Why Blog Fifa 2010?

Welcome to Love the World Cup:

Thanks for checking in. This is my first attempt at blogging so I expect the next few days will be a bit rough as I work on page lay-out, and figure out how to post/link/navigate. Hopefully I'll have learned enough by Friday. Kick-off!

Of course I am for RSA. Sorry Mexico; I hope you beat France and I'm neutral on your match with Uruguay.

Why Blog the 2010 World Cup?

1) I read blogs but I have yet to try to produce one. I'm hoping that I learn more about the genre and the community and the internets more broadly.

2) I want to watch all 64 World Cup games, June 11th-July 11th. Except for six rest days (June 30th, July 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th), there are two-four games on every day between this Friday and the final. That's a lot of time--surely I must have some productive project attached?

3) I want to write something different. I'm really tired of trying to make sense of war crimes and especially of trying to integrate social theory with the study of violence and power. I'll still have deadlines for my 'real' work, but I can write with animo about the World Cup. I've been banging my head against genocide and crimes against humanity for a while now (without figuring out how to prevent such violence). Maybe if I try to think about something different my head will clear and I'll be able to come up with some answers.

4) In announcing the groups and fixtures for the 2010 World Cup, Fifa explained that the 'pots' from which the groups were organized are based on two elements: geography and rank; highly suspicious terms for such an important event as the World Cup. The World Cup is the site of multiple and competing geographical imaginations, where 'power' (rank) and 'place/space' (geography) are mutually-constituted. Write on!

Regards,

Amy