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Soccer: The World's Greatest Sport Essay

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“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
- Bill Shankley (Khurana)
The passion around the world when it comes to the game of soccer is immeasurable. Known as football in all other nations except Canada and the United States, it is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world. It is a game played by millions all across the world and in many countries, such as Brazil, soccer contributes to nationalism. Every four years it brings numerous nations together. This coming together, during what is known as the World Cup, is the most viewed sporting event across the globe. Soccer is a sport that has survived many …show more content…

It regained support in the nineteenth century as many prestigious schools in England started playing it, albeit each school with different rules. Finally, in 1863, the Football Association was established and a clear set of rules were created for the game. What perhaps started out as an exercise used by the Chinese became a full-fledged sport, and afterwards began to rapidly evolve. Professionalism was instated by 1885, and the creation of the beautiful game of soccer that is watched by millions today was well on its way.
With the establishment of soccer in England, and its growth across the globe, the impact of the sport could be seen on the many different countries that played it. Take the Ivory Coast for example. This is a country that was in civil war until its team qualified in October 2005 for the 2006 World Cup, after which its captain, on behalf of the team, asked for the country to come together and was fairly successful as the country’s president resumed peace talks with the opposition and eventually had a deal in place (Cahill). Here the ability of soccer to bring a nation together, as well as literally stop a war, is seen. The ambitions of the nation become more important than the separate goals of the individuals, acting as a cohesive agent. Another advantageous impact that soccer has on nations is its contributions to the economy. An excellent example of a positive economic impact

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