Sociogenesis of Soccer

Growing up I played every sport whether it was baseball, basketball, soccer, or football I was competing in it as a child. However when I moved to Europe and a young age I devoted most of my time to soccer because there were not as many opportunities to play football, baseball or basketball. I am a huge soccer fan and I still play competitively for CU's club and a Men's league based in Denver. I thought it would be interesting to follow the development of my favorite sport.

There are several examples of soccer-type sport throughout history Episkryos in Greece, and Harpastum a game played by the Roman's are close examples, however noth involved more handling of the ball than kicking. The japanese and Chinese also had similar games in both Kemari (Japan) and Cuju (China).
However the standardized game came into practice in the mid 19th century following efforts to create standard rules for the "Football" being played in English Public schools. And the first competitive match ever played is dated 19th of December 1863.
English men were responsible for the development of soccer after they worked to organize and standardize the game being played on school grounds all over England. These standard rules allowed for organized competitive matches to take place. The sport of Soccer or "Football" has its roots in many different games played throughout history, but the modern game was first played by Englishmen before spreading throughout Europe in south America before expanding all over the world. the sport has not diffused to anything

Obviously seeing as the sport was first played competitively in the mid 1800's equipment was much older and lacked the technology we have today.

Today we have much more efficient and innovative equipment allowing for better comfort, performance, durability, style and safety










There are several big events in each country. Many of the big leagues (Mostly in Europe) play out a season (Chanpionship) and it is a big deal to win every year. Other big events are the UEFA Champions League where all the best clubs in the Europe compete against one another. Also each continent holds a competition between each countries international squad every 4 years. But the biggest event of all, the one that has the whole world watching is the FIFA World Cup which takes place this summer in Brazil.

I cannot see many challenges facing the sport of soccer, all I can see is growth, it is already the most popular sport in the world even without a heavy interest from the United States, but interest is growing here in the U.S. and in several other countries around the globe.

Sport in the Ancient World

The first recorded sporting events in Greece were brief races between several naked men. However throughout the centuries sports began to be added for men, boys and horses. These events included the triple jump, the javelin, and the discus. There was also wrestling and chariot races as the event became bigger and bigger. Apart from these strength and skill competitions there were combat sports such as wrestling. The Romans on the other hand preferred there sport to be more about combat and often times death. Spectators would watch gladiators fight to the death. Most of these gladiators were either slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. They were trained as gladiators before each would enter the Colosseum or whichever other stadium they were required to fight at.

The Greek sports were similar to the modern day Olympics. There were judges that would deliberate and choose a winner after every individual competition. The rules and regulations were much like they are today, and they even included opening and closing ceremonies like the modern day Olympic games, however unlike today, women were forbidden from both spectating and participating in the games. In Rome on the other hand sports had much less structured rules. Much of the spectator sports involved combat to the death in an arena with no rules. The object was to kill your opponent by any means possible.

Most of all these sports were meant to entertain the spectators. In Greece the games at Olympia were a huge deal. It was more than just sport, it was a huge celebration of the gods and of human athletes. In Rome Romans were obsessed with gladiator fights. The people of the republic loved to watch men duke it out and kill each other in the arena. Apart from entertainment purposes the games in Greece had religious purposes as well. These men were competing to please the gods with their human triumphs and accomplishments. The gods of Greece were one of the main reasons the games even began.

Sports have changed a lot over time. We no longer compete in the nude, nor do we spectate people killing each other and consider it a sport, however we have taken some aspects of these games and use them today. The arenas that were used for gladiator fights are the blueprint for several modern day stadiums. Many events from the Greek games at Olympia are still Olympic sports today and many of the rules and techniques have survived these thousands of years. 

Sport, Society & Me

Sports have always been one of the most important things in my life. Whether I was a participant or a spectator. Ever since the tender age of about 3 or 4 I have been competing as an athlete and watching my favorite sports teams compete on TV or in a stadium. Sports to me can mean happiness, passion and pride, while at the same time it can represent failure, disappointment and sadness. Whether or not the Packers, Buffs, Capitals, Nationals or Wizards win determines my mood for the rest of the day, if not the week. Same thing when my teams win, I am in a state of euphoria smiling all day and night. 

It plays a large role in my life. I am always watching sports on T.V., I create my schedule around sporting events, I participate in sports on a weekly basis and I have surrounded myself with people with similar sporting interests. I developed this connection when I was very young. I came out of the womb rocking a Green Bay Packers onesie. My dad is probably most responsible for my development of such a deep connection with sport. I began to participate in youth sports as soon as I was old enough to play. I was playing basketball, baseball (T-Ball), soccer and football, even hockey for a couple of seasons, so being immersed at such an early age began my love of sports

Sport plays several roles in U.S.societies, and sport presents both positive and negative parts of our society. sport brings people together to enjoy spectacles, sport creates connections and relationships with others. Sports are entertaining and exciting bringing passion out of all the corners of the U.S. however sport also can involve ignorance, arrogance, racism, and even violence.

Sports teach us basic values like work ethic, teamwork, sportsmanship, toughness, leadership and much more. These are all values one can use throughout life, not only on the playing field but in every aspect. undoubtedly, sports are of the utmost importance in our society. Sports especially when involving youths teaches so many of the values I wrote above. Also, especially for me sport helps to relieve stress, sort of like a therapy. but more so than anything sports are a spectacle. spectacles viewed by millions of Americans every day. Sportscenter runs all day showing the same exact thing for 8 hours, but people watch it! Students talk about sports in class every morning no matter what else is going on in the world. Sports are extremely important in our society probably more than we even realize. I came to this conclusion based on personal observation and opinion. I feel like the importance of sports in our society is very obvious. 

In our society Athletes are famous, they are celebrities. They are often looked at as role models and representatives of a whole city or state. Athletes are valued very highly and are respected as long as they deserve it. Athletes who trash talk, who are cocky, are in the headlines for criminal activities etc normally do not gain respect from fans. I know this because it is evident in the media and the way people talk about and treat athletes. Almost like they are not human or are way superior to the rest of society due to their athletic prowess.