Why Soccer Is More Than Just A Sport
by Eduardo Carrillo
I have always been a huge and obnoxious soccer fan growing up to the point of even considering soccer as a second religion. I love talking and having discussions about current and past topics such as who’s going to win the champions league this year, which team has surprised me so far, or who is the best player in history. It has given me the best years of my life playing it, and it still gives me motivation during the work week. I have always used soccer as a way to clear my mind and just focus on the game at hand. It has transformed my life and has provided me with some of my best friends.
- Unforgettable memories
AGUERRROOOOOO! This global sport has not just provided me with great memories while playing it but also while watching it. I will always remember my first goal and all my “wow” assists which left coaches, friends, parents, and rival fans in awe of the pass I just gave to my teammate to score a goal. I will always remember the unforgettable journey my soccer team had which rose up from a bronze division to a gold division by sticking together for 3 years. Soccer has provided certain memories that all us fans will always have cemented in our mind. I could ask a friend or family member, “ Do you remember the 2010 World Cup” and I’ll get 3 answers: the Tshabalala opening goal against Mexico and massive crowd cheer, the Luis Suarez goal line save with his hands that eliminated Ghana, and the iconic Waka Waka song by Shakira, which when you first hear it, you get sent back in time to the summer of 2010. That’s just one world cup, I could go on and on with all the world cups I have watched such as the U.S World Cup run in 2014, Costa Rica’s unthinkable world cup run, surviving the group of death with the likes of Uruguay, Italy, and England, Mexico’s 1–0 win against Germany in 2018 with an amazing play by Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, etc. That is just one tournament. There are also amazing moments outside the World Cup such as Sergio Aguero’s last minute goal to win the Premier League title for Manchester City, Leicester City’s improbable(5000 to 1 odds) Premier League winning season, Ronaldinho receiving a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu while playing for FC Barcelona(which has only been done for one other player), etc. I could go a whole day listing out all the memorable goals, and moments in soccer that I have witnessed or been a part of.
2. It unites people
The beautiful game as it is known around the world has many reasons for receiving that title. The big reason is that it unites people. No matter what religion, ethnicity, or race, soccer brings them together in ways that no one expects. Whether it be during economic problems in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, tension between two countries such as the US and Iran in the 1998, or an intense rivalry between two rivals to come together to win the World Cup as Spain did in 2010. All the glory that comes from winning a game or the World Cup, means the world to you. You carry your flag around your shoulders, and you couldn’t be prouder of where you came from. Soccer also takes on issues outside the soccer world to unite people. Currently with the latest Black Lives Matter movement to get justice for George Floyd and other black victims of police brutality in the US, leagues such as the Premier League and the Italian Serie A have put ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the back of their jerseys instead of the player names.
Soccer truly is the beautiful game. Soccer is more than just a sport and will continue to bring joy to our lives as soccer is starting to come back amid this coronavirus pandemic.
What are your unforgettable soccer memories?
Eddy Carrillo is a Zag Alumni and soccer enthusiast! He is a member of the Bobble Sports marketing team and a blogger.
