The game of winners

The Game of Champions By; Josiah Enos

“You can have the top stars to bring the attention, you can have the best stadium, you can have the best facilities, and you can have the most beautiful project in terms of marketing and all this kind of thing. But all of that is worthless if everybody forgets where this game has come from, and the strides it has made both in the way it’s played and the way it is respected” (Jose Mouorinho). While not always the most popular game, soccer has come from being played barefoot on a dirt road to being a game where dreams come true, where lives and outlooks are drastically changed. Looking back, many of the player’s remember where they have come from, and now they are playing in stadiums like the Nou Camp in Barcelona Spain, on some of the finest playing fields ever made. Because of this the game of soccer is an entirely different game a game in which what soccer once was in totally different to what soccer is today. The game of soccer has evolved changing the game from what it was into what it is today. Dramatically, the game of soccer will continue to keep fans at the edge of their seats and it will continue its dominance as the greatest game in the world. Soccer will continue to evolve. The game of soccer competitively and energetically changed as it fights to maintain its position as the game of champions.

“The Shot from the left corner and it’s a goal. The U.S.A takes a 4-3 lead over Canada with only minutes left to play” That call is from 2012 summer Olympics when the U.S.A stunned Canada with a 4-3 win (U.S.A). While this is more modern, nothing would be possible without the history of soccer which starts with the equipment, and in the middle are the players, and last but defiantly not least the stadiums where they play. Although soccer is thought of more as an international sport it does in fact have a great history within the U.S.A with players like Pele and David Beckham playing in the U.S.A. Because of this, the game of soccer has in the U.S.A has grown. Importantly, the game of soccer needs players like this to increase the popularity among young people. The Game of soccer has a great past and history.

Soccer uniforms and balls were very different in the past. Uniforms used to be fairly plain, with the exception that they might display a team logo somewhere. Then they started having a sponsoring company's name on the uniforms, but these were generally British or at least European companies. Because of this, each team was sponsored by a company in the home town. Now Manchester City’s sponsor is Etihad Airways. In Arabic, Etihad means “union,” which is awfully close to “united” (Clarkin 46). Uncomfortably, uniforms often was absolutely torturous. Wearing the uniforms was like wearing sandpaper, they were itchy and uncomfortable. The ball used to be quite plain as well, with a manufacturer's logo on it somewhere. It must have been harder to pick out when the ball was spinning with only that one marking on the ball to help. When the ball went out of bounds, play had to stop until it was retrieved, because there was only one ball (Johnson 36). Causing players to cringe, the ball was often a pig’s bladder (Clarkin 36). Raul once said “Imagine playing with a pig’s bladder. “There were also no cleats (Sports 20). The history of soccer starts with the equipment but it doesn’t end there.

The players then helped transform soccer into what it is today, with players such as Pele and Ronaldinho leading the way. In the English premier league there were almost no foreigners on the teams. Nearly every player was British, which meant a lot of passes blasted upfield. The Argentinian Osvaldo Ardiles played for Tottenham, and it was refreshing to watch someone who actually made short passes. Because of this segregation, the Brazilian leagues were booming with players like Pele and Ronaldinho competing and making the games better (Tomas 58). Even Ronaldo said “Imagine walking with the greats such as Pele Zidane Zidane and Ronaldinho.” Leading to 5 deaths, the combination of heat and lack of water made coaches consider their game plans. While concussions were known of, the lack of information led to a lot of long term damage, because of this the league has been sued many times. Soccer players led hard lives. While in baseball we are used to seeing 15 million dollar contracts, that isn’t the case in soccer especially in the past the biggest contract was 6 years at 60 dollars a month (Soccerfacts.com). The transformation of soccer was made possible through the players.

Recently with the Super Bowl the Seattle Seahawks have been blessed with the “Twelfth man” which is their fans plus the Stadium, because of this the Seahawks know they have support. Stadiums play a huge role in champion’s championship run; the challenge of going into someone else’s home turf is truly terrifying. Surprisingly, in England in the 1900’s tickets only cost 1 Pound which is roughly two dollars (Wilshire 36).When you hear the word Soccer Stadium you don’t think of Horse racing tracks, but yet that’s exactly what most of the stadiums doubled as (68). The fields were very worn (54). Lacking the tech, the games were only played in the day because there was no lighting. John Stenes once said “The stadiums of soccer are historic relics” (64) the stadiums of soccer truly are historical relics. While some people tried to discredit the importance of stadiums, it still doesn’t matter the game is truly impacted by its respective stadium.

From the Stadiums, Players, Equipment everything is related to the greatest game on earth. Because of the equipment, soccer has constantly improved from playing with pigs bladders to actual leather soccer balls. Turning heads, all-greats such as Ronaldinho and Pele made the game into something new something better! While it’s the players who play the game, it’s the equipment that helps them play the game, also it’s the stadiums which hold these events, and everything in soccer serves a purpose. Soccer has a great illustrious history. Consistently entertaining, soccer is a lifestyle not just a game for some people it’s a way of life. Those who have been blessed with the skill to compete professionally realize that looking back to playing barefoot on a dirt-road to playing in top of the line equipment and the chance to play in stadiums such as the Old Trafford is still the same game the game of soccer the game of champions.

Soccer is much different today than it was in the past. The game of soccer is no longer the game that horse’s raced on the same fields as the players did, it’s changed and with the changes, the stadiums have been made to quickly adapt along with the Players and equipment. Wisely, the players saw the mistakes of previous years and have indeed changed the game of soccer into what it is today, which in turn increases the popularity of the game. Because of this change in the players, the equipment has evolved right along with it. The level of equipment is staggering. Changing and improving, the game of soccer has in fact made the necessary changes to keep the game popular. While the game of soccer has had a great past, its future looks even better.

The game of soccer has indeed evolved, because of this; the equipment has also been forced to get better. While the equipment has improved such as the new carbon fiber cleats or new aero dynamic balls some of the players are still uncomfortable.
Uniquely the face of the new cleats says- it feels like I’m living on an alien planet. Whether it’s the new carbon fiber cleats or the aero dynamic balls, or even the new dri fit uniforms. The game has indeed changed into a more high tech game forcing the players to evolve with it (:/Htpp.www.Soccerfacts.com). The changes to the equipment has made One of the faces of the game of soccer to come out and say how far the game of soccer has come from playing with a pigs bladder for a ball.
The game is also changing and improving. Forcing the player into this “New game” can really change the way the player views the game which can either improve or degrade the glorious game of soccer. The game of soccer will continue to evolve and improve. Because of this a game of this caliber will just continue to get better and better.

Adapting and improving, the players of the game of soccer are consistently improving. Because of this the competitiveness of the game has increased, and where the game has gotten more competitive the popularity of the game has skyrocketed. Leading the pack, the next generation of greats is led by names such as Messi, Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez but which one is the best? While there are facts pointing both ways people are always going to wonder “is it Messi or Ronaldo? It will always be a great debate” (Johnson78). Even Pele can’t see much of any difference. This will always be debated. Deftly changing soccer, teams such as F.C.Barcalona have greatly changed the game with their pass first, shoot second style of play (87). The game has indeed turned more towards more passing and less shooting. The players of soccer have risen to the challenge of changing the way they play and the way the game of soccer is played.

With the rising popularity of the game of soccer there has been a demand for better stadiums and better fields. Because of this almost all of the stadiums have been upgraded for a larger capacity, also the fields have been remolded which were relentlessly redone. Increasingly the amount of concession stands have drastically gone up, there are now an average of 100-150 per stadium. Ranging from anything like a snack to a three course meal, the variety of what you can buy has also greatly increased. While in previous years many stadiums have hired a part time grounds keeper many stadiums are now hiring full time to help maintain the pristine conditions. The quality is unmatched. Xavi of Barcelona describes the stadiums like this “The Stadiums are now more like a mall or shopping plaza” The size of the stadiums seem to agree with the statement by Xavi. The stadiums have done everything to be able to accommodate such large crowds drawn to the new high tech game of soccer.

Whether it’s the players or the equipment or even the stadiums everything in soccer plays a role to make the game into a successful game. Obviously, equipment doesn’t play the game, but it does play a huge role aiding the players in their endeavors. Because of this friendly boost, players have seen more results because of this improvement in that area. Comforting the players, the knowledge of knowing they will always have top of the line stadiums each step of the way can change their outlook on the long season which often can dampen or depress the player’s spirits. The game of soccer changes effectively. The game of soccer has evolved from the past, and now it’s looking to change for the future.

The Game of soccer has evolved changing it from what it was into what it is today. Because of this we can see the differences between what soccer was then and what it is today. Importantly, what soccer was has set a firm foundation for the game to improve and ultimately thrive. Solidifying itself as a game, soccer has established itself as one of the most popular games ever played. When it was first invented soccer was laughed at but looks at it now the dedication from the players, stadiums/fans, and the equipment inventors has indeed changed the game into something very successful. The game has begun to thrive. The glorious, successful game of soccer which has made the necessary changes to rise to stardom. Pele once said "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” That’s exactly what the game of soccer has done, its evolved from that and it will continue to evolve as it looks to the future because this is truly the game of Champions.