mundo. Yo conocía un poco acerca de Soweto a través de la música y por su historia política, era el viejo barrio de Mandela. Visitábamos la escuelita St. Peter Claver para filmar a una organización llamada Team Up que trabaja con niños y después partíamos para el estadio en la Soccer City, íbamos cerca para ver el partido entre Brasil y Costa de Marfil. Era un día repleto de experiencias nuevas pero lo único que de veras sabia es que Soweto es un barrio pesado como cualquier otro barrio, y si no eres de allí mejor ni vayas.

Me gustaría decir que ir a la cuna de Mandela fue una cosa maravillosa y por fin pude entender mas de lo que ya sabia. Que me pude elevar al mas allá y ver como funciona el mundo desde la estratosfera, atestiguar que el mundo daba vueltas lentas y pacificas en espacio sideral. Había un coro angélico que cantaba mientras me enteraba de los secretos mas profundos de la humanidad. Un concierto cósmico donde Jimi me revelo toda la sabiduría que me faltaba. Pero así no fue, en realidad me sentí como una mosca un momento antes de que la aplastaran con un periódico, la sensación de que en cualquier momento me podía pasar algo. Esa fue la impresión que me dio Soweto.

Estaba durmiendo en el asiento trasero de un coche en la escuelita después de una semana de trastornos estomacales cuyos detalles no voy a mencionar y todavía no me recuperaba completamente. No había logrado dormir bien por una semana entera y andaba jodido. Mis compañeros habían estado dándole duro, ocupados desde las 6am el domingo y yo todavía echado, completamente inútil. Pero algo me despertó y me llamo, me pare y le di la vuelta a la escuela donde los niños jugaban un partidito y Damián estaba acabando sus entrevistas.

Hacia calor y el sol estaba calientito, había un viejo árbol que se había salvado de ser convertido en leña, y me dio la bienvenida.  Me acosté en el pasto que estaba muy reseco pero cómodo, absorbí el sol como una esponja junto al árbol que me dijeron se llamaba “el árbol de la vida”.  Ya luego me pare para empezar a estirar, con los ojos cerrados me di cuenta que mi color era rojo, muy rojo por todo el enojo y frustración que me seguía por medio mundo desde antes de llegar. Al encarar el sol y empezar a respirar profundamente, poco a poco me comencé a relajar.  Al principio note un leve cambio, lentamente un color amarillo cubrió mis parpados cerrados. Mientras mas respiraba mas descendía el amarillo, yo le invite a que entrara y así fue. El mismo amarillo del sol que me recargaba las pilas, y el mismo amarillo de selección brasilera que veríamos a poco rato, la gran verdeamarelha. Me hacia falta una limpia futbolística, que me quitara todas mis penas y preocupaciones, quería que el jogo bonito me haría olvidar todos mis problemas. El mismo jogo bonito que crió a millones de niños inocentes que solo querían ser como Pele, y yo había sido uno de ellos desde México 70. Amarelho!!!

La experiencia fue breve pero fue una de las mas relajantes que he tenido desde hace muchísimo tiempo. Y rumbo a la salida vi un perro callejero que me recordó a mi perro favorito de mi vieja vecindad. A mi me gustan los perros pero mas los perros bravos y machos, pero era obvio que este no era un perro cualquiera, era un Superperro. Estaba  flaco pero no se le veían las costillas así que comía bien, era fuerte y fornido y tenia unos sentidos ultra afinados. El sabia como evitar a la gente y los coches, y salio como rayo cuando el vio que alguien se paro como al 70 metros de distancia.

Al verlo cruzar la calle llena de trafico veloz sin cualquier problema era evidente que este perro es un experto en la sobre vivencia. Ahí fue que me di cuenta que con un poco de protección del mas allá, nos iba a ir bien.

Many different sports and their participants believe in superstitions. Baseball players are known to have many routines that must be repeated every game in order to ensure success in their performance, they are almost obsessive in respecting the traditions they have been raised to believe. In the recent run to the Stanley Cup I noticed the NHL players did not shave because of a belief that shaving would somehow diminish their prowess and contribute to a loss.

Yesterday while watching the first day of the Tour de France I heard that the famous cyclist Eddy Merckx was extremely upset that they had erected a statue in his honor in his hometown in Belgium, his response was that statues are for people that have died. Eddy Merckx is very aware of history and does not want ignorant decisions to besmirch his reputation. Apparently no one bothered to inform Cristiano Ronaldo of the statue belief, because in the commercial they show a massive statue of him in his famous pre-kick pose, unveiled in a town in Portugal. He scored zero goals from his famous free kick pose.

Football is the same as other sports, notice when some players run onto the pitch they will not step on the sideline for fear of bad luck. Another practice is when entering the field; players will rip out a small tuft of grass and toss it into the air to see the wind direction. The most common ritual is for a player to bless himself and say a small prayer either when stepping on to the ground or right at kickoff. These are ritualistic practices, which represent the respect players have for the traditions and history of their sport and the players who came before them.

For many footballers, stepping out onto the field in a stadium is a great honor, equivalent to going to church in a cathedral. Like any other art form success in your specialty is a result of years of sweat, effort and good fortune. It is a ritual and a revered experience to be treated with utmost respect.

Nike has no notion of respecting the past and the practices, which have given success to football icons of a bygone era. They have violated many ancient traditions, disrespecting the modesty of the plain black boot and inventing space shoes that are like wearing UFOs on your feet, another example of arrogance and commercialized vanity.

Most of the superstars in the commercial crashed out of the Cup in an embarrassing fashion, Drogba, “Hey, Cannavaro!!!”, Rooney, Ribery, Cristiano too; and sadly Ronaldinho wasn’t even chosen to represent his country. Then when Nike realized that all of the athletes in the commercial were out of the Cup, they released another commercial with Robinho as their star and had the audacity to show him as Saint Robinho, then Brasil lost to the Netherlands a couple of days later. The only ones left in the Cup are a trio of Spaniards who were depicted in the commercial as extremely upset at certain headlines, maybe their displeasure and lack of arrogance was what has saved them from an early departure.

In our travels we have seen several grassroots efforts by organizations and individuals to support local causes. AIDS outreach efforts done by athletes; food drives in local communities, a program to help local women to sell their artwork. We have visited many community leaders and local participants making sacrifices and giving to their communities on a daily basis, it has been an eye opening and sometimes heart wrenching experience.

A community leader in Khayelitsha spoke about the fact that South Africa doesn’t need billions of dollars wasted on new stadiums. They need housing, plumbing, nutrition, health care, and education among many other things. All of the same things everyone aspires to have in every nation, they don’t need another statue of an overpaid athlete. Many of the community leaders here stressed the need for local solutions that consider and respect each community’s needs, before imposing beaurocratic and monolithic decisions, which can become a recipe for failure.

This statement really resonated with me because I am Mexican, and the Cup has been held in Mexico twice and it didn’t really benefit the little people in many ways. It benefitted the big companies who sponsored the ads for drinks or shoes or whatever nonsense the people don’t really need.

This is yet another example of commercialized vanity and disrespect for local communities. Big corporations ignoring a community’s individual needs and assuming anything can be fixed by the almighty dollar. The arrogance of the Nike ad campaign is palpable; you can smell it through the television. This is a common mistake made by many organizations that simply think they can sit in an ivory tower and toss money at a problem from across the globe.

Nike made several decisions to stack the deck in their favor in order to ensure the success in their 2010 ad campaign. They just neglected to have any respect for the history and traditions of football and the communities involved. They thought that throwing a lot of money at an issue would make things right. Interestingly enough as our captain recently reminded us, “Football rarely goes the way you think!”.

So it is not up to me to judge whether participating in a pompous Nike commercial will bring you a run of bad luck. It is a theory, which we want you to consider and comment upon with your friends and maybe even respond to us at lifearoundthegame.com.

But I just don’t think any of us will be starring in a Nike commercial anytime soon.