Soccer As National Sport

Soccer is a very widespread sport. With 211 countries with national teams soccer has come a long way from its roots in Great Britain. Over the decades since, soccer has become one of the most beloved sports in the world. It has a long and interesting history as well as an extensive impact upon certain cultures.

Soccer as a sport originated in great Britain in the mid 19 century, it spread throughout the world and became popular during the late 19th centre to early 20th centre. The first ‘official’ soccer teams formed around 1906. The first few matches drew big crowds and stirred interest around the sport. Soccer took off from there and continued to rapidly spread. In a game that is decades old there are bound to be changes to the way the sport is played, soccer is no exception. One stand out change was the switch from umpires to referees. Soccer games used to be officiated by two umpires, they performed a similar job to modern day referees. In 1891 soccer shifted away from umpires and games were now officiated by one referee.

Soccer has had a huge impact upon Latin American cultures. Soccer brought people of different social classes, education levels, and professions together. Soccer is known as ‘The beautiful game’ for the fact that it brings people together. When soccer first came to Latin America it was an immediate success because almost everyone could play it. Many people were illiterate and couldn’t read, they didn’t need to know how to read to participate in soccer.

Even though soccer seems like it’s complex it’s actually fairly simple. Soccer teams often have players who speaker many different languages and whom have varying levels of experience and are still able to communicate effectively. This can be done through diagrams and visuals. For example, if a player doesn’t understand the language that everyone else speaks, said player could stand off to the side for a bit in order to get a feel for how the game works. This is also a good way to teach someone new to soccer the rules. Demonstration is one of the best ways for people to learn and communicate.

Even after such a long time soccer still remains a widely played sport to this day. It has had impacts upon several countries and cultures and has a very rich history. It can be a fun childhood activity or a career. Its simple enough so that people from many backgrounds are able to partake in the sport.

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