A Contrast between Soccer, Basketball and Football
Soccer is the most played and watched game in the world. It is considered to be a favorite sport to many people. And, people prefer it more than any other sport. Compared to basketball and football, soccer is an interesting sport in the way it is played, its popularity, and the exorbitant amount of money paid to players.
The way that soccer is played is so different than basketball and football. The whole idea of these games is scoring on the other team. Soccer is played with 11 players on each team and each team wears a special sport dress (T- shirts, shorts, and socks). A soccer game is about 90 minutes long; the first half is 45 minutes long and the second half is 45 minutes long. In contrast, basketball is around two and a half hours divided into four quarters, each 12 minutes long. Soccer is a team work; it's not like basketball, a game of super stars, where one man can change the game. Soccer has more strategy spread over 90 minutes while basketball is a game of breaking points, and the whole course could change in the last 10 seconds. Soccer requires it players to be in high physical fitness shape; but after all, anybody can play soccer, and there is no need to be tall or muscled like basketball players. The basic skills in basketball games are: passing the ball, handling shooting, and rebounding. Football is also different than soccer. First, football should not be called football because the players are allowed to touch the ball with their hands. It is not like soccer. The players cannot touch the ball with their hands, which is the main rule in the game. Football has been called a game for animals; it is kind of like wrestling. Football needs more players than soccer and basketball. It is played with fifteen players in each team; there are eight forwards, who mainly get possession of the ball, and seven backs that mainly carry and move the ball. The six basic skills in this game are catching, running, blocking, tackling, and kicking. This game is considered America's favorite game, but for the rest of the world, it is not desirable.
A lot of people have a fever for soccer. Almost every kid dreams of being a soccer player. And every four years people prepare for the World Cup, and choose their favorite team, become so competitive about it. Finally, Americans have started to catch this fever, and their team has started to receive respect from their fans. It is only a matter of time that soccer becomes the favorite sport for the Americans. In the 2010 World Cup, the number of viewers for the game between USA and Ghana was 19.4 million viewers (14.9 million on ABC, and 4.5 million on Spanish language) (dary). That game was the most watched soccer game in US television, and if the Americans have won the game, this number would have been really big. It would have been" phenomenal" as Stephen Master, the vice president for sports at the Nielsen Company said; the International Federation of Football "FIFA," announced that the number of viewers for the 2010 World Cup was 700 million around the world (Jone,Roxborough 1). Soccer is played in every country, but basketball and football didn't find that encouragement in the world. In regards to football the only country who loves this game is the United States. This proves how much people love soccer. Soccer has been played for many years. It was created in Europe but spread successfully to the whole world.
One of the most important facts about soccer is that players are paid more than in basketball and football. Although some of the NBA 's players are paid more than the others, in general the average annual salary for a professional basketball player is $5.25 million. Regarding American football it doesn't matter how much players are paid because it's not a worldwide game. In the 2009-2010 seasons, the average salary for the top five highest-paid players was $20.32 million, and the top 5 salary average for the soccer players was $ 14.67 million. The highest paid player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo (a Portuguese player) who earns 17.06 million per year. Real Madrid bought him form an English club in 2009 for $ 132 million. This Real Madrid club has the biggest budget in the world with 450 million Euro. It is not only this club who has a big budget; most of the soccer clubs have massive budgets, more than basketball and football.
All these facts prove what kind of position the soccer game has, its popularity, its rules, and the insane salaries and budgets. In conclusion, more people might consider playing soccer for a living. They will make a fortune and soccer players are like celebrities; people love them, and every kid dreams of being like them.
Works Cited
Dary . "Soccer more popular than basketball with US TV Viewers." N.P
Worldcupblog.org, June 19, 2010,Web Nov 2, 2010
Jones Benjamin, Roxborough scott, "World Cup finale draws 700 million viewers" N.P July 13, 2010
Web Nov 2, 2010
Goff, Steven. "World Cup 2010: American fans will have power in numbers." washingtonpost.com, N.P. Tuesday, 8 June, 2010
Web. 2 Nov 2010.
Madden, Kaitilin. "How much do top soccer players earn?" Career Builder.com N.P 7 June 2010
Web 2 Nov. 2010.
