Introduction
Soccer is one of the most viewed sports across the world. The sport boasts of many enthusiasts, ardent fanatics, and players from youngsters to many adults. Normally, playing soccer takes an inherent part in children, and they begin playing it at an early age for different reasons, which explains its popularity. Understanding soccer is simple, a factor that enables children to play it effortlessly since its rules are not complicated as compared to other different games such as basketball, hockey or cricket. Its simplicity has made the sport as a good vessel for bringing different people together despite their color, nationality or religion. The uniqueness that originates from its popularity and extensive fan base across the globe adds exhilaration to accruing fanatics over the years, unlike other sports. The sports equipment required for soccer is inexpensive, which enables people to have an easy time in playing it since only a ball is needed to play it. Moreover, the vulnerability to sustaining injuries when playing soccer is minimal as compared to sports such as hockey, cricket rugby. A player can only sustain injuries when a fellow player does not follow the soccer rules and not through the equipment, which is the ball. For sports such as hockey, the hockey stick can hurt a person easily, which is contrary to the soccer ball’s danger quotient that is normally low. Soccer, therefore, remains a popular sport against the other sports such as basketball, cricket, hockey, rugby and others due to its simplicity, uniqueness and attraction in the manner that it is played. For this reason, this paper will evaluates the reason why soccer is the most loved sport and the reasons for its appeal.
Discussion
Soccer’s popularity is global, which implies that all nations play soccer, whether for competition goals or fun. It has accrued consistency as the most dominant sport that different nations play, unlike the other games that are only limited to certain countries. Recent surveys conducted by FIFA indicate that approximately 265 million people are active soccer players in different regions of the world. The population makes a significant integral of the world’s population, which is virtually 5%, a number that asserts soccer’s world’s popularity as massive (Kruschewsky, 2014). Such statistics easily affirm that soccer remains the powerful sport across the globe since no other sport has accrued such a plethora of ardent players, enthusiasts, fans or adherents. Different sports are predominantly played or watched in few countries, which makes them have minimal fan bases such as badminton, tennis or American football. While commercial soccer has become popular, street soccer has not lost its glory and prominence, a factor that continues to increase the soccer enthusiasts and fanatics. Different regions play soccer as a pastime to pleasure themselves and subdue boredom. Moreover, soccer is used by different community- development organizations as a bonding sport to sensitize youths against varied societal vices. Soccer easily brings people collectively, which helps these organizations to use the sport in accomplishing their objectives when people gather (Kruschewsky, 2014). Therefore, not only does soccer provide entertainment for thousands of people but it also serves as a function to help struggling youths.
Apart from the Olympics, World Cup is a coveted event that brings different nations on a common podium. The power that World Cup has enhances the international relations among different countries. Contrarily, world sports events that sports such as basketball organize are successful but the influence that they exude does not match that of soccer. Culturally, when World Cup begins, the participating nations set the soccer mood right that goes jointly with the love for different nations. The celebrations that ululate the air in these stadiums are often admired by many people, which create a sense of oneness and helps in enhancing the global unity. However, enjoying the soccer matches remains the principal thing, but the celebrations make an important integral in augmenting the global heritage that sometimes misses (Kruschewsky, 2014). World Cups remain critical in rekindling international togetherness through sharing the common soccer sport. For instance, World Cup games have a possibility of bringing two countries together who may not be friendly to each other. Despite that fact, many fans from both sides come together to enjoy the game and cheer their team on.
Soccer also possesses a strategic methodology in it since the players must use their skills to create effective coordination for them to score. The strategizing that players execute when the match is on adds the passion to the fans, which in effect makes a soccer match highly captivating. From soccer legends such as Maradona, the portrayal of perfect soccer skills on the field is simply breathtaking, which leaves a fanatic to yearn for more and subsequently watch every soccer game. However, other games also have the portrayal of excellent skill mastery but for soccer, the beauty that exudes from well-coordinated footwork can easily enchant a person into becoming a wild fan for the sport. The glamor that emanates from the difference in skill mastery when a soccer match, especially a professional one goes on is captivating. For this reason, many fanatics can never miss a soccer match, and their desire is satiated through the numerous soccer leagues that are played annually. Soccer is definitely a passionate game that can easily enchant a person into becoming an ardent fanatic of the game, which explains the growing number of worldwide fans that it accrues every day. These leagues include the EPL (English Premier League), Bundesliga, Seria A and the La Liga. These leagues have different names according to the continental region that the soccer leagues are organized. The leagues are critical agents of popularizing the sport on an extensive scale since they keep the soccer spirit animated from the outset to the league’s end.
Conversely, the rivalry that fanatics of different teams possess normally helps in keeping the championship spirit alive. Soccer fanatics are known to have an extreme rivalry that is only embedded on the love superficially for the exciting sport and not real hatred. However, such rivalry has been the backbone of the global popularity of this sport since the soccer culture has permeated different world’s regions and inflicted the fanatics with the malady. The subtle bond that connects these people is so strong that the people themselves do not realize. For instance, a great soccer club such as Barcelona has fans across the globe, from Africa, Europe, and even Asia (Kruschewsky, 2014). These people are all connected by the love for the team, which enhances unity among them inadvertently. When these fans meet at the stadiums and celebrate together, the bond that is created among them remains forever, which evidently helps in creating formidable unity among different nationalities. For this matter, soccer remains a great unity agent for the global community since its fanbase is extensive, comprised of different nationalities and continues to grow as days go.
Conclusion
A legion of cogent reasons subsists why soccer has accrued massive popularity since historic times. Its popularity has lasted centuries, and it has outshone many sports by its large fanbase, captivation, beauty, and simplicity. These attributes provide the rationale why even young people are impassioned fanatics of this sport. Soccer has simple playing rules that little children can easily grasp, which makes them start playing it at an early age. The current soccer popularity can also be attributed to its commonality among little children as compared to other games. Moreover, a ball is the only equipment required to play the game unlike games such as hockey or basketball that require special balls and fields to play them. For soccer, a simple ball and an open field or a veranda are enough to play it enjoyably. The beauty that the game exudes also enhances its popularity over other sports since simple skill mastery is breathtaking like dribbling and great footwork. These skills are fun to watch when a soccer match is on-going since they are visibly captivating, a factor that enables many people to love soccer. However, a deep meaning underlies the superficial soccer’s beauty. Soccer is a unity agent and symbol since it has managed to unify different people across the entire globe by bringing them close together for the common love of watching the matches. Coveted events such as Olympics and the World Cup unify people on a great scale whenever they converge in the large stadiums and watch the breathtaking matches to the finals. Soccer remains a great game since it is the leading sport in having the largest fanbase compared to other sports.
Reference
Kruschewsky, G. (2014). Wake Up, America: Here's Why Soccer Is The World's Best Sport. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 February 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/14/soccer-worlds-best-sport_n_5248061.html
