Silence is golden.
Players and tennis fans alike can rest assured the Wimbledon Championships will be vuvuzela-free, said the tournament’s organizers.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa has been buzzing about the notorious plastic horns which have provided a constant drone during the matches. Because of the unbearable noise, the vuvuzelas have earned the ire of both the players, fans, and even the viewers at home.
The vuvuzela—the traditional South African horn has been a permanent backdrop to this tournament. The African people love tooting on them during local football matches. And unbeknownst to many, not all people have been bickering about the blasted horns. The football-crazy nation of England has apparently jumped on the vuvuzela craze, with sales growing fast across Britain. Not costing more than a few bucks, the cheap plastic trumpets are selling like hot pancakes.
But the rest of the world’s eardrums are getting burned.
It has become such an annoyance the FIFA officials are already working on a policy to ban the instrument. Originally, FIFA refused to ban the darn thing as a sign of respect to the African nation. But the blaring noise became too much to bear, especially for the players who couldn’t hear themselves on the pitch.
So we suggest that you people stop it. You’re blowing it, literally.
After a mere four days into the month-long tournament, the vuvuzelas have already created so much noise that even the folks in Wimbledon have taken notice.
The prestigious Grand Slam tournament, which opens Monday, has already banned the horns in order to make sure that there will be no unnecessary racket during the matches.
All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie has this to say: “Out of courtesy to the players and their fellow spectators, we make a point of asking spectators not to bring items which could either cause a distraction or interfere with the enjoyment of the occasion.”
Also, officials have reiterated that it will not broadcast World Cup matches on Wimbledon grounds in order to preserve the dignity of the tournament.
Ritchie acknowledges that the World Cup is sure to have an impact on Wimbledon, especially with the players themselves. After all, one cannot stop the media from asking the competitors about World Cup-related questions, seeing that many of the players are avid supporters of their national teams. But the chief executive reminded everyone that in Wimbledon, tennis is still king.
"We understand that people would like to follow the World Cup, but there are plenty of ways to do that without watching it here on the big screens," added a Wimbledon spokesman.
And with the looming intense competition, expect seeded and unheralded players to make noise louder than South Africa’s vuvuzelas.
Fans that will pass through the gates of Wimbledon are also discouraged from bringing large flags, rattles, and klaxons.
Perhaps, Wimbledon can take a page out of entrepreneurs in South Africa that have recently started selling ear plugs as a way to drown out the drone of the vuvuzelas. Apparently, sales have gone through the roof. Thanks to the headache-inducing vuvuzelas, business is booming.
But Wimbledon isn’t taking any chances and has banned the source of annoyance altogether. Way to go, Wimbledon!
No disrespect meant to the people of Africa, but a tennis court is probably one of the last places on Earth where tooting of horns is deemed acceptable.
In the past, the two-week grass court tournament always coincided with the World Cup final. Fortunately for the Wimbledon folks, the soccer final will be played a week later than the July 4 tennis showcase.
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