29/03/05
Ten Reasons to Love Soccer -
Categories: Top 10 Reasons to Love Soccer (Football)
10. You learn a lot about geography.
Virtually every city and town in Europe has a professional team, and top soccer players come from all over the globe. All the geography you learn will come in handy at trivia contests.
9. Beer
Whether it's an English Ale or a German Lager, soccer fans around the world enjoy a pint (or two, or eight) of their favorite beer before, during, and after the big game.
8. Goals
Because they don't come easily, a beautifully scored goal is a moment to savor. Whether it's a blast from a 25-yard free kick or a tap-in after faking out the defense, an important goal in a big match sends the fans into a frenzy.
7. Players with unusual names
Impress your friends with your knowledge of players from around the world like Gilles Yapi Yapo (Ivory Coast), Shefki Kuqi (Finland), Zinedine Zidane (France), and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Holland).
click on "soccer school" at the top of the page for player profiles
6. Relegation & Promotion
Instead of having the same teams in the top league year after year, the bottom three teams in the English Premier League are sent down to the next lowest division for the following season. Likewise, the top three teams from the lower division are promoted into the Premier League. This process of promotion and relegation occurs at all four divisions of league football, meaning even the smallest lower division club can dream of moving up to bigger and better competitions.
5. The Champions League
The premier club competition in Europe features the best teams from the greatest leagues in Europe. Every year, teams like Chelsea (England), Bayern Munich (Germany), Real Madrid (Spain), AC Milan (Italy), and Juventus (Italy) battle for the title of the best club in Europe.
click on "Europe" above for the latest Champions League news
4. Rabid Fans
No sport can claim to have more passionate fans than soccer. Sometimes fans get out of control and resort to hooligan behavior, but most of the time they express their passion in appropriate ways like singing, chanting, or cursing at the opposing fans and players. You'll find sold out stadiums with deafening noise all over the world, from Scotland to Turkey to Uruguay and Nigeria.
3. Taunting Chants/Songs in Local Derbies
Nothing enhances the atmosphere at a soccer match like a good old-fashioned derogatory chant/song about the opposing team. Hearing 40,000 fans sing "Same old Arsenal, always cheating" after Robert Pires dives to draw a free kick makes the game even more entertaining, especially in a fierce local derby when hated rivals from the same city face off (such as Liverpool/Everton, Rangers/Celtic, or AC Milan/Inter Milan).
2. The World Cup
The greatest, most watched sporting event in the world takes place every four years. Germany hosts the next World Cup in 2006. Favorites include the host country, defending champions Brazil, England, Portugal, and Italy.
1. No Commercials
Tired of a four-hour baseball game or a football game being interrupted by commercial breaks every five minutes? Soccer has two 45 minutes halves of continuous action with only a 15 minute break for half-time - just enough time to take a bathroom break and grab another pint. And even when there aren't any goals, you'll see bone-crunching tackles, sublime passes, flying headers, great saves, overhead kicks, outrageous referee decisions, brilliant footwork, out-of-control managers, passionate fans, and some of the greatest athletes in the world.
If this list hasn't convinced you, please experience the beautiful game for yourself, either in person or on TV. ESPN2 broadcasts the Champions League games and Fox Soccer Channel shows games from England, Germany, and France every weekend.
