Peek wishes all the father’s out there a wonderful father’s day this weekend! We loved all the photos that were submitted in our Father’s Day contest on Facebook. We selected this great photo which we thought represented such a great memory of being at the beach with dad’s and the innocent fun that can be had! A special congratulations to Shawn A for the entry, and take a look at the winning photo below:
You may have noticed a little bit of soccer-mania in the air. Yep, it’s the World Cup, running from June 12 – July 11. Four years ago, it was played in Germany; this time, the site is South Africa, and it’s already proving to be full of surprises and heartbreaks.
In case you need a little primer, here are some fun facts you might need to know:
Flopping and Diving: Watch these players carefully. Soccer players can throw tantrums too, and at the slightest bump can fall to the ground so it looks like they were hit a lot harder (is this a familiar bedtime sight for you too?). Why do they do this? Sometimes, it’s to get the refs to call a foul on another player; sometimes it’s just to run out the clock a bit, so the other team has less time to score. It’s annoying, and it’s also funny. And it’s a big part of futbol.
Red Cards: You’ve surely noticed that players get “carded” when they foul. They generally get a yellow card as their first warning; too many of those, and a player can get a red card – and get kicked out of the game. Parenting note: you will start telling your kids they will get a red card if they don’t get to the table in 3…2…1…
Vuvuzelas: You’ve surely noticed that annoying buzzing sound playing constantly in the background of every game? Those are vuvuzelas, plastic horns about a yard long that South African fans love, but many others loathe. There’s talk of banning them, but for now, they’re an omnipresent reminder of the unique location of this year’s games.
There’s also one very cool thing to note about our team. Most other national teams look pretty homogeneous – all the same. The US team reflects the diversity of our population – our players’ families have come from all over to create a “multi-culti” team. Jose Torres‘ parents are Mexican, and though he grew up here, he usually plays in Mexico; Stewart Holden was born in Scotland and moved here as a kid; the powerful Oguchi Onyewu‘s parents are from Nigeria, while Jozy Altador‘s are from Haiti; Clint Dempsey grew up in Texas, but played against Mexican kids in his trailer park. The coach is Bob Bradley, and his son, Michael Bradley, is one of the best players on the team.
One more bit of drama: When Ghana plays Germany on June 23 (check out the coolest full schedule ever, here), it’ll really be brother-against-brother: Jerome and Kevin Boateng are brothers whose mom is German and whose dad is from Ghana. They each made a different team — and will play against each other. Ask the kids: What would that be like?
Of course, you’ll want to shop our collection of limited-edition World Cup tees. Regardless of who you’re rooting for, they’re a fun way to celebrate “the beautiful game.”
So what’s all the fuss about? Why do we care so much about the World Cup?
The World Cup is the most popular sporting event in the world. It has taken place every 4 years since 1930 (except for 1942 and 1946 due to the world war)and lasts an entire month. This year it will have over a billion worldwide viewers. Countries from every corner of the globe send teams with the hopes of winning the $31 million prize and the coveted trophy (surprisingly not a cup).The World Cup is organized and run by FIFA, the International Federation of Association Football (French: Fédération Internationale de Football Association)which is based in Zurich, Switzerland. The tournament currently has 32 teams that are vying for the title.
World Cup Fun Facts:
England Tee
England won the world cup in 1966 (get it; there’s a 66 on the back). England was the host of the tournament that year and they beat West Germany to get their one (and only) World Cup win. They were the first host team to win since Italy in 1934. We celebrate their achievement with a shirt in the team’s famous red color, with a jersey-style graphic on the back that represents the year they won.
Italia Tee
Italy is the current reigning champion of the World Cup tournament after winning in 2006. They have won 4 (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006) titles and have hosted twice, in 1934 and 1990. We celebrate their achievements with our shirt representing their win in 1982.
Brazil Tee
Brazil has the most tournament wins with 5 titles. They are the only team that has participated in all 18 tournaments and are always a popular team, if not the most popular. They are hosting the 2014 tournament. We celebrate their 1970 title with this tee that reads World Champions on the front.
