Broadcasters face calls to silence Vuvuzelas
Vuvuzela players at the World Cup are stoking the ire of players and viewers as the trumpet-like device drowns out ambient noise and clear thoughts in a cacophonic din.
Conerns are mounting that the African horns could become a permanent fixture at British sporting events as leading retailers such as Sainsbury’s clocked up sales of 22,000 in the 12 hours preceding England’s match alone.
Broadcasters have been deluged with complaints from viewers concerned that the constant drone masks crowd noise and smothers the natural ebb and flow of games.
Players have not been impressed either with some stars complaining the noise impedes communication with team-mates.
This has led the BBC to ponder plans for a “clean feed” broadcast, a feature that would strip out the majority of crowd noise at the stroke of the red button.
South Africans deem the instruments to constitute an important part of match atmosphere and blame inexperienced visitors for lacking the more subtle renditions blown out by locals.
Do you think broadcasters should offer a 'clean feed' of match audio? And would you opt for the red button if the BBC offered vuvuzela-free coverage? Share your comments below.