It is obvious why soccer is the world's favorite sport. Nearly every nation across the globe has a team that competes internationally with other squads, from other countries. Soccer is a sport that requires minimal investment from parents. Even in some of the lesser developed 3rd world countries, soccer doesn't require any money at all, as long as a round object can be made kickable by kids.
Soccer dates back hundreds, if not thousands of years (depending on which historian you ask). Whether you want to point to an old game that used to be played in Rome or to Asian dynasties in the 16th century, the game has been around for a very long time. Even though each country often has its own name for this sport (most of which are football), the general way it's played and love of the game crosses borders time zones and languages. Naturally, and quite comically, America renamed it something completely different, soccer, because American Football already had the name.
Soccer now has a governing body, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), that sets the rules for which the game is played at an international level. Standardized rules allow for similar size fields and familiar sized soccer balls to ensure the game is as fair as possible for all that play it. These international standards have been around for over 150 years. Soccer is so ingrained into the world that when a country wins the World Cup, which is played once every four years, they see a significant increase in the number of infants, to show support for their team that attained international glory.
Though many critics, often fans of other sports, say that the game can be slow paced, it actually has the most amount of time of gameplay during its scheduled time of viewing. Think about it, two halves each with 45 minutes, plus from 1 to 5 minutes or more of stoppage time with only one commercial break during the middle of the game for 15 to 30 minutes. If you watch an American football game or a baseball game, you will have almost as much advertisement /intermission time as you do actual play time. Much of the "play time" is spent waiting for the next play to commence or for the next pitch to be thrown.
This 11 player versus 11 player sport is by definition, a true team sport. In individual sports, often the better player wins because there are many opportunities to get points, to win sets, and to win matches. However, soccer is entirely different because it's low scoring. The scarcity in scoring is another significant reason why soccer draws so many fans compared to other sports because there is a decent chance either team will win, even a club that is not nearly as skilled as their opponent, which makes the sport all the more fun to watch. Let's not forget that often games are played outside, so weather conditions can significantly impact the game. This makes the experience even more exciting when a gust of wind, some heavy rain, or a small blizzard comes through to help in determining the outcome of the game.
Soccer is truly a sport of passion, with the most die-hard fans of any athletic event on the planet. Soccer is the world's favorite sport because it has so much to offer for everybody that watches or plays.
Check out the book Soccer Coaching to read more about Soccer soccer's formations of the past.
