Sound & fury

The vuvuzela craze has been far-reaching and profitable, but college football doesn’t want to hear the horns | Susan Olasky

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Worried about having your football viewing pleasure ruined by those World Cup vuvuzelas? Be of good cheer: Both the Big Ten and the SEC have declared themselves vuvuzela-free zones for football, and others may follow. Both leagues had preexisting bans on noisemakers unless (in the SEC) they have a traditional connection to a school: for example, cowbells can be used this fall at Mississippi State during prescribed times.

Those concerned about the health effects of the vuvuzela can also rest easy, maybe: South Africa's licensed vuvuzela manufacturer, Masincedane, makes horns that break into three pieces if used as weapons to bonk someone on the head. They are also quieter: Older cheap plastic vuvuzelas emit sounds up to 138 decibels, but new versions of the licensed ones emit just 100 dbs. (What did you say?)