Fans Aren't the Only Ones with World Cup Fever!

After the Spurs won the NBA Championship, sports fandom has shifted its focus on the FIFA World Cup currently being held in Brazil. And why not? It only comes around once every four years! Team USA fans have been showing their support both physically at the games, and in their homes or local bars watching on TV. If you haven't been watching the World Cup, you at least know about it thanks to sponsor commercials. Companies such as McDonald's, Adidas, and Nike have been taking advantage of World Cup excitement, and capitalizing on patriotism of sport. It's not everyday you get to cheer for just one team representing your whole country. They all market differently, but one of my favorites is this McDonald's commercial.

After seeing commercial after commercial promoting the World Cup with images of people playing soccer in diverse settings, this commercial stands out by incorporating humor while creating a positive sentiment towards the tournament.

If you are watching the World Cup, you've been seeing non-stop advertising. I wasn't able to watch the USA vs Ghana match, but I asked everyone I know who has been watching if there is any advertisement/sponsorship on Team USA's jerseys. Ever person I asked said 'No:, even the most devout fans. I was surprised by their answers because I know that it's common in Major League Soccer to have advertisements on team jerseys but heard that it' different for the World Cup. I had to look this up for myself to be sure, and found that they were all wrong.

The question is, has advertisement in sports become such a norm that people forget (or don't recognize) that they are being advertised to? As you can see, there is a Nike symbol on the right side chest of the jersey. Arguably, it is placed over the heart. Whether the placement is intentional in that way, who knows?

McAllister (2010) found that in 2007, more than 80% of the college football championship had visual advertisement. I would guess that those statistics are comparable to the 2014 World Cup, and his 4th and 6th criticism of sponsorship are coming true. "Commercials and actual content are increasingly blurred," and "encroachment of advertising in to public arenas is legitimized." What does this mean for our future? Advertisement on helmets, jock straps, or even athletes being asked to tattoo sponsor's symbols on their body? One thing is clear, we will continue to be advertised to in new and more unique ways and it's simply inescapable as a devoted fan.