Sunday, July 12, 2009

Ball Crazed Brit Sets Meaningless World Record - No One Cares


Man with one ball sets world record

May 3, 2009

Football freestyler Dan M. Photo: Reuters

A Man smashed the world record for keeping a football in the air after tapping it up and down for a marathon 24 hours.

Dan M, 25, unemployed for 10 months and not seeking new employment, played keepy-uppy using his feet, legs and head in London's popular tourist spot, Covent Garden. Dozens of tourists passed by, paused briefly, shook their heads quietly and kept walking. Undeterred, Dan sailed past the previous record of 19 hours and 30 minutes on Friday and just kept going. He had hoped to earn enough in tips to keep his family in their home, from which they were being evicted even as Dan tapped his ball.

But after 24 hours Dan had only collected 4 shillings and 6 pence, not enough for a small bag of fish and chips.

At 20 hours, well past the previous record, Dan's wife and 3 children, the oldest only 7, begged him to stop and help find the family a place to spend the night. Dan told them not to worry, that as soon as the Guiness people certified his new record, a process that can take anywhere from six months to a year, he would be swamped with lucrative offers from advertising executives who wanted to use his story to advertise everything from ball bearings to cricket wickets. He expected to receive large advances on the income to be earned from these appearances and sponsorships.

Dan almost lost it all, when seconds away from the 24-hour mark, Dan M, from Milton Keynes in southern England, almost lost control of the ball but managed to regain his composure to complete the final seconds of his quest.

The End

No comments:

Post a Comment