| Seen from a distance, the store looks like any other merchant that is showing off its support for the 2006 Soccer World Cup. An enormous photo shows people crowded around a goal with soccer balls scattered all over the ground. While the FIFA is religious about guarding its World Cup trademark, the same is not the case when it comes to mere ball or flag. Therefore, in addition to officially licensed souvenirs, there are many alternatives that can be snatched up at this time. For example, there are official FIFA cigarette lighters that sell for $10.19. On the other hand, there are unofficial soccer ball ashtrays that retail at $19.16. In a similar vein, a housewares store is selling cooler sleeves for cans and bottles decorated with the flag of your favorite team that can be purchased for a reasonable price. Candy stores are selling football suckers; even a knitting shop displays a hand-knit sweater emblazoned with soccer balls. Not to be left out of the selling rush, a souvenir shop sells flag-emblazoned flip-flops at a very low price of $5.13. Even pharmacies and weapons stores are displaying soccer balls in their windows. Take the case of the Galeria Kaufhof department store in Stuttgart. It has become something of an one-stop World Cup souvenir outlet. In addition to marketing officially licensed shoes, socks, shorts, sweaters and hats, there is a sofa decorated in German colors that sells for $284.49 and, yes, even a new World Cup monopoly set that retails for $50.62. A nearby sporting goods shop is selling a German fright wig, an Australian scarf, Ivory Coast flag and Brazilian sweat bands for $38.45. Additionally, the store has on its shelves a combination mullet-mohawk for $20.44. Beyond retail venues in the brick and mortar world, German TV is also getting into the World Cup act at the present time. Former national team players are making the rounds on a slew of television shows. They are discussing their own storied careers and what lies ahead in the sport. The FIFA World Cup was first televised over fifty years ago in 1954. Today, it is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event, ahead of even the Olympic Games, in the world. The cumulative TV audience of the World Cup 2002 was estimated at 28.8 billion. A remarkable 1.1 billion TV viewers watched the final match game between Brazil and Germany. The 2006 edition, held between June 9 and July 9 in Germany, is bound to draw even bigger audiences as interest in the sport continues to flourish across the planet.
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