Football or Soccer?

US Football is the most anticipated sport in the calendar year. Here in the US, we know exactly what Sundays mean for half of the year and Monday night showcase with it.  High school,  College or NFL, great teams bring talent and emotions to highest levels.

 

Kids in the US love playing soccer. Over the last decade,  soccer’s been the most played sport among children in the US and they enjoy it. Parents encourage them to play at an early age, and both boys and girls have fun sharing the ball. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world in terms of player numbers. According to the 2006 FIFA Big Count, there were 265 million soccer players in the world, 270 million when referees and match officials were included. 

Growing up teenagers and then adults start enjoying more American football and tend to disregard soccer with much smaller league and fan base.  A quick review of the wealthiest sport teams worldwide immediately supports the impact of NFL teams on global. They have the money, the stadium, the advertisers, broadcast deals for millions and millions of dollars.

LA Galaxy, DC United and New York Red Bulls are not comparison with New York Giants, San Francsico 49ers, and Green Bay Packers. NFL betting go also along with it as being a great business especially in Las Vegas.  

But what we love about soccer is that it is the same game everywhere and hundred millions of people watch and play at it around the world. From the greatest European leagues and the buoyant derbies in South America, to the heat of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) and Qatar petrodollars, soccer has never been a sport as much exported with investment coming from every part of the globe. You could even think of soccer as a barometer of the economy telling where is the money coming from with emergence of new sources of revenues inEastern Europe and Middle East markets. 

The support of soccer is unique and with so many registered soccer players across the globe, fans at the stadium, numerous leagues and competitions, it’s not surprising that soccer has more fans worldwide than any other sport. If you want to become a globally recognized sport star, soccer is a better option than football.

Playing Football cost bunch of money. Helmets and all protection gears add up to hundred of dollars and a risk for concussions. Soccer players don’t need to spend large amounts of money on equipment. They are only two items to play soccer, cleats and a ball, and never as expensive as football. A jersey, shorts and shin guards are the only other requirements. Football players must buy a large number of protective items for competitive play.

Football games last 3 hours and with many breaks and timeouts. Game play time is not as long as in soccer. Play never stops, efforts are continuous and space for creativity with the ball is much higher. Soccer is a more fluid sport, an aspect that appeals to many fans and players.Football is composed of a lot of strategy whereas it doesn’t take long to learn the basics of soccer. The rules are less complex, straightforward and easily defined, with only a few regulations — such as the offside rule, leaving much room for confusion. Football is a more complex sport in terms of set plays, referee calls and regulations.

Soccer players don’t need the physical strength of football players. When you see Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Van Persie, Ibrahimovic among many others, you see  pure talent and touch before your eyes. It is full of skill and creativity rather than strength and stature. This makes soccer a more inclusive sport than football, for men and women. 

If you dream of being an Olympic athlete, football is not the sport for you. Though football was featured in the 1932 Summer Olympics as a demonstration event, the International Olympic Committee has yet to accept football as an Olympic sport. Soccer has been a regular feature of the Olympics since 1900. Furthermore the FIFA World cup is the biggest sporting event but not the sole soccer competition.US Football has its Superbowl, giant event that everybody’s thrilling about once a year. 

Soccer offers more options: the Champions League, Europa League, Euro Cup, Copa America, African Cup, Gold Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, national League Cups, and many more  are constant opportunities to compete internationally, at professional and also amateur levels. Youth teams often go on tour abroad, and individual players can train in soccer camps across the world.One last thing football does not do at its highest level compare to football. 

At the highest level, football does not offer you the chance to represent your national team against all other nations on the planet, that you do every year for soccer.

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