5 Responses to “The ESPN World Cup Companion: Everything You Need to Know About the Planet’s Biggest Sports Event”

• By T. Karr on May 31, 2010

  I received the “advance uncorrected proof” of this book for review. It says that it will feature “FULL COLOR PHOTOS THROUGHOUT.” I hope that is the case with the finished product because this version looks utterly drab…strictly black and white, not attractive at all.

  There are lots of photos and articles covering anything and everything to do with the World Cup from 1930 to the present day. The writers do not take their subjects too seriously and inject a great deal of humor into the articles. There are articles about teams, famous games, players, wives, just about anything related to the World Cup through the years…and I do mean anything.

  So…this is not a book that you want to buy and hand to your pre-teens to enhance their enjoyment of the coming tournament. When the book is published with color pictures it will be fun to look at, as well as a pleasure to read.

  I’ll give the writing four stars. The pictures and presentation as it is published in this copy I’ll give one star…it is ugly. With a color presentation this book has the potential to be close to a five-star publication for soccer fans.
  
  Rating: 2 / 5
• By Two kids mom on May 31, 2010

  A reasonably amusing and informative book for those interested in soccer. Probably too much information for casual readers and too little for those who are truly obsessed but perfect for those in the middle.

  I found the writing style slightly annoying because it was so enthusiastic that it sometimes seemed to be shouting at you. However, it does fit with the style of the game.

  The history of the cup was fascinating. I found it to be more the type of book that you pick up and read for 10 minutes or so, rather than a book you read cover to cover.

  But I also thought it was a bit disorganized and the failure to include any information about the 2010 cup makes it less useful to those watching the cup this year. The title should have been “The History and Players of the World cup prior to 2010″ or such.
  Rating: 3 / 5
• By crown of indica on May 31, 2010

  The book’s title say it all–it really is everything you need to know about the world cup!

  Great pictures, good explanations, accurate info, and fun! What more do you need to know?! If you love soccer then this is for you!
  Rating: 5 / 5
• By t.g. randini on May 31, 2010

  This book seemed to be written for grade school level students. Unfortunately, it was extremely superficial with a poor selection of photos… meant only to capture a quick buck in this year of the cup.
  Rating: 2 / 5
• By Lincoln Gergar on May 31, 2010

  The ESPN World Cup Companion takes an entertaining look at the history of the World Cup from 1930-2006. Each World Cup is designated a chapter and features sections that highlight memorable moments, greatest and worst players, greatest and worst goals, cult figures, greatest games, and greatest teams. Mixed in are sections on oddities like best and worst hairdos, best and worst uniforms, pre-World Cup sex bans for players, physics of free kicks and penalty kicks, and superstitions. The entire books is written in a humorous fashion which is entertaining, yet odd considering football (soccer) is a most serious sport with a deeply political and, in some instances, criminal history.

  Yes, the Amazon.com pre-release is printed in black and white on cheap paper and without a formal cover. However I highly doubt that ESPN will release this version as their final publication. Expect a full-color, glossy page edition to be the final release on May 4, 2010.

  Calling itself a World Cup companion would lead me to believe that this book contains information to help me better appreciate and understand the upcoming 2010 World Cup. I was expecting analysis of the different styles of play for popular teams, insight into the pros and cons of the formations being used, in-game strategies to look for, analysis of the top players for each team, predictions and more. All of this however was missing.

  It seems to me that this book was written just after the 2006 World Cup and then held back from release for four years. I feel that some of the most important aspects of football and the World Cup are missing, instead being replaced with sparse details, creative writing, and insignificant but entertaining filler pieces.

  A large portion of this book is commentary on significant events from past World Cup matches. It is difficult to appreciate the difficulty, significance and drama of a sports game by reading about it. Video is a far more successful media for sports highlights. I recently finished watching the 7 DVD series History of Soccer: The Beautiful Game. 13 hours of footage, highlights, and interviews taught me much more about the World Cup and football around this world than the ESPN World Cup Companion. Seeing the memorable events take place and listening to professionals like Pele, Maradona, and Zidane talk about their lives and memorable moments gives a more accurate look into the sport of football. I even learned how the cultures of each country affected the development and style of the game – the strong work ethic and brutishness of England, the flair and dance of Brazil, and the engineering of Germany to combine European and South American styles.

  My advice is spend the extra $20 or $30 and watch the DVDs. You’ll have much more appreciation for the 2010 World Cup when you understand why this year’s host country South Africa is so significant. South Africa is the first country in Africa to ever host a World Cup (any detail of the 2010 World Cup is missing from this book, even the location) and South Africa was banned from FIFA for decades until the apartheid was lifted. You’ll see the tears of sadness when South Africa lost the vote to host the 2006 World Cup to Germany, when the final voter did not cast his vote – a controversial event that gave Europe two back-to-back World Cup hostings and reminded us of the politics of FIFA. Needless to say, there is so much more in the History of Soccer: The Beautiful Game DVD set about the World Cup than what is written in this ESPN book.

  After being disappointed with the ESPN World Cup Companion, my search continues to find a genuine companion guide for the 2010 World Cup. I want to know who to watch (aside from elite players like C. Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka, Henry, Rooney, and Donovan), what teams are expected to perform well, and which stadiums are at higher altitudes and which teams will be affected more. So if anyone has found a good guide to the upcoming 2010 World Cup, please post a comment and let me know. The 2010 World Cup will be a monumental sporting event, filed with cultural celebrations and surprising defeats. I would like to find a book that can capture the essence of the game, raise my budding enthusiasm and teach me more about the most televised event in the world.

  p.s. Did you know that more countries are in FIFA than the United Nations?
  Rating: 3 / 5

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