Preview

Popularity of Soccer

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1430 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Popularity of Soccer
When the United States national soccer team defeated the Spanish national team in the semifinals of the 2009 Confederations Cup, many sportswriters and fans called the U.S team’s win one of the biggest upsets in modern soccer. Although the United States is known for having dominant sports teams, many refuse to admit that the United States has a good soccer team, let alone believe that Americans know about the sport soccer. In all fairness, even people in the United States do not believe that Americans know a lot about the sport and think it is a unpopular sport in the U.S. Long has been the misconception that soccer is not popular in the United States and that many Americans do not even know the rules of the game. In an episode of Family Guy, Chris Griffin is playing in a soccer game. The bleachers are almost empty with the exception of a handful amount of people. When a ball is kicked towards Chris, he catches the ball. The referee, dressed like an American football official, awards Chris’s opponents a penalty kick with a tone and style of his speech as that of a football official. A parent of Chris’s teammate yells out in anger because Chris’s mistake awards the other team an immense advantage. This scene exemplifies the common misconception about soccer in the United States. The small number of audience in the crowd suggests that soccer is not a popular sport in America. Chris’s lack of knowledge of the sport and the inaccurate uniform of the referee imply that many Americans do not know the rules of soccer and are not familiar with the sport because not many Americans play the sport. Furthermore, Chris lacks enthusiasm in his game; this lack of enthusiasm illustrates the hypervisiblity of the popularity of soccer in the United States. Soccer was virtually unknown to Americans until 1967 when the first professional soccer league was set up in the United States. The league was named the North American Soccer League (NASL). The league attracted


Cited: "American Football History." Essortment Articles: Free Online Articles on Health, Science, Education & More.. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "FIFA.com - Brazil: Country Information." FIFA.com - Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA). N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "FIFA.com - Spain: Country Information." FIFA.com - Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA). N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "FIFA.com - USA: Country Information." FIFA.com - Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA). N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "FIFA.com The Official Web Site of the Fédération Internationale De Football Association." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. . "The History of Baseball." Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) :: Architecture, Business, Engineering, IT, Humanities, Science. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . Ives. "MLS: Attendance the NBA Would Kill For « Avoiding the Drop." Avoiding the Drop. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. . "Major League Baseball Players Association: Frequently Asked Questions." The Official Site of Major League Baseball | MLB.com: Homepage. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . Mehta, By Suketu. "NFL Player Salaries." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "MLB Salaries - CBSSports.com." Sports - CBSSports.com Sports News, Fantasy Scores, Sports Video. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "World Cup Final Reels in a Multitude of Viewers | Deseret News." Salt Lake City and Utah Breaking News, Sports, Entertainment and News Headlines - Deseret News. N.p., 24 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2010. .
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis By Signe Wilkinson
    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis By Signe Wilkinson

    women’s soccer in contrast to men’s soccer. The technique of size is utilised to show the U.S. women’s team as bigger and taller. The dominant image of the U.S. women’s soccer team being larger indicates that the women's team is larger than the men's and incites the audience to require more attention from the Soccer Federation to the female soccer team. The U.S women’s soccer ball is furthermore, taller in size and indicates it is extensively more successful than the U.S men's soccer team. Through this, the author depicts to the audience by size and height the importance and success of women’s soccer; by emphasising the success of women’s soccer to encourage a change from the Soccer…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brian Clough Character Analysis
    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Brian Clough Character Analysis

    The atmosphere of the game, the crack of the bat, and the smell of the turf are what fans love most about sports, especially baseball and soccer. Baseball has been around since 1839 in America, and soccer is an early nineteenth century sport originated in England. The 1969 World Series winning “Miracle” New York Mets and the Cinderella story of the 1978 European Cup winning Nottingham Forest are stories that are remembered to this day. The phenomenon of the underdog stories from the United States with the 1969 Mets and in England with the 1978 Nottingham Forest teams rely on their initial failures in previous years.…

    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Annotated Bibliography: Why College Athletes Should Be Paid
    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography: Why College Athletes Should Be Paid

    Associated Press (2011, January 20) University Of Texas, ESPN Form T.V channel. Hearst. Retrieved May…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Satire Essay
    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Satire Essay

    As true football fanatics and lovers of the game, many around the world find it normal and traditional to wake up in the midst of the late night and the early morning to watch the “beautiful game”. This beautiful game is the international sport of football, not to confuse it with the American sport involving the use of the hands. The English Premier League is the root of such excitement as it can easily be named the most watched and loved men’s football league in the world. But in the midst of the great amount of football that is continuously followed, there is a single broadcasting channel that brings it all to the people in the most exhilarating manner, Sky Sports. Sky Sports brings to the world, an endless coverage on the “beautiful game”, making the next game more anticipated than the last. After the channel’s great rise in popularity, it was only a matter of time until the British award winning sketch show, The Mitchell and Webb Look, would satirize the channel’s illustrious coverage on football.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Yay Soccer!
    • 803 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Yay Soccer!

    In an article from TownHall.com, Ann Coulter, an American political commentator, alleges that "America's favorite national pastime: hating soccer" (Coulter 2014). Ann currently writes a syndicated political column for Universal Press Syndicate and is a frequent guest on multiple TV shows for her views on politics and a variety of world issues. While Ann is a well-educated woman, having graduated with honors from Cornell University and achieving her law degree, she makes generalizations for the American public that she is not qualified to make. Ann has no experience in soccer, nor does she have any basis for stating that the American public loves to hate soccer.…

    • 803 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Informative Speech Galapagos Islands Outline
    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Informative Speech Galapagos Islands Outline

    Can you think of a sport that, in some parts of the world, makes the fans go crazy and start riots? Or how about a sport that sets records in television coverage? It is the most played sport in the world. It’s played with around ball. Today, I hope to inform you on some specific aspects of professional soccer.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sexism Of Women In Soccer
    • 200 Words
    • 1 Page

    Sexism Of Women In Soccer

    As a female soccer player, I can attest to the sexism that prevails in professional soccer today. For centuries, society has told women they must always look dainty and pristine to attract a man. When a woman becomes covered in dirt and sweat during a game, she is no longer aesthetically pleasing; therefore, men deem her sport dull and worthless. In soccer, the term “female athlete” is an oxymoron; a female cannot be a real athlete, and an athlete cannot be a real female. Recently, in the Women’s World Cup, this blatant prejudice surfaced when FIFA forced athletes to play on turf despite safety complaints and lawsuits. I attended the game between the United States and Germany, and I cringed as I watched the women’s heads hit the hard ground.…

    • 200 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Soccer Uniform History
    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Soccer Uniform History

    Soccer has affected so much in America, such as the athletes, the fashion, and the soccer ball. The athletes that play soccer are very different then what they used to be. Now all of them are popular and are sponsored. The uniforms the players wear are so different than what they were in the 90’s. The soccer ball is causing more and more problems.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Why Soccer Is Popular
    • 2328 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Why Soccer Is Popular

    3. How did soccer first start? It is said that early growth of the modern soccer started in England. Some amusing facts…

    • 2328 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Football vs Soccer
    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Football vs Soccer

    Football is a popular sport in the United States, while soccer is more popular around the World. Soccer and football have many similarities between each other. They both have leagues that are played outdoors like the National Football League and Major League Soccer. The teams consist of eleven players on the field at a time. In order to score in each of the sports, the team has to score on the opponent’s goal line. Football and soccer have indoor leagues where they play indoors all year long. Both sports have positions in the game that players need to play.…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cultural Artifact
    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Cultural Artifact

    It’s pretty obvious what ill be talking about today and for those that are completely clueless then good at least I’m surprising a few. For those who don’t know what I’m holding, this right here established the foundation of my childhood, culture, and future. You guys thought I was going to keep it simple and say, “It’s just a soccer ball” well yes it is but to me it’s so much more than that. Lets begin with saying soccer is universal. There is so much more than running non-stop for 90 minutes and going up and down a field chasing a ball. Since I cant speak for everyone in the room and I don’t have super powers to read peoples mind, to me, soccer builds our character, holds families together, and brings a divided world into one.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Does Football Mean To Me
    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Does Football Mean To Me

    The freshly sprayed white lines, taut nets and the flawless green field brings a rush of nostalgia rushing back to me as I remember the first time I picked up a soccer ball. Being one of the most popular sports all over the world, football means many different things to different people. To me, football is more than just a sport, it has moulded me into who I am today. The thrill of playing and watching soccer is unparalleled and football is capable of bringing communities and families together.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Soccer Is Unpopular in the Us
    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Why Soccer Is Unpopular in the Us

    Football. Excuse me, soccer. The beautiful game. It's embraced everywhere around the globe, and the FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. But the biggest sports nation in the world, the USA, seems to express little interest in soccer. Why? Some of the issue is that there is little exposure. If you don't have Fox Soccer Channel, all you get on a weekly basis is a Major League Soccer game or the occasional English Premier League game shown on ESPN. Some people say that there is no room for soccer—there are already four major sports, along with the lesser sports such as golf and tennis. A theory is that with America's history, they rejected the British-created football, and made their own version. But America is such a sports-crazed country, I think if people really got enthused about soccer, it would get great media exposure. During the World Cup, I personally saw people who could care less about soccer watch entire matches the US were playing in. After the World Cup, they could care less again. Part of the issue may be the MLS. MLS is growing fast, getting some great international players, although they may be in the later stages of their careers. MLS also has some great fan bases, such as Houston, Portland and Seattle, etc. MLS is a fine soccer league, but it doesn't feature the excitement the greater leagues in Europe offer. So you would think the improvement of MLS would create more soccer buzz, but many Americans don't even like to watch the most high quality soccer from Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, etc. So what is it that makes people so turned off of soccer? As a young child, I was not a soccer fan at all. I loved to play it, but I would have rather watched paint dry than a "boring" soccer match. And here I am today, with soccer as my favorite sport. I thought soccer was boring because of the lack of scoring. I couldn't believe they could play a ninety minute game and end without a single goal for either team! And that's a…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Goal Line Technology in Soccer
    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Goal Line Technology in Soccer

    A global audience of 3.2 billion people – about 46.4% of the world population – watched the World Cup tournament of 2010, according to FIFA, the world governing body of soccer. The final between Spain and The Netherlands alone had an audience of approximately 530 million. There is little debate about which sport is more played and watched more than any other. It unites and divides cities and countries. It sparks debate and controversy, which is discussed within families, with co-workers, and even between heads of state.…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Views on Globalization
    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Views on Globalization

    Many people in other countries and even U.S. natives share the stereotype that America tends to not always have the best international relations. They don’t always handle the situation in the best way. Franklin Foer, author of “How Soccer Explains the World”, believes that this opinion is divided and argues that the game of soccer explains this division. Foer believes that soccer has been a major influence on globalization through its…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics