A Specific Sport Like Soccer

Soccer is known to be one of the most popular and enjoyable sports within Europe and America. Not only has the sport advanced tremendously over time but, it has also become one of the most crucial sports to be known worldwide and played in the Olympics. Soccer can be played on either grass, sand, or artificial turf, but the surface must be green in color. Traces of records shows the history of soccer go back more than 3,000 years ago to ancient China. Although many other countries claimed to have started the sport, it was the English which transitioned the sport. Soccer is a very disciplined sport which comes with great skill and determination. The sport is exceedingly popular and has been around for a while, the history of the game, the objective of the game, along with how the game became popular are a few of the many things regarding to soccer.

The game Soccer has been played for over 3,000 years, however it is not known as to where it was first played. There is evidence which show the game has been played in China, Japan, Rome, and Greece. In his article Sports, Schmitt Jacob stated “Soccer was brought to the South America and Africa in the mid-19th century”. Although many would like to believe soccer began in our generation, soccer went all the way back to the 1800’s. “Although it was a war game (The first football game took place in the east of England - where the locals played 'football' with the severed head of a Danish Prince they had defeated in a battle.) In medieval times kicking, punching, biting and gouging were allowed. So, King Edward III tried to ban soccer. But the game was too popular. Even Queen Elisabeth I couldn't stop it, although soccer players were jailed for a week” (The history of football/soccer in England n.d.). It was later stated that early growth of the modern soccer began in England. The history of modern-day soccer was established in 1863 after a major development took place which made soccer well known in Universities and colleges in 1815. As the sport developed, more rules had been implemented and other historical landmarks had been set. According to the Federation International Football Association (FIFA) more than 240 million countries around the world play soccer regularly.

Soccer has been played on American soil since the 1800’s. Although the sport was known about for decades, the sport as we know today experienced its first wave of popularity in the 1920’s. In his article, Worsnop wrote that “Soccer was played informally at some Eastern U.S. colleges as early as the 1820s. But it did not develop a substantial fan base until European immigrants came to America in large numbers later in the century. As various nationalities settled in urban neighborhoods in the Northeast and Midwest, they formed soccer clubs that served as emblems of group identity. Even today, many Americans look upon soccer primarily as an “ethnic game.” (1994, “Soccer in America”). The English did not discover soccer but, they made the sport more recognized by introducing it to the Universities, Colleges and Schools. Soccer is considered the most popular sport in the world because, it is a multiplayer game, meaning you need friends, a ball and space. The sport is not driven by the coach like most sports. The coach decides who plays on the field and everything else is based on how the players decide to play. Soccer is an easy sport to play and it is inexpensive compared to other sports because the equipment needed to play the game is not considered a lot.

The game is played on a rectangular grass field, also known as a pitch, or it is occasionally played on an artificial turf, both having a goal at each end of the field. Soccer is known to be a team sport which is played between two teams, each team having eleven players. This game is played using a single round ball with two teams of eleven players. These players compete to score the ball into the other team’s goal, thus giving that given team a scored point. The most important rule in the game is that the players, other than the goal keeper, are required to only move the ball with their feet. They are not to intentionally touch the ball with any other body part, but using the head is a frequently applied skill. Each team is allowed a maximum of eleven players, excluding the substitutes and the player who is the goal keeper. The rules state, that a minimum of seven players are required to constitute a team. The objective of the game is quite simple, the team with the most goals scored at the end of the entire match wins the game. Every player is given basic equipment. Each player is required to wear a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear, and adequate shin guards. Players are forbidden to wear anything that may seem harmful to themselves or to another player, this include jewelry or watches. A standard adult soccer match consists of two long lasting periods which are 45 minutes each, also known as halves. Usually the game may go into extra time, which will consist of two additional 15 minute periods. They are 11 positions on a soccer team, them being: the goal keeper, full-back, wing-back, central defender, center back, sweeper, central midfield, wide midfield/winger, striker, center forward and behind striker.

In conclusion, not only has soccer been around for over 3000 years and has been played worldwide, but it has also been enjoyed in many countries. Soccer stirs powerful passions and is a useful outlet for forceful energy for millions of amateur players, but very competitive. Although this game was brought about by the British, it has come to be one of the most popular sports in the world. The objective of the game, the history and how the game became so popular are only a few main topics of the sport, these topics all still having a huge part to play in the sport we call Soccer.

Works Cited

1. 'How Soccer Originated. Soccer History.'. Athleticscholarships.Net, https://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-soccer-football.htm. Accessed 20 Feb 2019.
2. 'The History of Football/Soccer in England'. Englisch-Hilfen.De, https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/words/football_soccer1.htm. Accessed 20 Feb 2019.
3. Worsnop, Richard L. 'Soccer in America'. Will the World Cup Spread Fever to the U.S? vol 4, no.15, April 22, 1994 http://library.cqpress.com.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1994042200&type=query&num=soccer& Accessed 20 February 2019
4. 'Soccer - New World Encyclopedia'. Newworldencyclopedia.Org, October 7, 2015, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Soccer. Accessed 20 Feb 2019.