The perfect ball? or not??!!!

The 2010 World Cup is around the corner with it kicking off June 11th with South Africa taking on Mexico. Fans around the world wait for this event which is widely anticipated every 4 years. This is the biggest tournament in sports around the world, 32 teams taking part in history. There are two things these 32 teams have in common, one being there to win the world cup representing their countries and second is they all will play with the same ball. Players around the world typically play with soccer balls made by Nike. Every four years a new ball is introduced for the world cup, the maker is Adidas. A lot of players complain about the transition from a Nike ball to an Adidas. Adidas has come out with the 2010 world cup ball, the "Jubalani" which means "to celebrate" in isiZulu. The problem is the most players aren't doing much celebrating, instead you're hearing a lot of complaining. The most common complaint is that the ball is very difficult to control, like having a mind of it's own. It suddenly changes trajectory, when the ball is in the air and the player goes to head it, it's no longer there. The technology that goes into making the balls gets more advance each year like everything else, they typically get speedier but this ball is livelier than ever before. Complaints are always heard but usually from goal keepers, this time even position players are complaining. Another concern is the altitude in Johannesburg and other cities hosting the world cup. Studies have shown the speed can have in impact of up to 5%, meaning a 20 yard kick will reach the goal line 5% faster than it would at sea level. Adidas claims it has surpassed its own Teamgeist from 2006 in constructing the roundest and most accurate ball ever played… Teamgeist achieved its improvements by reducing the number of panels from 32 to just 12, by thermally bonding the panels and eliminating inaccurate stitching and by forming the outer panels in 3-D versus making them flat and bending them into shape. Jabulani takes another step towards perfection with eight EVA and TPU panels that provide a 70% larger striking surface due to fewer seams… Jabulani attempts to stabilize the flight pattern of the ball through what Adidas is calling ‘aero grooves’, essentially long indentations along the panels. The grooves divide the ball up into additional pseudo-panels. This ball is supposed to be the roundest ball ever made, not only that but it's also waterproof. Adidas claims it to be their "best of the best", the players claim it's one of the worse balls they've ever handled. I know that come June 11th, all 32 teams are going to have to play with the same ball whether they like it or not. They're gonna suck it up, strap their cleats on and go out there and represent their countries. The 2010 World Cup is around the corner, are you ready for it?