World Cup fever hits home

The World Cup is raging in South Africa, electrifying sports fans around the globe with scenes of nonstop playmaking, an occasional shot on goal and—my favorite—close-ups of stoic referees writing notes on little cards whenever players misbehave.

Anyway, since the competition began June 11, there’s been several developments in the home channel, and there will be several more before it’s over. In honor of the “beautiful game,” and to help a larger audience gain familiarity with key World Cup terminology, we’ve assembled a scoring system for home channel headlines.

Here it is. A goal is something to celebrate, a yellow card is a warning sign:

Headline: “EPA delays enforcement of lead-paint rule”Story: The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged the need for additional time for renovation firms and workers to become trained and certified under the new Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule. Voices representing contractors and suppliers have been vociferous in their pleas for a delay, with very reasonable grounds—there weren’t enough trainers. But their pleas seemed to hit deaf ears, until this recent announcement. Maybe the regulators will listen a little more attentively next time there’s an issue.Score: Goal

Headline: “New-home sales plunge”Story: Reeling from the expiration of the home buyer tax credit, new-home sales for May decreased 32.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 300,000. It was the lowest rate on record since the Commerce Department began keeping track in 1963. The $8,000 tax credit for new home buyers certainly had its impact—it expired April 30, just before the number plunged. We were expecting a downturn, but nothing like 33%. At least home starts, which also dipped in May, were still ahead of last year’s pace. (See the Dashboard on page 42.)Score: Yellow card

Headline: “NYC cracks down on knife sales”Story: At least 14 retail stores, including Home Depot and several major sports goods outlets, have agreed to pull a number of illegal knives off their shelves in an agreement with the New York County District Attorney’s Office. Something bothers me about the way this investigation was handled. Here’s a state—New York—operating with a $9.2 billion budget gap. And here are agents of the state going undercover to buy cutting tools in Home Depot. The retailer should know the laws of New York, yes. But aren’t there about a million tools that could be used to harm some one in any hardware store in America?Score: Yellow card

Headline: “BBBY sales increase”Story: Comps were up 8.4%. Sales were up 13.5%, and earnings were up 57.8%. That’s a pretty good trifecta. Experience shows that these kinds of numbers are contagious for home spending. It’s true that perhaps BBBY gets downsized projects—new bed sheets instead of a new bedroom, for instance. But the numbers also show people are thinking about their home, and they are reaching for their wallet.Score: Goal

As I type, the relative newcomer United States team has entered the round of 16. World powerhouses France and Italy, meanwhile, have been bounced. Let that be a lesson: There is no guarantee that those on top will stay on top in any sport or any market. There’s always a hungry newcomer out there.