Madam & Eve celebrates, and mourns, today's World Cup finals.
I've been disappointed that ESPN and ABC, together with the American networks not covering the games themselves, have failed to provide the kind of travelogue coverage they normally extend to the host countries of the Olympics. We've seen a lot of games, but only vague glimpses of the nation, and what we have seen seems to have been almost entirely in the vein of "but what do these poor people living in the dust think of it all?"
I've never been to South Africa, but I know there is a great deal more to the country than that, and I know that many South Africans were hoping the World Cup would give people a more complete view of their country than they got during the Soweto riots.
However, the games, for all the officiating lapses, have been wonderful fun and South Africans have been celebrating both the games and the tournament's presence despite their own team's early exit. For all that the networks here did not do to present a total picture, I think the world did get a good look.
And I agree with Eve: They're going to miss it when it's over. And so will I. These two-hour mandatory TV breaks in the middle of the work day have been fun!
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