why+does+soccer+inspire+such+a+passion+around+the+world?

**By Sarah Reeve The term “the beautiful game” wasn’t just thrown into soccer but was well deserved. People play and watch it all over the world. For many children, it is the first sport they are introduced to because it is so easy to learn and play. Soccer is one of the only sports that can be enjoyed by anyone from females to males, no matter what age, and if you are not in the physical state to play it, it is almost equally enjoyable to watch. Soccer inspires such a passion around the world in different ways. Every country is passionate about their team, and wants their team to win. Specific countries have more of a passion for soccer because it is their national sport and they want people to recognize how passionate they are for their country’s sport. Other countries are very passionate about soccer because it evolved from their country or has been played there for thousands of years. Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is one of the top two most popular sports in Italy, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, France, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey. One of the reasons that soccer is so popular is that it’s very accessible. It isn’t very expensive or hard to get a soccer ball which is really all you need. Because soccer is an international sport and has a professional soccer league (FIFA) that includes teams from many countries of the world it makes soccer a very exciting sport. Many people have role models in FIFA which makes it fun to love watching and playing soccer. Soccer is not only the most played sports in the world, but also the most watched sport in the world. Soccer has surpassed the Olympics with the amount of people that come to watch the World Cup. It is bigger than American football, baseball, and basketball combined. Soccer is so popular because it has been around for a long time. It evolved from different countries and was spread around fairly quickly. Because soccer has spread to so many countries, so long ago, it makes it a very special sport to the individual countries. Soccer is not only a popular sport for kids to play but is quite enjoyable and rewarding for adults too. Soccer is a team sport which makes it more popular. There are a lot of people playing in a soccer game at the same time, for example, on a soccer team, you are a lot more likely to play then if you were on a tennis team, where maximum four people can play at the same time, on the same court. Team sports tend to be more popular because they are more fun. Being on a team, you develop friendships, there is less pressure, there are more people supporting you, and you work together, so if you mess up, there are people behind you ready to pick up the slack. It is a good workout and uses many different types of muscles. Soccer is also a safe sport to play. It isn’t a contact sport which makes it more appealing to people. It is easy to make a small soccer league in a neighbourhood park so it is a good opportunity to have fun and play official soccer games without being expensive or having risk of injuries. Soccer isn’t one of those sports that you have to learn from a young age or you will never be able to play. You can pick it up at any age as long as you are active, eager and can run. Soccer is a very fluent and easy game to follow, you don’t have to worry about points, like in football where a touchdown is worth 7 points. It is a simple one point per goal game. As opposed to hockey where you need an ice rink soccer can be in your backyard or on the street. To understand the incredible popularity of the game it is important to understand its roots. The start of the game that later became soccer began around 3000 years ago. The origins of soccer have been traced back to Japan in 1004 B.C. where they started kicking a ball around on a field. They used a leather ball, filled with hair and in 611 A.D, it is certain that a legitimate soccer game was played in Kyoto, Japan. The Romans also played a game that soccer could have evolved from. Although it was a lot more violent, it included a ball that was kicked. After a fifty minute game most players were hospitalized, so the game has definitely changed from then. The sport of soccer spread from Asia to Europe eventually and then continued to spread internationally. England was the first country to record the rules to soccer in 1815. From then, the Cambridge rules were made which are now the standard rules. The people that created soccer never would have thought that passing around a ball would later become “the beautiful game” and a sport that people all around the world have such passion for. People have gone to extremes to show how truly passionate they are for soccer. During the EURO 2008 game, Sweden versus Denmark, the referee was attacked by a Danish fan. As David Beckham was leaving his hotel in Milan, he was met by a group of fans who showed their love for him by giving him a bouquet of white roses. There are different things within soccer that fans are passionate for. Some fans are all about the stars, others are more focused on certain teams or countries, people are also passionate about the traditions within soccer. Passion can be shown in different forms. It can lead to tragedy, if fans get too passionate about a certain team or player. It is not hard to see why there is such a passion for soccer in the world, with players like David Beckham, and crowds bigger than Olympic numbers; it is a sport that cannot be ignored. The reasons that soccer is called “The beautiful game” are endless. Soccer consists of many beautiful people that play the game professionally. It is played in many beautiful countries. It is actually a beautiful set up of the game; you play on green grass and outside for the most part, in the fresh air. “The beautiful game” as a synonym for soccer was first said by Didi, a Brazilian soccer star. Pele, another of soccer’s greatest superstars named his autobiography, //My Life and the beautiful game.// He quoted, “I dedicate this book to all those who make the game beautiful”. Clearly, soccer has adopted the term The Beautiful Game, which is an amazing thing for a sport that started out with a few kids kicking a ball around. Soccer has a huge impact on so many people around the world. The rules are simple, the players are legendary, the game is exhilarating, the passion is undeniably insane and the fans are crazy. Everyone loves soccer for a different reason but soccer definitely deserves to be considered “The Beautiful Game”.
 * The beautiful game: why does football inspire such a passion around the world?