by Alexander Jackson

Created on: December 27, 2008

Perhaps explains was not the best word to choose for the title, but soccer is a sport that is definitely known world wide, possibly the best known sport in the world. It's a fantastic game with heavy emphasis on endurance, athleticism, and team work, and can be used as a confidence builder in young boys and girls, and young adults alike.

While it can be said of many sports, such as football, baseball, or basketball, that such a sport is a confidence builder, how does soccer set itself apart from the crowd? In the face of other activities having larger teams or receiving more attention, why does soccer identify as the greatest one?

Aside from the fact that soccer requires an entire team to get anything properly done, soccer is one of the only sports that is played exactly the same world wide. The rules, field of play, length of the game, and positions are relatively the same, no matter where the game is played throughout the numerous countries of this planet. Football cannot say that, nor can basketball, or even baseball. Soccer is a sport that is identifiable throughout the world, and is played the same no matter where you go.

Sports like basketball, football and baseball have also started up a dangerous and disturbing trend that completely takes away from the idea of teamwork, and the skills that are required to make a team sport truly a team sport. Big name players and contract chasers garner more attention and more money, but they couldn't care less about their teammates, the team itself, or the organization they're playing for, so long as they get a big, fat check in the mail. In soccer, contract chasers are a rare breed, and their services aren't nearly as heavily required, or desired. Rather than having a single, big name player try to account for the entire team's ability to do anything, soccer players work together on their team, and recognize that the game has to be played at all levels, and no one person on the team can do that for them. A goalie doesn't try to score; he tries to defend the goal. Defenders aid the goalie, who try to advance the ball to the mid fielders. The mid fielders offer help to the offense and the defense, while trying to advance the ball to the offense, who works together to try and score. Without every facet of the team working together, a soccer team cannot succeed.

While I still feel that soccer does not explain the world, it does relate to it, in a very specific way. Our world is one made up of many fantastic nations, each bringing their own unique presence to the global table. Much like a soccer team that brings many unique players together to form a team and try to succeed, the many nations of the world have to continue to come together and offer their own unique skills, products, exports and trades so that the world may continue to run properly, and ultimately succeed. Though the common goal in soccer is to win, and that is achieved by scoring more points than another team, the countries of the world can become their own enemy, and they must continue to prevent such a thing from happening. If you lose in a soccer game, there is always the next game to look forward to, and try again. If the world loses to itself, there may be nothing left to look forward to ever again.

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