Vuvuzelas blow

Has the biggest controversy so far at the World Cup been about a goal? A red card? A blown call? No, the question people are debating has nothing to do with the play on the field. Instead, everyone is talking about whether vuvuzelas should be banned.

In case you have yet to hear about these, vuvuzelas are plastic horns that fans are blowing basically without pause during the games in South Africa. They're incredibly loud and sound kind of like angry bees.

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There are some who argue that these horns are part of South African culture (quite a stretch). They say that this is how the fans are choosing to express their enthusiasm for the game.

There are others (myself included) who can't stand these things. I've even taken to watching some of the games with the sound muted. The BBC is trying to find a way to turn down the vuvuzelas without affecting the commentary and other crowd noise, but no luck so far.

Some players are complaining as well, saying they can't hear their teammates or the referees blowing the whistle. France's captain Patrice Evra even blamed them for his team's poor showing in it's first game against Uruguay (they tied 0-0).

The saddest thing about them in my opinion is that we're missing out on hearing the chants, songs and drumbeats that usually emanate from the crowd during the World Cup. Soccer fans are usually very creative and add a lot of atmosphere to the games. Unfortunately, the toneless, deafening buzz of these horns may end up being the most memorable contribution from the fans of this World Cup.