Vuvuzela (Reading Class)

Vuvuzela

A black and yellow striped vuvuzela.

The vuvuzela (English pronunciation: /vuːvuːˈzeɪlə/ voo-voo-ZAY-lə), also known as lepatata (its Tswana name) and stadium horn, is a typical 65 cm (2 ft) plastic blowing horn that produces a loud, distinctive monotone (B♭3) note. A similar instrument, known as the corneta, is used in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Many types of vuvuzela, made by several manufacturers, may produce varying intensity and frequency outputs. The intensity of these outputs depends on the blowing technique and pressure exerted.
The vuvuzela is most used at football matches in South Africa. It has become a symbol of South African football as the stadiums are filled with its loud and raucous sound that reflects the exhilaration of supporters. The intensity of the sound caught the attention of the global football community during the 2009 Confederation Cup in anticipation of South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup, though its frequent usage during sporting events raised health and safety concerns.
The vuvuzela has been the subject of controversy. Its high sound pressure levels at close range can lead to permanent hearing loss for unprotected ears after extensive exposure. A study found the maximum sound output varied between 113 and 131. In response to the controversy, a new model has a modified mouthpiece that reduces the volume by 20 dB. However, international commentators, players and audiences call to ban vuvuzelas at football matches.

2010 FIFA World Cup

A user blowing a vuvuzela at a football tournament.

As part of its marketing campaign for the World Cup, Korean automaker Hyundai and a local South African advertising agency called Jupiter Drawing Room created the largest working vuvuzela in the world—114 feet (35 m) long—on an unfinished flyover road in Cape Town. The giant vuvuzela is powered by several air horns attached at the mouthpiece end, and it was intended to be blown at the beginning of each of the World Cup matches; however Reuters reported that by 18 June 2010, a week into the World Cup, it had not yet sounded a note during the tournament because of a dispute between the operator and the city authorities over its noise level.
During the opening ceremony the announcer had to ask fans using vuvuzelas to be quiet as he could not be heard.
On 13 June 2010, the BBC reported that the South African organising chief Danny Jordaan was considering a ban of the vuvuzela during matches. Jordaan noted that "if there are grounds to do so, yes [they will be gotten rid of]" and that "if any land on the pitch in anger we will take action." On 15 June, it was reported that 545 complaints had been made to the BBC concerning the noise being made by vuvuzelas during coverage. BBC is reportedly considering an alternate broadcast stream that filters out the ambient noise while maintaining game commentary. During the event many competitors have criticised and complained about the noise caused by the vuvuzela horns, including France's Patrice Evra who blamed the horns for the team's poor performance. He also claimed that the sound of the vuvuzelas away from the stadiums hampered the ability of the players to get their rest. Other critics include Lionel Messi who complained that the sound of the vuvuzelas hampered communication among players on the pitch, and broadcasting companies, who complained that commentators' voices were being drowned out by the sound. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo went on record to state that the sound of the vuvuzelas disturbed the teams' concentration.
Others watching on television have complained that the ambient audio feed from the stadium only contains the sounds of the vuvuzelas and the natural sounds of people in the stands are drowned out. A spokesperson for the ESPN network said it was taking steps to minimize the noise of the vuvuzelas on its broadcasts. There are some that see their use during the performance of the national anthems as disrespectful. Other critics have also noted that it is seen as disrespectful to be "dismissive of the cultures of the guest team supporters".The World Cup organizing committee chairman, Danny Jordaan, said on 14 June 2010 "the vuvuzelas are being evaluated on an ongoing basis and that a ban is an option if there are grounds to do so."

Some vuvuzelas carry a safety warning graphic.

Vuvuzelas have also been blown outside of matches, leading to a ban by some shopping centres. Some World Cup football players complained that they were being awoken in their hotel rooms by the instruments. Demand for earplugs to protect from hearing loss during the World Cup outstripped supply, with many pharmacies running out of stock. Neil van Schalkwyk, manufacturer of the plastic vuvuzela, began selling earplugs to fans.
A German sound engineer has offered for sale 45-minute MP3 downloads which, it is claimed, will cancel out the noise of the vuvuzelas during broadcast television matches by means of active noise control. Scientific commentators have expressed scepticism about the possibility of this being effective.
The instrument produces notes around the 235Hz (mostly) and 465Hz frequencies and filtering these frequencies out might limit the noise in broadcasts.

Controversy

The use of vuvuzelas by so many supporters has attracted controversy.

Vuvuzelas have been controversial. They have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss and cited as a possible safety risk when spectators cannot hear evacuation announcements, and they may spread colds and flu viruses on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.Vuvuzelas have also been blamed for drowning the sound and atmosphere of football games. Commentators have described the sound as "annoying" and "satanic" and compared it with "a stampede of noisy elephants",an elephant passing wind,"a deafening swarm of locusts", "a goat on the way to slaughter", "a giant hive full of very angry bees",and "a cow being given a surprise enema"
Some commentators have defended the vuvuzela as being an integral and unique part of South African football culture and say it adds to the atmosphere of the game. BBC sports commentator Farayi Mungazi said the sound of the horn was the "recognised sound of football in South Africa" and is "absolutely essential for an authentic South African footballing experience". He also said there was no point in taking the world cup to Africa and then "trying to give it a European feel". The Daily Telegraph's chief sports reporter Paul Kelso described critics of the vuvuzela as "killjoys" and said they should "stop moaning".
In response to criticism of the horn's use, President of FIFA Sepp Blatter commented, "I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound. I don't see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country. Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?"
On June 19, 2010 at a Major League Baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins, the first 15,000 fans were given miniature vuvuzelas as part of a promotion. Widespread criticism from fans and players could possibly lead to a ban at MLB events.