Soccer!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

A Day of Shots

Posted by Brian at 3:34 PM

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About Me

Brian: Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States; Hey, my name is Brian and this is my blog, welcome. I am a big fan of soccer and also take time in playing it. My other hobbies are photography and video productions, I own a Youtube account called milanmaestro63. If you like soccer, then you are at the right place.

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History of Soccer (A report I had to make for school, feel free to criticize)

There is nothing better than the bloodlust roars and grunts that are spawned from eye gouging, vicious biting, constant kicking, brutal punching, and bone-breaking, Run-of-the-Mill rough play. This rolling in the dirt, brain killing brawl is what we today call soccer. Who would have thought that the previous description would lead to such a thing as soccer? Do not be so discouraged, much of our society today also lacks the knowledge of what used to be Soccer. This sport that is played world-wide first started as a violent form of rough play, if you were to participate in it, you may gain massive injuries such as broken bones. (Jezek) Much of Soccer’s history leads up to a series of questions that may remain unanswered. For one thing so simplistic, it holds many laws to abide by. Soccer influences the world and we do not realize it while holding the world together in peace. Soccer is a sport widely played throughout the world and is known by many, yet much of our societies do not know that soccer is more than just kicking ball.

Nobody is sure where soccer truly originated from. Images found of men kicking some sort of spherical object have been traced back to Ancient China, Japan, and even the Roman Empire. (Radnedge 11) Although its origin is said to be from many different places, it has one but big similarity that appeals to all that play it, the main objective of the game is to score more goals than your rivals.

Interestingly enough, Soccer was first played by carrying the ball. (Jezek) The old form of soccer was also very violent due to the involvement of kicking, punching, biting, and gouging, yes I know what you are thinking, it was very fun and entertaining, but rough play eventually has its consequences. In 1365, King Edward The Third banned Soccer due to the rising amounts in incidents of violence and military indulgence in the sport. (Jezek) Towards the nineteenth century, Soccer’s style of play has been more focused on dribbling. (Radnedge 19)

Soccer then became separated into two groups, Rugby rules and Cambridge rules. Rugby rules allowed tripping, shin kicking, and also the holding of the ball with the hands, all of which were prohibited in Cambridge rules, which only allowed the ball to be touched with the feet and not the hands. (Jezek) All in all, Soccer and Rugby branch from the same family of sports.

Eventually the Popular English School and Eton College came forth with a set of rules, called the Cambridge Rules. (Jezek) Many schools and a number of different clubs that have grown during the Industrial Revolution have formed their own sets of rules. During October of 1863, eleven representatives from London clubs and schools arranged a meeting at Freemason’s Tavern to set up common fundamental rules to control the matches amongst themselves. (Jezek)

Later on, the Cambridge Rules are rewritten to form the game’s first uniform regulations. British associations decide to bring their rules together and form the “International Football Association Board” (IFAB) to be able to control Soccer games with a set of laws (FIFA). In 1882, a new rule was added stating that the northern contingent may pay men to play for them. (Radnedge 15) The famous Penalty-Kick was introduced to Soccer in the year of 1891; it is when a team is awarded a free shot at goal without the rival’s intervening (Other than the Keeper). Yellow and Red cards were brought to the game during the 1970 World Cup Finals and were handed out whenever a player commits an unsportsmanlike foul, with a Red card leading to a player being sent off and not replaced. (FIFA) To top off the organization of Soccer, FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) was launched in Paris during May 21, 1904. (Radnedge 16)

Throughout the 1800s, Soccer’s popularity began to rise as British sailors, traders and soldiers introduced the sport to different parts of the world. In 1871-1872, The FA Cup was introduced so that clubs from many different countries may compete against each other as opposed to teams of their own nation, bringing peace between the countries that participated in friendly matches. In 1913, FIFA becomes a member of IFAB (International Football Association Board) so that the Soccer rules would become the same for everyone.

Unfortunately, the First World War erupted, causing all of European Soccer to become weak in spirit due to the tensions of neighboring countries, leaving FIFA to be a non-influencing factor. (Radnedge 18)In 1934, Dictator Benito Mussolini used the World Cup as an open opportunity to promote his fascist ideas to escape Nazi-allied suspicions. (Radnedge 20-21)The competitive spirit arises in the sport of Soccer, so elimination competitions such as the FA Cup and the Champions League were formed to challenge international clubs to challenge each other. Today, many different types of leagues and competitions have been created to match the world’s thirst for Soccer and its never ending amounts of entertainment.

There are many aspects of the game, but one of the most important parts of soccer is the game ball. As small as it is in size in comparison to everything else in Soccer, the game ball is without doubt one of the most crucial factors of this glorious game, and without it, well there would be no game. The earliest of soccer balls were first the bladders of animals such as pigs or cows that of which would easily break apart if used a lot. (Popular Soccer) This is why we call the inner material of most of our game balls today bladder.

Some say that the very first ball used was the head that came from a Danish Brigand, which means bandit or outlaw. (Jezek) Later on, bladders soon became pumped or inflated and then layered with leather to maintain a better spherical shape. In 1855, Charles Goodyear created the first rubber soccer ball after patenting vulcanized rubber in 1836; he is also the same man that we know for his tires used today, “Goodyear Tires”. Leather soccer balls when wet could cause massive head injuries if hit with the head and proved to be quite painful, and they also lost their shape with a short time range, so the use of rubber soccer was an essential choice. (Popular Soccer) In 1951, the Soccer Ball’s color was changed to white for better visibility during matches played at nighttime. (Radnedge 24) Today, scientists work to improve the quality of the Soccer Ball to increase its performance as best as possible and enhance the game itself.

Soccer’s history to most of us leads only to a series of questions when it comes to knowing its true grit. For one thing so simple, it holds many laws within its small core to abide by. Even though we do not really think about it to the slightest of measures, Soccer influences the world and brings out the best of all of us. Its own game ball holds an interesting story of its own for how small in size it is relative to the other aspects of the game. Soccer is a sport widely played throughout the world and is known by many, yet it remains a clue to most of our society today even as a world-wide icon.

Ronaldinho Bicycle Kick

Ronaldinho doing a bicycle kick during the AC Milan vs. Chelsea game at A&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore

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Sunday, April 24, 2011

A Day of Shots

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Ronaldinho Bicycle Kick