I remember when that ball came out. Everyone was losing their minds. “Oh my god, it’s like, retro *and* futuristic at the same time!” And yeah, okay, I kinda saw the appeal. It had that cool pixelated design thing going on, a nod to the original Telstar, supposedly the first ball to be recognizable on black and white TVs (which, like, makes you feel ancient, doesn’t it?).
You see these mini ball things, like the Leagues Cup one they’re hawking now. That’s cute ‘n all, for maybe your kid or a super die-hard collector. Solid foam core, so you don’t even need to pump it up. Great, I guess? Honestly, that sounds like something I’d trip over in the middle of the night and then yell at my cat about. Like, “Whose stupid ball is THIS?!” (Even if I *know* perfectly well).
But anyway, back to the 2018 ball. What I *don’t* get is the NFC chip. Seriously. The eBay listing screams about it! “adidas Telstar World Cup 2018 Russia Official Match Ball NFC Ce8083 Size 5!” Like, okay, cool, it’s got a chip. So what? Does it tell you how bad you are at soccer? Does it magically teleport you to Russia? I’m genuinely confused. I think it’s supposed to link to some adidas website or something, but honestly, who cares? Just let me kick the darn thing, y’know?
I guess, if you’re a serious collector and want the *whole* package, NFC chip and all, then go for it. But me? I’m happy with a good ol’ replica that *looks* the part. I mean, let’s be honest, it’s going to spend most of its life rolling around in my backyard, probably getting muddy and definitely getting kicked by my dog. A mini-ball probably wouldn’t survive 5 minutes.
