The Beautiful Game: Why is soccer the best supported sport in the world?

Liverpool Kop. www.liverpoolfootballblog.com

Soccer has existed, in one form or another, since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, possibly before. It was played in England as far back as the medieval times.

However, the game had become so rowdy and disruptive in England that soccer was banned between 1324 and 1667 by more than 30 royal and local laws. It was the British "public" schools that kept the game alive. The public schools took the game away from the "mob" and civilized it through an organization of rules and codes of conduct. As such, the game was transformed from a working-class game to an upper-class game.

When the ban was lifted, the working classes at the time worked six days a week for 12 hours a day. Thus, they had little time for games, and, consequently, the British public schools controlled and strengthened the game.

In 1850, Parliament passed the Factory Act, which changed the law so that the working hours were shortened. As a result, children had more time to absorb games like soccer. Thus, the heart of soccer was slowly passed back to the working classes.

Up until this time, soccer and rugby were virtually indistinguishable, because the rules of play were different depending on where you played. This changed in 1863 with the creation of The Football Association (The FA). Modern soccer grew out of the work of the FA in England, and in similar associations around Europe.

The Industrial Revolution gave birth to modern soccer. It was the small, provincial industrial towns, like Manchester, Dortmund, and Liverpool, which grew out of the revolution, that had the most successful clubs. Migrant workers from all over Europe flocked to these industrial cities for work. They had no ties to their new community. In most cases, they didn't know the language, had few friends, and had no outlet outside of work. Soccer gave them something they could belong to. It was a club, not just for the players, but also for the supporters. It gave them a sense of belonging. They were strangers in a strange land, and soccer became their passion. The game became a source of civic pride for its supporters. What started as local support among provincial townspeople soon grew to encompass supporters from other areas.

Love = Soccer. www.passportsoccer.com

Soccer teams became a leisurely outlet for its supporters. Often times, the soccer team became the outlet for the embittered passions of a populace that had no outlet for its frustrations. Rivalries became an "us" vs. "them" affair in which violence was not unknown. At its worst, these social passions devolved into hooliganism and violence. While the collective passions, and frustrations, of the supporters often result in violence, more frequently they create a passionate spectacle that is unrivaled in sports.

This, then, is the story of why soccer fans are so passionate.

http://www.historyofsoccer.info/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football

Image Source: “lolovego;” http://www.passportsoccer.com/2010/syrup-nyc-puma-global-campaign/lolovego/

“Liverpool_kop” http://liverpoolfootballblog.com/opinion/the-role-we-fans-have-to-play/attachment/liverpool_kop/

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_Act_1850