Why is Soccer So Popular in Europe? As we all know, soccer is the most popular sport in Europe and even in the world. People from every culture and in every level of society all feel crazy and enthusiastic about soccer. Soccer is defined as “a form of football played between two teams of 11 players, in which the ball may be advanced by kicking or by bouncing it off any part of the body but the arms and hands, except in the case of the goalkeepers, who may use their hands to catch, carry, throw, or stop the ball. ” in Dictionary. com. Many people think soccer as the war in peaceful time because of its ntense competition in the game.
The origin of the game can even be tracked back to as early as the second and third century BC in China. Sources taken from military manuals then introduced an exercise called Tsu’ Chu, in which opponents played a leather ball filled with feathers and hair. The goal was to put the ball into a small net fixed on to bamboo canes while also defending themselves from attacks. Variations of the game are also recorded in Egyptian and Greek societies, proving that the sport has a very long tradition throughout history (History of Football [Internet article],n. ).
Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that” said Bill Shankly. There must be some reasons making soccer so world spread and accepted by this large amount of European people. therefore,The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the reasons of the popularity of soccer in Europe, in terms of the soccer origin and history, the economic reasons and the political reasons. The contemporary history of the world’s favourite sport exists more than 100 years.
It began in the year of 1863 in England, when rugby football and association football branched off on heir own courses and the Football Association in England was created – resulting to the sport’s first governing body(History of Football – The Origins[Internet article],n. d). Soccer is a unique and long-standing creation of human being’s achievements and efforts to seek enjoyment in daily life. It shows the essence of humanity, by exhibiting variety concepts and examples that are characteristic of human beings in order to survive.
For instance, it contains social interaction, specifically cooperation. Social activities are necessary, and cooperation can be essential for the human evolution. Furthermore, life may be always competitive, and soccer charges basic concepts of competition and needs competitiveness in order to win. “Survival of the fittest. ” What’s more, soccer values because it is regulated by a set of rules or guidelines explaining how to play and hopefully to gain success,which is the same with the life is, one has to obey governmental and moral laws so as to successfully live.
Soccer is unique and special compared with other sports for it has evolved for thousand years and has been a global phenomenon(Soccer as a Global Phenomenon[Internet article],n. d). After the English Football Association, the next oldest associations are the Scottish FA (1873), the FA of Wales (1875) and the Irish FA (1880),which are all in the British islands. Strictly speaking, when the first international match started, England team had no other partner associations to against with. When Scotland and England played in Glasgow on 30 November 1872, the Scottish FA hadn’t existed yet – it was created after the next three months.
The team which England played with that day might be actually the oldest Scottish club team, Queen’s Park. The spread of football outside of British islands, mainly due o the British influence all over the world, slowly began, but it soon gathered popularity and spread rapidly to every area on the earth. The following countries to build football associations were New Zealand (1891), Argentine (1893), Chile (1895), Switzerland, Belgium (1895), Italy (1898), Germany, Uruguay (1900), Hungary (1901) and Finland (1907).
When FIFA was founded in Paris in May 1904 there were seven original members: France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by the Madrid FC), Sweden and Switzerland. The German Football Federation cabled its attempt to join on the same day. The international community developed steadily, although sometimes there were obstacles and troubles. In 1912, 21 national associations were already affiliated to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Now,after the 2000 Ordinary FIFA Congress, FIFA has 204 members in every part of the world(Soccer History[Internet article],n. ). Soccer was born in Europe,it is the typical symbol of the continent. Everyone living there deems soccer as part of their lives just as breathing and drinking. Football to European not only means a sport for entertainment,but also an industry which s very important to the European economy. A Soccer Club is an entertainment company, aiming to provide a showcase to seize the result of competition, so to gain the fans and the community satisfaction; the club achieving a high level means more economic benefits. Furthermore, considering the large number of consumers, it increases the profit opportunities.
Each club has tried their best to be well-known in the market, which is the league, but also with all the other clubs in the same league of the best products in the process of cooperation. “Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks own all the walls, all the barriers. It is a worldwide industry whose practices can have a widespread impact. Most of all, it is a powerful tool for progress and development. ” (Ban Ki-moon, 2011) In today’s world, the sport has become an increasingly important part of our daily lives.
Within the EU, still the heart of the beautiful game and financial nerve center of power gradually shifted away from Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain, known as PIGS, as well as France and the United Kingdom. Even in Italy, the European football’s once Hollywood, no longer attract the big players. Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi’s personal and political issues embattled prevent him from showing off their wealth in the transfer market. Massimo Moratti, Inter Milan and city rivals, who do not have such problems, nor is spending.
Even Agnelli family team Juventus, is considered to be Italy’s top team, the team built its ingenious reconnaissance and underrated players, instead of buying large (Economic value in football industry,Luglio. 2014). Nowadays,since every issue seems like a economic problem,economies deeply influence the European soccer and soccer may be an indicator of each country’s economic ituation. Every soccer club makes every effort to attract audiences and takes them into participation. Almost all the European countries want to gain increase in soccer industry.
Although this fact is often overlooked, sports and politics are closely intertwined. Politics is often characterized by through sports, sports tend to be used for political propaganda. This may be because of the ways both national and local identities have been associated with sports teams. This is true in what has become the world special sport: football. As so many countries have become so physical, emotional and psychological nvestment in this certain game, it has become a political expression, another branch of identity and propaganda.
The 1978 World Cup in Argentina, for example, being used for the country’s dictator, trying to show the rest of the world, there are under the dictatorship of harmony. In Europe, by the 1950s,the dictatorships bothered the continent from an era of 1930s, the link between football and politics is very obvious( Football and Politics in Europe, 1930s-1950s[Internet article], Emma Anspach, Hilah Almog, and Taylor. 2009). Politics and soccer developing each other have been perfectly demonstrated in Italy.
From fascism in its early years significant effects have perfectly showed highly politicised ultras by putting through the terrace in the 1970 s, and from Milan President Silvio Berlusconi gaining political popularity by using it to the late Calciopoli and Calcioscommesse scandals to have hit it, soccer has never been far away from politics in Italy. People always stressed how entrenched the relationship between politics and sports really is. What it is for each other to develop and constantly feed loyalty so close? They are symbiotic. Modern sports through the Piedmont army was born in Italy.
Rudolph Obermann was asked to introduce gymnastics [circa 1831] in order to improve the physical forces. Starting from this point, it almost always has a political tool – as a nationalist, ready to fight for their country, a Catholic crucible making Christian soldiers and cohesion forces, with the class struggle of socialism means citizen soldiers. Sports and politics inseparable in Italy has inspired the development of each other. Football in Europe wouldn’t be what it is without political gasoline, which has led to a investment, desire and shame (Talking sport and politics[Internet article],n. 2012).
In addition, football seems to be the metaphor of war. Two countries, with different ideas and style, attack each other on the battlefield, with the skill and luck (with the help of the dictator)to beat each other for title,The other, will be a bad loser. Eduardo galeano described it as this: “In soccer, ritual sublimation of war, eleven men in shorts are the sword of the neighborhood, the city or the nation. These warriors.. exorcize the demons of the crowd and reaffirm its faith: in each confrontation between two sides, old hatreds and old loves passed from father to son enter into combat”( Football and
Politics in Europe, 1930s-1950s[Internet article],Emma Anspach, Hilah Almog, and Taylor. 2009). ? In conclusion,soccer to the Europeans has a significant meaning in daily lives,in economic and in political aspects. It seems that every European is crazy about soccer, they are willing to show their enthusiasms and attraction by palying beautiful and skillful soccer. Besides,soccer is an inherent sport for some European countries, which makes people there be born soccer fans. In my opinion,soccer may be an symbol of European culture and tradition, as well as Industry Revolution and the Renaissance.
Soccer is also a demonstrator of the flourish of the European economy and politics. Not only in Europe is soccer so popular, but also almost all around the world, and the trend soccer become more and more popular seems unavoidable. Ultimately, soccer is more than a global phenomenon because it is played everywhere on a global scale. It has become so powerful on a global scale that I now consider it to be a mechanism for reshaping politics and/or economics(Soccer as a Global Phenomenon[Internet article],n. d). The market for professional soccer players is, by far, the most globalized labor market.
A Argentine or Mexican skillful soccer player can gain a contract more easily in European or Japanese clubs than a skilled doctor or engineer. More than 2,600 professional players in the top five European leagues – England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France – among which almost 800 are expatriates, this is to say those who were born and recruited in one county not the same with the one where they play, according to data published by Professional Football Players Observatory for the last soccer season(The World at Play: Soccer Takes on Globalization, Branko Milanovic. 10).
In the future,soccer’s globalization will contribute to the real globalizations, and of course in some less developed continents such as North America and Asia,the soccer will attract billions of people. The core factor for soccer’s spreading is children education. When the children have been deeply influenced by soccer,the country will have a great change in soccer field.
