The Growth of Soccer, Essay Example

Introduction

The emergence of soccer in many nations has been a tale of promise that has never been fulfilled in many countries of the world. For instance, despite the growing popularity of soccer among the youth, the professional soccer is yet to integrate fully into the American leagues. According to the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), about 240 million people engage in playing soccer regularly around the world. Soccer has grown from kicking the rudimentary animal hide ball to the World Cup Sports. The history of Soccer can be traced back 2000 years ago which started in the ancient China. The marginalization of soccer has allowed the sports to maintain the richness of historical and cultural expressions. Soccer is one of the most excellent sports activities across the world. People of all nations, ages, and gender celebrate soccer games. In recent times, we have witnessed some of the most conservative people accepting and allowing their children and women to engage in the particular sport. Soccer has also seen tremendous growth since its initial inception. The paper highlights the history, growth, and trends in the soccer game.

History of Soccer

The history of soccer is estimated to have started in the 2500 BC where the Chinese, Greeks and the Egyptians involved themselves in games played by the feet. They used sticks, hands, and feet to control the ball. Harpastum was a roman game, which was played by two teams. Each team would try to maintain possession of the ball for a longer time. Also, the Greeks had another game that they used to compete called the Episkyros. The two games had close pursuit of rugby than the modern soccer. The Chinese game, Tsu ‘Chu (Cuju-Chu or Cuju), which means “Kick the Ball,” was the most relevant game of the modern soccer (Alegi). The game as recorded began between 206 B. C. -220 A.D. The Tsu ‘Chu was a game played using a leather ball where the players could kick the ball into bamboo goal posts strung with a net. The rule of the game was to play with feet and other parts of the body with the exception of the hands. The main difference between the modern soccer and the Tsu ‘Chu, is the height of the goal which used to be 30 feet. Afterwards, the soccer game spread into Europe and upon conception, the Football Association in England was to govern the sport (Houlihan, 2014). A quick survey through history revealed that people had fun and enjoyed kicking around the ball. Many argue that it is much more usual to use our hands instead of our feet, but this is not an eccentricity act that has been present for quite some time. Rock to stand for the Sun was used in the vast land of the Mesopotamians in 1000 BC. Losing a match was fatal as it led to the captain becoming a sacrificial victim of the gods.

China gives the first evidence of the sport as a military drill drawn down in guidebooks used 300 years before the descent of Anno Domini. In the particular exercise, one was not allowed to use hands and always had opponents who would try to thwart his efforts and pass a period leather bag through bamboo sticks. The bag was full of feathers and mane. Played as from around 200 AD, the Japanese Kemari is still enjoyed across the Pacific nation (Houlihan, 2014). The fundamental difference in this game was the lack of opponents as the ball was only passed about to try to prevent it from falling to gravity.  From Greece, the world later borrowed ‘Epsikyros’ and from Rome ‘Harpastum.’ both being variants of the great sport most enjoyed today. In both chicanery and deceit ruled the oblong playfield as each team sought to get the ball over to their adversary’s frontier. It was hugely watched and celebrated by many, and later found its way into England.

Thus, in England, around 1250 AD, the game started metamorphosizing to what we witness today. For quite some period, there was no clarity as to how the ball ought to look, its size and shape. There was also a very uncertain discrepancy between rugby and soccer.  The games then were quite a course and much uncivilized. They would take place amidst towns leading to great carnage and destruction (Koerte et al., 2015). Like in Mesopotamia, people would die at times. They also involved too many people who would run around in the streets, as we see in Florence in 1600 AD where it was referred to as Calcio. Later, they would appear across London in 1750 AD

Convocations in Cambridge in the 19th Century led to the descent of the modern day rules we witness all over. Civility and sobriety were brought in as FA were constituted. However, the game would still grow and develop as time went on. Initially, there were two forms of play; some would prefer to run up front with the ball and try to score on their own just like in rugby, others liked to kick the ball amongst their teammates. After a while, it was clear which way was more productive in winnings. Initial football clubs were formed in the 1500s, and they were also informal. History writers suggest that the first one was formalized in Edinburgh in the 1800s.

With the descent of industrialization came the meeting of people in large numbers around particular town and this allowed people to spend more leisure time together in amounts that are more significant. The Football Association organized its first championship in 1871. As the competition grew, crowds were drawn in more tremendous numbers to come to cheer and witness the contest. The first tournament between nations was in 1883, and it was among the United Kingdom nations of the English people, the Irish, the Scotts, and Wales.

The Trends of Soccer

The development of technology has played a relevant part in the development of soccer. Technology facilitates the creation of high-quality cameras that can assess the eligibility of a goal. Experts normally refer to it as the goal-line technology. The system has played a relevant part in shaping up the popularity of the game across the globe. It assesses whether the soccer ball has crossed a goal line that exists between the post and the crossbar. The application of high-end cameras plays a moderate role in ensuring that the reliability of the technology is eligible (Sutton, Scott, Wallace & Reilly, 2009). Today, most leagues across Europe have adopted the technology because of its high rate of efficiency. Additionally, the applications of the electronic systems also facilitate the referee to assess the eligibility of a score through the technology. Therefore, goal-line technology is a current trend that requires a broader assessment as it has positive contributions to the growth of soccer.

The maintenance of discipline is a key initiative that the soccer federations are key to maintaining. The action involves the creation of rules that are meant to ensure that the players maintain discipline. Today, most players issued a yellow card or red card in case they fail to adhere to the imposed rules. Taking off shirts comprises one of the practices that most soccer players had. The current rules do not allow the players to continue with the norm. Instead, they are issued with yellow cards once the practice is observed (Gatterer et al., 2011). This is common in most soccer games, as the players have developed discipline while they continue with their practices. The discipline has facilitated the growth of the sport as most individuals come to love the sport because of the high level of discipline that is associated with the popular sport. Conclusively, the change in rules is a key issue that leads to the growth of the game.

The Status of Soccer

Soccer is the most popular game across the globe. Most countries have formed leagues that facilitate the sport to be practiced in various parts of the world. The existence of the major leagues in countries such as England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and France makes the sport adorable to most individuals. The popularity of the game comes in with the major trades that the country takes in the effort to promote the sport in various parts of the globe. The activity includes buying players from different parts of the world (Gatterer et al., 2011). This is an act that encourages international integration, which is a positive action taken in the promotion of world peace across the globe. Ideally, it is relevant to understand that events such as world cup and Europa cups promote peace and unity across the globe as it merges different countries.

The soccer federation has taken an initiative of developing young talents in various parts of the globe. The activity includes the investments on football academies to facilitate the young individuals to develop their talents at young ages. This is effectual as it leads to the development of soccer in different parts of the globe. The issue is also dominant in most developing countries that value the effectiveness of the sport. The country ensures that a heavy investment is made to facilitate the promotion of soccer talent (Barros & Leach, 2006). The action involves the construction of national stadiums to ensure that the love for the sport continues spreading. This is a key issue that leads to the creation of major sporting events such as world cup. Ideally, the action taken by the federations and the government has led to the growth of the sport in the global arena. Also, the status of the sport is perfectly based on the initiatives that the authorities undertake.

The Future of Soccer

The future of the sport is expected to grow in a wider perspective. The factor is contributed by the existence of various continental and global events organized by the sports. Events such as world cup have enabled the sports to unite several countries in a common forum. Event organizing is an effective course of action that makes the sport popular in various parts of the globe (Gatterer et al., 2011). The utilization of the fact by the federations would create room for expansion, as more countries would be interested in promoting the sport within the local athletic bodies. Ideally, the promotion of the sport would involve the combined efforts of the government and the federations.

Development in technology is a dominant issue that makes the sport grows at a faster rate. The future advancement of technology would facilitate the creation of transparency in the sport. The transparency would facilitate the sport to create more rules that would promote fair treatment of players at all costs (Barros & Leach, 2006). The issuing out of red cards and yellow cards would be based on the mistake that was made by the players in the effort to acquire the ball. Thus, the future of the sport is brighter because of the high level of discipline that would exist on the players.

Conclusion

Technological advancement plays a key role in the development of the sport. This is a key issue that involves the creation of better chances of soccer growth across the globe. The understanding of the issue is quite relevant because it facilitates the relevant authorities to implement measures that are meant to promote the popularity of the sport in different parts of the globe. This would lead to the increasing popularity, as more fans would be interested. The implementation of the soccer rules also plays a dominant role in the maintenance of discipline that is vital for the growth of the sport within the global arena. The maintenance of top soccer leagues and event is one of the dominant actions that the soccer authorities are key to maintain. The soccer organizations work at ensuring that the events are perfectly coordinated to maintain the popularity of the game. On the other hand, the future of the sport in the global arena is quite bright basing on the fact that more people continue to develop their interest in the sport. The society has the responsibility of understanding that the sport plays a dominant role in promoting international peace and unity in different parts of the globe.

References

Alegi, P. (n.d.). Soccer: The World’s Game. Luthuli’s Charges: -Black Power, “Zuluness,” and Football Culture in South Africa, 1920s-1930s, 39-40.

Koerte, I. K., Lin, A. P., Muehlmann, M., Merugumala, S., Liao, H., Starr, T., … & Karch, S. (2015). Altered neurochemistry in former professional soccer players without a history of concussion. Journal of Neurotrauma, 32 (17), 1287-1293.

Houlihan, B. (2014). The Government and Politics of Sport (RLE Sports Studies) (Vol. 6). Routledge.

Barros, C. P., & Leach, S. (2006). Performance evaluation of the English Premier Football League with data envelopment analysis. Applied Economics, 38 (12), 1449-1458.

Gatterer, H., Schenk, K., Ferrari, P., Faulhaber, M., Schopp, E., & Burtscher, M. (2011). Changes in hydration status of soccer players competing in the 2008 European Championship. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 51 (1), 89-94.

Sutton, L., Scott, M., Wallace, J., & Reilly, T. (2009). Body composition of English Premier League soccer players: Influence of playing the position, international status, and ethnicity. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27 (10), 1019-1026.