Wednesday, April 11, 2007
There is something special about soccer. The way a play fluidly develops into a goal is comparable to how a poet, struggling to write, and after many mistakes, finally finds some inspiration and is able to complete his work. Of course, that is grossly simplifying a poet’s work – or a soccer match for that matter.
The sport that many Americans find boring, and even despicable, holds some poetic justice that one cannot find in other sports. It’s full of contradictions and conflicts that elevate it from a sport to an art form and, finally, to a way of life. No other sport holds so much passion, virtuous or not, just or not, in its veins. But that is exactly what makes soccer the most human of sports, the ultimate expression of humanity in its crudest form.
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Firstly it’s a democratic sport. Anyone regardless of financial status is able to play soccer.
The power of soccer can be seen in the stands of the stadium and in the streets whenever a game is being played. The only place in the world where I have seen tens of thousands of people standing, jumping, chanting, and sometimes fighting, for ninety minutes straight has been in soccer matches in Brazil. And one only had to look at the news during the World Cup to see how the streets of the latest winning country looked.
But why does soccer hold such a power over people, comparable even to religion? After all there is a saying in Brazil: “There are three things you don’t argue about: religion, politics and soccer.”
Firstly it’s a democratic sport. Anyone regardless of financial status is able to play soccer. All one needs is a ball, and that can be made out of anything, synthetic leather or a bunch of bundled up socks. It’s democratic not only in that, but in the fact that the best team is not necessarily the one with the best squad. There is a human quality to it in which, while money can help you win, luck and will play just as important roles. Just look at Real Madrid, arguably the richest soccer team in the world but in the last years it has failed to be successful or to attract a very passionate fellowship, at least compared to other teams.
The way the game is played also adds to its popularity and its beauty. The fact that there are no time-outs, except for the fifteen minute break between the two halves emphasizes the human aspect of the sport – it is also why the sport will never be popular in the U.S., first because of advertisers, and second because Americans want to be able to understand the whole game by the replays, or by looking at stats. There is no time to stop and try to rearrange your team; the same way life does not stop for you. This is what makes the game so fluid when compared to football or basketball.
The referees add another human aspect to the game. There are only four referees – but you can say only three that really make a difference – covering that huge field and twenty-two players. This leaves an incredible amount of room for mistakes and injustices, and having no play review only contributes to that. But life is not fair and in soccer, if you want to win, you need to be able to overcome these obstacles.
But even with all this soccer will never be one of the top three sports in America. It didn’t develop here like it did in other countries, when in times of suffering one of the only things one had to look at for joy was their soccer team, the one thing people knew that even if it left them down every once in a while, it would eventually come back and bring them joy with that one player, or one season. That is why Beckham’s transfer to the U.S. is useless, because it is not out of passion, it is monetary, it’s a prearranged strategy like a football play, and not an instinctive measure in where out of pure gut feeling the left-wing decides to go for it.
Sullivan De Oliveira is a Belo Horizonte, Brazil sophomore in journalism and history
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