5 Things I Loved Last Week – 2010 World Cup Edition

Technically, I probably came across most of these links in mid-June as the World Cup was kicking off so some may be familiar, but it seemed fitting to post this today.

World Cup Highlights in Lego

Legofussball has done an incredible job capturing some of the tournament’s greatest moments in Lego.

Nike’s Plastic Bottle Jerseys

Apparently, they were supposed to be more comfortable and breathable than their previous jerseys, but the disappointing performances of the teams wearing them (with the exception of New Zealand) might indicate otherwise. Nonetheless, I applaud the effort.

Each shirt comprises up to eight recycled plastic bottles, a move that reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared with manufacturing virgin polyester. Besides saving raw materials, Nike also diverted nearly 13 million plastic bottles (or nearly 560,000 pounds of polyester waste) from the landfill—enough to cover more than 29 football pitches.

Football Fields Around the Europe

Hans van der Meer has captured a series of stunning images of football fields around the world – a beautiful exploration of the diversity of contexts of play.

ESPN Match Trucks

ESPN takes home the award for the best pop-up concept of the tournament with their match trucks. Two decked out trucks (one in LA, one in NY) toured around the city, showing games and authentic street food inspired by the countries playing in the World Cup. I love the hand-painted graphics.

The Evolution of the World Cup Ball

Who knew that the classic black and white soccer ball design is only 40 years old? See the evolution of the World Cup balls in this New York Times piece. I would love to know how that design came to become the icon for the game.