The Economic Effects of the 2010 World Cup

The 19th World Cup has captivated the hearts and minds of people all over the world. In America, the games have drawn the attention of sports lovers – like myself – as well as millions of Americans simply curious about the hype. In fact, the viewership of the first four games this year was double what it was for the last World Cup, which took place four years ago.

Although it is fun to watch the game, and root for your favorite teams, I could not help but wonder about the economic affect of the World Cup on both its host country as well as the rest of the world.

South Africa's Downturn

Unfortunately the FIFA World Cup is being hosted by South Africa while the country is experiencing their first economic downturn in seventeen years. When first proposed, many South Africans were hopeful that their economy would see a boost from both the symbolism of hosting the world wide sporting event, as well as the visitors it would bring. However, many experts warned that this was wishful thinking, and that sporting events have a tendency to harm the economies that support them, often for the long term. Not only does the preparation that goes into hosting a massive sporting event cost the hosting government, but also local businesses often lose loyal customers when crowds take over.

New Infrastructure = New Jobs

The creation of new infrastructure to support the World Cup did create hundreds of jobs in South Africa, although many were only temporary. In order to satisfy FIFA officials, South Africa was required to refurbish or build 10 new soccer stadiums in time for the World Cup. They also had to repair highways, and take actions to increase security, specifically in the area of transportation. While the stadiums were costly and the construction efforts were not cheap, these buildings will remain for years to come and ideally bringing additional revenue to the country.

However, Beijing was expecting to reap the economic benefits for years to come after hosting the 2008 Olympics and is now suffering what experts refer to as “post-Olympic blues,” due to the lack of long-term revenue from their significant investment. It is unclear if South Africa will experience the same problem or not, as the amount of money spent to host the World Cup was not on the same level as the investment Bejing made to host the Olympics.

Increased Tourism, Economic Troubles

Many tourist related businesses, such as hotel chains are profiting off of the huge increase in visitors to South Africa because of the World Cup. However, these tourists will leave once the games are over, and many other local businesses are not as lucky. According to reports, some service based industries offering local services have seen an 80-90% decrease in business since the World Cup began.

Long-Term Implications

In order to reap the long-term benefits of hosting the World Cup, South Africa will need to use the opportunity as a launching pad for an ongoing increase in tourism. Sydney was able to successfully use their hosting of the 2000 Olympics as a world wide branding opportunity, which resulted in significant tourism increases. It is too soon to see what the long-term implications of the World Cup will be on South Africa’s economy, but they do have a significant opportunity to benefit from the costly sporting event.

Benefit to U.S Businesses

Although the World Cup was held outside the United States, it is an International sporting event that millions of Americans are following closely. Therefore, many American businesses have used the opportunity to benefit from the interest in the games. Local bars, restaurants, and casinos across the country are hosting viewing parties, and many larger corporations have also been able to benefit from the World Cup. For example, Jack in the Box offered a customizable “Jack” antenna ball, allowing customers to outfit Jack with a sweatband to show support for a country playing in the World Cup. This small promotion brought additional revenue to the company’s thousands of franchised locations.

World Economy

Unfortunately, financial experts are split on their predictions regarding the impact of the World Cup on the global economy. An analysis of the world markets during and after the previous 18 World Cups shows that stocks declined during the games, and once again in the few months following their conclusion. However, the global economy is showing some signs of recovery from the banking and financial crisis, and it is too early to tell if the World Cup will slow down the recovery or not.

Host broadcasters to 'filter' noise

From ESPN.com:

Are the vuvuzelas at the World Cup too loud? Some broadcasters think so and want to filter them out. BBC received 545 complaints from viewers as of Tuesday morning, so they are considering giving viewers the option of muting ambient noise while maintaining game commentary through its "red button" digital service. Viewers would push a red button on their remote controls to receive the quieter broadcast on a separate listening channel.

According to Wikepedia.com, the vuvuzela, sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Tswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn up to approximately 3 ft 3 inch in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football (soccer) matches in South Africa. The vuvuzelas are something uniquely African, and FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) President Sepp Blatter said he is not about to ban the music traditions of fans in their own country.

Several players said the clamor of the horns is having an impact on the field. Netherlands striker Robin van Persie actually got out of a second yellow card -- and a ban from the next game -- by blaming the vuvuzelas for failing to hear an offsides whistle.

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez said the din of vuvuzelas makes it hard for players to communicate with each other on the field. "Those sirens or trumpets -- I don't know what they are -- make it very difficult to speak on the field," Tevez said after Argentina's training session Tuesday at the University of Pretoria. "You have to shout and sometimes you run out of breath, you get a bit more tired. They are extremely bothersome."

But van Persie said he doesn't want to see vuvuzelas banned. "I think we have to respect it, because we are in South Africa, and we need to respect where we are," he said. "This is their tradition. This belongs to them."

So, tell me, what do you think? Sould the vuvuzela be banned at the World Cup games? Why or why not? You can find me on Facebook or Twitter!

World Cup's winning formula: USA! USA! USA!

The reports are in: Soccer may finally be breaking out into the American scene. Nearly 13 million people tuned in to Saturday’s World Cup game to watch the U.S. and England compete. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. audience for the opening day nearly doubled from four years ago since North American teams played in closely fought matches. It was Univision, the Spanish channel’s second most watched World Cup game since 1994. What’s even more amazing is that the numbers even surpass the NBA Finals numbers of viewers. Their “supersonic marketing blitz” might have something to do with it. They created a heavy media presence like the Olympics had done. “The broadcast most likely benefited from a perfect storm,” the Wall Street Journal reported, “…the game featured two centuries-old rivals, a desirable starting time on Saturday afternoon and [had] the media build-up.” I agree with the journalist, that the U.S. is interested in watching their U.S. team.

However, is it really that unlikely that a foreign team could capture the enthusiasm of the American public? What are your thoughts? Let me know on Facebook or Twitter.