0_Wizard
I love soccer a lot! I'm one of the 250 million players around the world who play. It's the world's most popular sport!
It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
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Soccer in the United States
Soccer in the United States is governed by the United States Soccer Federation. The organization governs most levels of soccer in the country, including the national teams, professional leagues, and the amateur game with the exception of colleges and high schools. , over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States. In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that soccer was the third-most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and baseball. The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s, and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Sports in the United States
Sports in the United States are an important part of the country's culture. Based on revenue, the four major professional sports leagues in the United States are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). The market for professional sports in the United States is roughly $69 billion, roughly 50% larger than that of all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa combined. Major League Soccer is sometimes included in a "top five" of leagues of the country. All four enjoy wide-ranging domestic media coverage and are considered the preeminent leagues in their respective sports in the world, although only basketball, baseball, and ice hockey have substantial followings in other nations.
American football
American football, referred to as football in the United States and Canada, and also known as gridiron football or simply gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, which is the team controlling the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with or passing the ball, while the defense, which is the team without control of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and aims to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, and otherwise they turn over the football to the defense; if the offense succeeds in advancing ten yards or more, they are given a new set of four downs.
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with a foot to score a goal. Unqualified, the word "football" is understood to refer to whichever form of football is the most popular in the regional context in which the word appears. Sports commonly called "football" in certain places include: association football (known as soccer in some countries); gridiron football (specifically American football or Canadian football); Australian rules football; rugby football (either rugby league or rugby union); and Gaelic football. These different variations of football are known as football codes.
Sport in China
"This article is about sport in the People's Republic of China. For sport in the Republic of China, see Sports in Taiwan." Sport in China has been long associated to the martial arts. Today China (including mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau) consists of a variety of competitive sports. Traditional Chinese culture regards physical fitness as an important characteristic. China has its own national quadrennial multi-sport event similar to the Olympic Games called the National Games. According to the Chinese Basketball Association, there is a record number of around 300 million active basketball players in Asia.
Association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers (and then only when within their penalty area). Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use any part of their body except the hands and the arms.
Sport in India
India is home to a diverse population playing many different sports across the country. Football is a popular sport in some of the Indian states. India has won all the Kabaddi World Cups to date. The country has won eight Olympic gold medals in field hockey. However, cricket is the most popular sport in India. Kabaddi, an indigenous sport is popular in rural India. Several games originated in India including chess, snooker and other regional games. India has won medals in badminton, kabaddi, hockey and many other sports and disciplines. Recently, different forms of martial arts have also gained a lot of prominence in India.
1_Apprentice
I never really liked soccer. Seems like a lot of running.
0_Wizard
That's true, and you have to use multiple parts of your body (except the hands) to move the ball, so dexterity is a must.
Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use any part of their body except the hands and the arms.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
Comparison of baseball and cricket
Baseball and cricket are the best-known members of a family of related bat-and-ball games. Despite their similarities, the two sports also have many differences in play and in strategy. A comparison between baseball and cricket can be instructive to followers of either sport, since the similarities help to highlight nuances particular to each game. Bat-and-ball games, in general, are sports in which one team (the fielding team) has possession of the ball and delivers it to a member of the other team (the batting team), who tries to hit it. The two opposing teams take turns playing these two distinct roles, which are continuous during a specified interval.
List of Ben 10 aliens
This is a list of aliens on Cartoon Network's "Ben 10 franchise". Voiced by:  Heatblast is a Pyronite from the star Pyros. He appears as a magma-based lifeform whose body is composed of a bright inner magma body covered by a reddish-brown charcoal-like crust. Heatblast is essentially "living magma", thus everything he touches either melts or catches fire. In the original series, he is the tenth alien in the Omnitrix. Heatblast is Ben's first transformation, accidentally activated and started a wildfire in the pilot episode of the original series, "And Then There Were 10" when Ben was trying to remove the Omnitrix immediately after it first attached to him.
Softball
 Softball is a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. It was invented in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois, United States as an indoor game. It was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground, softball, kitten ball, and because it was also played by women, ladies' baseball. The name "softball" was given to the game in 1926, because the ball used to be soft. A tournament held in 1933 at the Chicago World's Fair spurred interest in the game. The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America (founded 1933) governs the game in the United States and sponsors annual sectional and World Series championships.
Field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport of the hockey family. The earliest origins of the game date back to the Middle Ages in England, Scotland, France and the Netherlands. The game can be played on a grass field, turf field or synthetic field as well as an indoor board surface. Each team plays with eleven players, including the goalie. Players use sticks made out of wood, carbon fibre, fibre glass or a combination of carbon fibre and fibre glass in different quantities (with the higher carbon fibre stick being more expensive and less likely to break) to hit a round, hard, plastic ball. The length of the stick depends on the player's individual height.
Laws of rugby union
The laws of Rugby Union are defined by World Rugby (originally the International Rugby Football Board, and later International Rugby Board) and dictate how the game should be played. They are enforced by a referee, generally with the help of two assistant referees. When playing a game of Rugby Union the overall objective is to score more points than the opposition through tries and goals. A try worth five points is scored when a team grounds the ball in the opposition's in-goal. A conversion (kick at a goal) is then attempted by either place or drop kicking the ball between the H-shaped goal posts and above the crossbar, if successful this is worth two extra points.
Double bass
The double bass, or simply the bass (and numerous other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. It is a transposing instrument and is typically notated one octave higher than tuned to avoid excessive ledger lines below the staff. The double bass is the only modern bowed string instrument that is tuned in fourths (like a viol), rather than fifths, with strings usually tuned to E, A, D and G. The instrument's exact lineage is still a matter of some debate, with scholars divided on whether the bass is derived from the viol or the violin family.
List of Di-Gata Defenders characters
This is the list of both known major and minor characters for the animated television series "Di-Gata Defenders". Some of them have magical abilities. At the age of fourteen, Seth is the leader of the Di-Gata defenders. He is skilled, confident, charismatic, creative, and decisive. However, he is also impatient in battle and headstrong. He also likes to eat, which he can do with his eyes closed, and tends to succumb to nausea more than the others due to his weak stomach. He controls the Nova Stone, a powerful Champion Stone which once belonged to his father. As the leader of the Defenders, he tries to be careful with those he trusts, for the past errors they have had (especially with Kali).
1_Apprentice
Yes, I assume soccer players are in really good shape.
0_Wizard
Absolutely. And the best teams (with the most in shape players) go to the World Cup every four years, so you definitely have to be in top form.
Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA; ), which organises World Cups for both men and women every four years.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
History of football in England
The History of English football is a long and detailed one. England was the first country where the game was developed and codified. The modern global game of Football was first codified in 1863 in London. The impetus for this was to unify English public school and university football games. There is evidence for refereed, team football games being played in English schools since at least 1581. An account of an exclusively kicking football game from Nottinghamshire in the 15th century bears similarity to football. England can boast the earliest ever documented use of the English word "football" (1408) and the earliest reference to the sport in French (1314).
Rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known in most of the world as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts on each try line. Rugby union is a popular sport around the world, played by male and female players of all ages. In 2014, there were more than 6 million people playing worldwide, of whom 2.36 million were registered players.
World Rugby
World Rugby (WR), previously known as the International Rugby Board (IRB) until 2014, is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rugby competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup. World Rugby's headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland. Its membership now comprises 120 national unions. Each member country must also be a member of one of the six regional unions into which the world is divided: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America & the Caribbean, South America and Oceania.
Association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers (and then only when within their penalty area). Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use any part of their body except the hands and the arms.
David Campese
David Ian Campese, AM (born 21 October 1962), also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player. Campese was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and held the world record for the most tries in test matches (64) until Daisuke Ohata scored his 65th try playing for Japan on 14 May 2006. Campese made his debut for the Wallabies on the 1982 Australia rugby union tour of New Zealand, during which he scored a try in his first two Tests. In 1983, he equaled the then record for most tries in a Test match for Australia against the USA, scoring four tries. He was a member of the Eighth Wallabies for the 1984 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland that won rugby union's "grand slam", the first Australian side to defeat all four home nations, England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, on a tour.
Sport in Mexico
The most popular sport in Mexico is soccer, followed by boxing. Baseball the most popular sport in the northwest and southeast regions, basketball, American football and bullfighting are also highly popular and appreciated. Mexico City hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics – the first time the event was held in Latin America. Since then the continental region hadn't held another edition of the Olympic Games until 2016, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mexico first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900 and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since 1924. Mexico has also participated in several Winter Olympic Games since 1928.
History of the FIBA Basketball World Cup
The History of the FIBA Basketball World Cup began with the first FIBA World Championship in 1950. The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1950 (the 1958 tournament was postponed to 1959 and did not get back on its current schedule until the 1970 tournament was held three years after the 1967 tournament). The tournament was conceived during the 1948 Summer Olympics when FIBA leaders, seeing how successful the Olympic basketball tournament had become, wanted to hold a Championship every four years between Olympiads.
1_Apprentice
Do you know how much money they make?
0_Wizard
In the MLS, the US soccer organization, it varies by position, but the average is around $150,000 per year.
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Soccer in the United States
Soccer in the United States is governed by the United States Soccer Federation. The organization governs most levels of soccer in the country, including the national teams, professional leagues, and the amateur game with the exception of colleges and high schools. , over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States. In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that soccer was the third-most played team sport in the U.S., behind only basketball and baseball. The popularity of the sport in the U.S. has been growing since the 1960s and 1970s, and received a significant boost when the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer that represents the sport's highest level in both the United States and Canada. MLS constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. The league comprises 23 teams—20 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. The postseason includes twelve teams competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs through November and December, culminating in the championship game the MLS Cup.
Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
The major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada are the highest professional competitions of team sports in those countries. The four leagues universally included in the definition are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Other prominent leagues include Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). The MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL are commonly referred to as the "Big 4". Each of these is the wealthiest professional club competition in its sport worldwide, and along with the English Premier League they make up the top five sports leagues by revenue in the world.
History of soccer in the United States
The history of soccer in the United States has numerous different roots. The modern-day game, is often considered to have been brought to the United States through Ellis Island during the 1870s. However, recent research has shown that the modern game entered America in the 1850s through New Orleans when Scottish, Irish, German and Italian immigrants brought the game with them. It was in New Orleans that some of the first organized games that used modern English rules were held. However, some variations of soccer in the United States began well before than, with Native American tribes, primarily the Algonkin and Powhatan tribes playing a variation of the sport known as "pasuckuakohowog".
Don Garber
Don Garber (born October 9, 1957) has served as the Commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999. Garber is also the CEO of Soccer United Marketing and a member of the United States Soccer Federation board of directors. Garber has spent his entire career in the sports industry, working in a variety of capacities in marketing, events, television, and league administration prior to becoming MLS commissioner. Before joining MLS, Garber was with the National Football League for 16 years. Under his leadership, MLS has experienced sustained growth in size and popularity in the United States and Canada.
Expansion of Major League Soccer
Expansion of Major League Soccer has occurred several times since the league began play in 1996. Major League Soccer was established as the top level of professional soccer in the United States in 1993 with 10 teams and began play in 1996. It has expanded several times since 1998 into new markets across the United States, and since 2006, into Canada. MLS is currently at 23 teams, with plans to expand to 28 teams. The league added its 21st and 22nd teams for 2017: Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC. MLS plans to add Los Angeles FC in 2018 and a Miami team, pending a finalized stadium plan.
North American Soccer League
The North American Soccer League (NASL) is a professional men's soccer league with six teams: five in the United States, one in Puerto Rico. From its inaugural season in 2011 through 2017, it was sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league in the United States soccer league system, under Major League Soccer (MLS) and alongside United Soccer League (formerly USL Pro). However, U.S. Soccer denied the league Division II status for 2018, as the NASL did not meet the sanctioning criteria, and the future is uncertain as the NASL appeals the ruling. It is headquartered in New York City.