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FIBA bans vuvuzelas for World Championships, kills the buzz

The vuvuzela isn’t so much an instrument as it is a glorified kazoo, but that didn’t stop the now-mythical noisemaker from dominating coverage of the World Cup. Soccer/fútbol fans finally found the perfect audio accompaniment for their sport of choice: a bland, monotone noisemaker, significant pretty much solely because during the duration of the games, there’s no escaping it.

Well, FIBA, FIFA’s sister organization, clearly isn’t all that interested in hearing vuvuzelas drown out the rhythmic bounce of the ball or chorus of squeaking sneakers. FIBA announced on their website this morning that vuvuzelas will be banned from World Championship events, wisely noting that the confined space of a basketball arena would make the vuvuzelas’ collective buzz potentially harmful to attendees’ hearing.

Sorry, vuvuzealots. This is not the international sporting championship you’re looking for.