Thumbs Up – Abby Wambach’s Goal as Called by Gus Johnson

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the World Cup, either men’s or women’s tournament. The number 1 sport in the world is on the international stage as countries fight to lift the coveted trophy. This past weekend, as you may have heard, the USA Women’s National Team pulled off a stunning comeback victory against highly talented Brazil.

Playing down one woman for 50+ minutes and down 2-1 in the final minutes of the second half of overtime, the USA team needed a last minute savior to keep their hopes and dreams alive. And, they received just that as Megan Rapinoe played a perfect left-footed cross which just missed the outstretched hands of the Brazilian goalkeeper and connected with the head of Abby Wambach, a clinical and perfect header to tie the game at 2-2 and force the game to penalty kicks which the USA eventually won.

In such a dramatic victory, when you watch the clip and replays you can’t help but get goosebumps as you hear the sound of the ball hit the back of the net and the whole stadium erupts in applause. The only way to make this moment even more dramatic is with the help of THEE Great Gus Johnson. He actually wasn’t there to call the game; however, someone had the great idea to overlay one of his NCAA basketball game winning calls on the replay. I’ve add the original call as well for comparison.

The edited Gus Johnson’s version of the goal:

The original call and commentary by Ian Drake and Julie Foudy: 

Thumbs Down – Missed Soccer Goal = Worst Ever

Yes, Joakim Noah is a dunce.  But, Kei Kamara from the Kansas City Wizards soccer team might take a close second.  I’ve played plenty of soccer in my day, and I’ve even missed my fair share of bunnies (hitting the post from five yards out…standing in the middle of the box…senior year of high school…against rival St. Edwards with 2 minutes left…ending the game in a 1-1 tie).  However, this has got to be single-handedly the worst missed bunny of all time, maybe in any sport.

Thumbs Down – Bad Officiating

This fall there has been a wave of poor officiating decisions in the sports world.  Now, refs are always going to be criticized.  Much like offensive linemen, you expect them to do their jobs and only notice them when they fail and give up a sack or make a bad call.

SEC officials have been in hot water all season after a number of questionable personal fouls were called, some of which affected the outcome of games.  One crew was even suspended after one of these calls.  There have also been questions raised about the fact that the SEC replay booths do not have high definition televisions, which is frankly shocking since it’s hard to buy TVs that aren’t high def these days. But the poor calls in college are not limited to football.

A study co-authored by an Indiana University professor found statistical evidence of bias in referees in college basketball.  The chances of the away team getting a foul called on them are 7% higher than the home team’s chances.  Teams with the lead are more likely to get a foul called against them, and refs are way more likely (upwards of 60%) to call the net foul on a team that is at least three fouls behind their opponent.

And of course, most recently, there is the controversy surrounding the France vs. Ireland soccer match that took place earlier this week.  The game ended in a 1-1 tie, with France advancing on aggregate 2-1.  The controversy arose on France’s game tying goal, which came in the 105th minute, and was scored following not one, but two handballs by Thierry Henry.  Unfortunately for the Irish and their fans,  officials didn’t see either of the handballs and the goal was allowed.  The Football Association of Ireland has asked the game to replayed, and a decision will hopefully come soon.

Hopefully, as the year comes to a close, so does this period of heinous officiating. We can start off 2010 with some very cleanly reffed games during the BCS bowl games and get things off on the right foot.

GOLOSO Burger King!!!! – Thumbs Up

Over the years, Burger King has had some interesting advertising strategies.  We all remember the “King” series, where Burger King had a man dressed in a Renaissance king outfit and sneakily hand people Whoppers.  Earlier this year Burger King released the “Whopper Virgins” Ads, where they traveled all across the world giving Whoppers and Big Macs to people who have never experienced either to see which they would choose.  Both campaigns were successful, putting Burger King at the top of its advertising game.

Now, Burger King has definitely upped the ante in their newest campaign: sponsoring a soccer team.  Burger King and Getafe, a Spanish La Liga soccer club, have agreed to sponsorship terms so that Burger King can have their logo on all of their jerseys.  Seems simple.  A ton of soccer teams worldwide have sponsors on the front of the jerseys, so no big deal, right?  Well, not exactly.  For the first time, Burger King has also placed something on the inside of the jersey: the Burger King’s face.  Here how it works:  Once a player on Getafe’s team scores, he celebrates his goal, and a very popular way of celebrating is by pulling the jersey over the players face.  When the player celebrates this way, the Burger King’s face will then be covering his face as shown in the picture.  What a genius and innovative way of sponsoring a team!  Although this is only available (so far) on one small soccer team from Spain, it will be interesting to see if other sponsors take note from Burger King’s strategy and place their logos and other gimmicks on the inside of their jerseys.  I would buy this jersey in a heart beat and practice my soccer goal celebrations.  Well done Burger King.

Vuvuzelas – Thumbs Down

The vuvuzelas, the horns that soccer/football fans were blowing at the Confederations Cup tournament for the past two weeks in South Africa, deserve a big thumbs down.  They were given away free to fans, and the fans blew them constantly throughout the game.  It made the broadcasts of the games sound like a giant beehive.  They reportedly drowned out some TV commentary on certain networks, although I didn’t have a problem watching the USA vs Brazil final on ESPN.

FIFA,the world football governing body, has stated that they will address the vuvuzelas before the start of the 2010 World Cup, also held in South Africa.  Players, coaches, commentators, and fans have called for the ban of these horns claiming that they are annoying and making it difficult for the players to communicate and concentrate.  On the other hand, the vuvuzelas are part of the local football culture in South Africa and the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter stated, “We should not try to Europeanise an African World Cup.” 

My take on the matter is that the horns are probably a lot of fun to use and might improve the live atmosphere at the game, but for the World Cup, which draws huge television audiences worldwide, the vuvuzelas negatively impact the viewing experience too greatly to justify their use.  One option that I’ve heard thrown around is to allow them for games in which South Africa, the host country, is playing.  I would recommend this course of action for FIFA to take, as this would allow the local fans to use them in support of their country, but would avoid the annoying beehive noise during the majority of television broadcasts.