Recherché football, vibrant collectiveness, reflection, and music looking back to the future
In my opinion, the greatest opportunity football has, in its position as the heart of sport and even culture in general, is promoting an appreciation for the game in unlikely places. These trends flare-up around massive international tournaments, such as the World Cup, the EUROS, and even Copa América to a degree. Last summer, amongst all of the madness, an esoteric partnership was particularly refreshing to see. The Fader, a leader in music, style, and art, teamed up with Nike to produce the Pitch Perfect program that ambitiously captured the “collective consciousness of togetherness, happiness, and just joy in celebration” that the World Cup provided. Along with a set of videos, there were 6 Pitch Perfect mixtapes with artwork from Siggi Eggertsson, one that represented the culture of each continent.
The South America mixtape resonates with my conception of the passionate South American spirit, but with the weekend approaching I thought I’d leave you with these tapes to accompany you on the pitch, in a park, or en la playa. EURO 2012 is nearly here (thinking on a macro-scale, mind you) and I can’t wait to see what some of the world’s most innovative minds create. What’s the most inspired football project you’ve witnessed?
April 1949: Stoke City and England centre-half Neil Franklin chests the ball.
English great Tom Finney thought Franklin was “the best centre-half I ever played with or against. Just before the 1950 World Cup, he went off to play in Colombia, thinking he was going to make a bit of money, but it didn’t work out. When he came back, the FA were furious and clubs wouldn’t touch him. He was still good enough to play for England, though. It was very sad.”
Giorgio Chinaglia and Giuseppe Wilson at World Cup 1974.
“I don’t really know what I’m doing in this boat. I guess it’s pretty nice though.”
Gordon Banks v Eusebio, 1966 World Cup semifinal.
Source: interleaning
I miss Riquelme.
More violence here.
Almost forgot about Totti Tuesdays! Phew, this was a close one. More violence here.
BEARD No.1: Paul Breitner (seen here with Kurly Keegan)
“Your hair is magnificent.”
“I was about to tell you the same thing.”
“Let’s make a sitcom about our hair/friendship!”
“It’s like you’re reading my mind!”
2008-2010. RIP Paul.
(reblogged from eric-beard)
Quick survey: did this actually disappoint anyone? Was anyone truly appalled and saddened by what he did? Does anyone wish he hadn’t done it?
Because I fucking loved it.
More violence here.
Source: surrealfootball.com
