From your "soccer ball" description, I'm betting you ordered from Bamboo Buddy. I've had good luck with his stuff although, admittedly it WAS disconcerting to get a totally defoliated plant. When I got my Henon it looked the same way and I worried but I planted it and it sent up a shoot in no time. I don't remember what kind of guarantees he offers if any, but the sooner you get that thing in the ground or into a pot and out of the plastic the better off your chances are going to be. Does the rootball still appear to be moist? If so, I bet you'll be fine. But if you can't get over the concern, contact him ASAP. Doesn't he have an excellent rating?
Your two year old plant will probably surprise you this spring or next with several nice canes.

I've gotten consistently nice looking plants- top growth and all : )- from ebay seller, Philinshelton. But since I only started ordering from him last year and we are talking about different species, I won't venture to do a comparitive cost/benefit analysis of division/shipping styles. Others may have stronger convictions....

Good Luck!

Thanks for the encouragement, that IS the person I bought it from. The root ball was moist and we got it into the ground the day after it arrived, in time for a nice rain. So all is probably just fine. It just looks so ... it looks like I planted a broom handle.

Leave that "broom stick" in place at least until it is clearly just dried up dead wood. As long as there is green in it, photosynthesis will occur.

i have had two bamboo plants for about a year and there not really grow just the leaves. Is that normal what should i do?