World Cup 2010: Bavaria Stirs up Trouble Again

If you've been following the sideshow news from the World Cup, you've seen the story of a pack of sassy Dutch ladies who found themselves in big trouble for supporting the national team and a renegade beer called Bavaria. Fortunately charges against the two ring leaders have been dropped. Marketing experts will tell you this is a savvy ploy by the folks at Bavaria. It's a lot of publicity for a little bit of trouble.

This isn't the first time Bavaria has brought their ambush marketing tactics to the World Cup. One of my most cherished souvenirs from Germany four years ago is a pair of Bavaria overalls I picked up on the streets of Stuttgart prior to the Holland-Ivory Coast match. As USA Today notes, those same overalls forced some Dutch fans to watch the match in their underwear. They probably do not cherish the memory as fondly.

Also, I'm pleased to note that I've lost about 30 pounds since 2006, so I look better in the overalls today than I did then.