Tag Archives: football
Check out this collection of creative inspiration, online and off for the FIFA World Cup kicking off today.
Celia Jones | Critical Mass Chicago
The World Cup was first televised in 1954 and is now the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. Pundits are dubbing the 2010 World Cup the “first digital World Cup,” with expectations that the global sporting event will smash overall viewing records, thanks in part to the development of online TV and of smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone that will allow fans to watch on the move or—discreetly—at work.
In honor of the World Cup festivities kicking off today, we’ve assembled a round-up of creative inspiration, both in the online and offline arenas. And, in keeping with our theme, we’ve organized them based on the essential ingredients of a global sporting extravaganza.
Adrenaline
Nike’s “Write the Future”: This viral hit is a 100% pure adrenaline rush, spanning 32 countries across the globe, packed with superstars, and setting the stage for the epic rivalries that will take center stage in the weeks to come.
Patriotism
ESPN’s “FIFA World Cup Murals”: The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is the 19th time the tournament will be played, and the first time on African soil. To celebrate this historic event, ESPN, Wieden+Kennedy and Cape Town-based AM I Collective created 33 original pieces of artwork: one for every participating country and one overarching World Cup piece. Each painting brings to life the story of that nation. The look of the artwork is inspired by hand-painted African art found in the streets and townships across South Africa, and the entire African continent.
Superstars
Adidas Originals, Star Wars Cantina: Adidas is using the England versus USA match to debut a Star Wars-themed World Cup ad. The German sportswear giant has hijacked the bar scene from the first Star Wars film, splicing stars including David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer and a light-saber-wielding Snoop Dogg into original scenes featuring Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Fan-atics
mi F50 adiZero: No red-blooded sporting event is complete without rabid fans—and this year’s World Cup is sure to be chock full of them. To ensure they’re wearing blazing hot shoes to match the war paint on their faces, we helped create this shoe configurator for adidas, offering fans the ability to wave their country’s flag—on their feet!
Keeping score
Who knew sport stats could be so sexy? It seems information architects and developers have been salivating at the chance to create infographics that help football fans keep track of all the action. Here are links to some of the top visualizers we found:
- 2010 World Cup – The Ultimate Graphic and Data Resources Guide
- World Cup Visualiser: Follow Real-Time Football Statistics on your iPad
- World Cup Explorer
More World Cup Must-Sees: Mini-Tron, Smack Talk, Office Pool, Flashy Uniforms and Alcohol
13 years old. That is how old David Sills is. He verbally committed to play quarterback at USC this week – in the year 2015. Forget for a second that at 13 years old he is already six feet tall and obviously very athletic. At that age, how can he have such a high level of understanding of the game? If you watch this video you can hear the way the coach is talking to him about reading the safety and defensive coverage. Really? At 13?
So as we prepare for the Super Bowl this weekend, a game that includes arguably the greatest thinking quarterback to ever play, I asked myself what role the web, and associated digital environments might play in the development of a QB. Yes, I stretched a bit to find a digital tie in but bear with me. I’m not Bill Simmons.
I posted the link to that video on FB and Tim Schavitz of Critical Mass fame posted an article in Wired about the realism of video games, specifically Madden football.
“The many hundreds — even thousands — of hours that athletes put into videogame football give them more game experience than Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, or Joe Montana were able to log in previous eras.”
Gaming is now counted as “experience” for athletic training.
When Peyton Manning was growing up, Tecmo Bowl was the game of choice and I’m sure he and his freakishly young looking brother played as much as they could – that is when Archie wasn’t running them through drills until two in the morning and not letting them eat McDonald’s. I believe its possible that Peyton Manning will be able to read the Saints defense on Sunday in part because he memorized the 1989 Bears secondary on Tecmo Bowl.
