Football The Passion - really?

Football & design! These two words seem to melt into one big celebrated molasses which floods all possible advert space on my trains, changes the windows of the shops I pass, gives birth to new drinks in my convenient store, swaps the items dangling on people’s mobile phones and changes the ads I hear in the streets of Tokyo … already! Whether you are into soccer or not: THE WORLD CUP SEASON HAS DEFINITELY STARTED - stronger than ever! I tried to ignore it, but I was simply outnumbered…

written by Uleshka

For me, soccer and beer are the same thing and I haven’t quite developed a taste for both of them - despite the fact that I am German (I am actually some weird mutant…)! However, the fact that everyone else around me goes crazy about soccer and begs for my friends’ addresses in Germany makes me wonder… Maybe there is more to the whole World Cup and I simply haven’t discovered it yet? What might this be? I thought it was only a game after all….?

Seems like this is the crucial point where I am already wrong: It is not just a game after all! It is about the world, team spirit or Teamgeist, the best looking player, the fastest shoe, the coolest uniform, the sexiest fans - and overall a great occasion to create a new product line making the real money! Oops! Did I say something rude?

Seriously - where is the game in all that? You have to be so incredibly busy looking good while you sweat, laugh when it hurts, scream when it doesn’t… Or is it not so much about the players really and more about the fans? What do they need to wear then, I wonder? If you are not equipped with the perfect fan kit (the right colors in the face, the right hats, flags, signs….) - are you then wrapped in one of those stylish new soccer fashion collection outfits? If not, when do you ever wear those? To the pub? On the sofa?

Aaaargh! You already hate me by now for spoiling all the fun… I don’t mind the game, it’s just all the wrapping around it! Where is it going to stop? Every time some major event like this happens (sorry, I know, I know, this is the major event of course) I cannot believe that they managed to spend even more money for heavy PR every time until the last granny is brainwashed (poor her! They had probably written WORLD CUP all over her milk bottle, printed on the seaweed in her noodle soup and on the toilet paper). New products (or modifications) pop up like mushrooms, the fashion industry goes crazy, high tech suppliers are tripping - I can’t believe everyone thinks that this is perfectly healthy!

On my way to work, I stopped by the Football the Passion - exhibition at Gallery Speak For in Daikanyama, to look at what Big magazine has to say about this. No question, they managed to gather a really nice collection of all things soccer for their exhibition: players, stadiums, items, fans and normal people playing soccer…

Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, Photo: Stefan Ruiz, at the BigMagazine exhibition

The Nursery, a favela in Salvador, Photo: Stefan Ruiz, at the BigMagazine exhibition

… and at one point - I actually felt a hint of a true love for the game, the passion of people really playing this simple trick with a ball and a goal all over the world and cheering for the ones they love.

What a wonderful thing! Soccer unites the world through the pure love for the game!

The Beautiful Game, Bande Amir Lake, Afghanistan, Photo: Azim Haidaryan

kids winning the Gothia Cup, Photo: Anders Kylberg, at the BigMagazine exhibition

I wish… but unfortunately, it gets swept away by all the loud marketing noise on top remaining as a faint voice in the very distance…

14 Comments

1. Soccer sometimes is like the romans “Bread and Circus”. But is a really exciting game. When you are a team soccer fan, you spend a lot of time saying that your team is the best of all and discuss with friends saying that their team won’t win a championship. Soccer can bring laughts and fun but, sometimes, stupid people use soccer to fight and to make all those horrible scenes that we see in TV.

   This article remembered me of “Captain Tsubasa” that the brazilian TV is broadcasting. It’s horrible! lol

   The “arena and sea of skyscrapers” is the Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo/Brazil.

   Good article, good point of view.
   Horrible english of mine! lol

   Posted by: Eriksen on May 25th, 2006 at 3:45 am

2. the current Nike campaign shows off what is so wonderful about the sport.
   http://www.nikesoccer.com

   Posted by: Andy on May 25th, 2006 at 3:52 am

3. I live in the United States and throughout the article I kept thinking you were referring to American Football. The World Cup is hardly noticed here, especially compared to the Super Bowl, which is heavily commercialized. I love soccer, but never considered it would be commercialized in other countries the way American Football is in the United States. The World Cup has stayed pure to me, especially because of the multi-national participation, so perhaps its lack of popularity in the U.S. has been a blessing in disguise.

   Posted by: anon on May 25th, 2006 at 9:44 am

4. Hi, I live in Argentina… we’re going crazy about the World Cup thing, the whole country gets freeze during the competition. As far as I know… even the goverment write some kind of law that let the children can watch the games on school…

   It’s gonna be great, and probably we could lift the golden trophy!

   Posted by: David Galavotti on May 25th, 2006 at 12:40 pm

5. I used to live in the hotel where the first photo was taken! Ahh the Excel Hotel Shibuya! Shibuya des!

   (I learnt all my Japanese from train announcers and talking lifts)

   Posted by: JD on May 25th, 2006 at 1:04 pm

6. Oh! Whow! I thought you would all eat me alive….

   I totally agree that soccer (football ;-) is a great sport looking at how much fun all my friends have, but I can’t spot much of that purity anymore anon was talking about -unfortunately… I wish, though!

   Posted by: Uleshka on May 25th, 2006 at 1:45 pm

7. He is Andrei (Shevchenko), not Andrij!
   The proper analog to this russian name in english language is Andrew.

   Posted by: GK on May 28th, 2006 at 1:12 am

8. Lots of crazy things going on here in Berlin because of the world cup, but these “kick it-sausages” and that piss game here made me absolutly speechless… :D

   Posted by: Julia on May 29th, 2006 at 12:19 am

9. well, sorry! That is what the magazine wrote… thanks!

   Posted by: Uleshka on May 29th, 2006 at 1:53 pm

10. Thanks, for reviewing our exhibition. I’m the Associate Creative Editor of Big, I designed the exhibition and helped organize it. While I joined the team after the publication of the Football issue, I’m proud of it and feel that it strikes a unique cord amid all of this years World Cup hype.

    Your comments are correct. Football is a highly commercialized past-time. It is however not unique in this regard. I’m sorry you dislike football and may be a bit overwhelmed by the attention it’s getting, but I can assure you, this issue, like all issues of Big, is a labour of love and is something we are quite passionate about.

    Again, thanks for the lengthy review.

    Conor Hautaniemi
    Associate Creative Editor

    Posted by: Conor Hautaniemi on May 30th, 2006 at 6:55 pm

11. to Conor - you are absolutely right, that soccer is not the only field which is totally over-branded polluting its actual purpose. it was just one thing sticking out a lot in my brain ;-) i very much enjoyed your exhibition/the issue and there is certainly no lack of love: you found some true works

    Posted by: Uleshka on May 30th, 2006 at 8:46 pm

12. what a babe that dude’s wife is!!!

    Posted by: keith on March 30th, 2007 at 9:32 am

13. süper site

    Posted by: goruntulu sohbet on July 23rd, 2011 at 10:48 pm

14. This is good Internet marketing and public relations.

    Posted by: christian louboutin on November 10th, 2011 at 12:02 pm

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