0_Wizard
I love football, or soccer. Are you also a fan of 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
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
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.
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.
Sport in Ireland
The many sports played and followed in Ireland include Gaelic games (mainly Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motor sport, MMA, boxing, target shooting and tennis. Hockey, golf, rowing, cricket, rugby union and Olympic target shooting are organised in an all-island basis, with a single team representing the whole of Ireland in international competitions. Other sports, such as soccer and netball, have separate organizing bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As Northern Ireland is a constitute nation of the United Kingdom it also sends a Northern Ireland Team to the Commonwealth Games.
Sport in New Zealand
Sport in New Zealand largely reflects its British colonial heritage, with some of the most popular sports being rugby union, rugby league, cricket, football (soccer) basketball and netball which are primarily played in Commonwealth countries. New Zealand is a small nation but has enjoyed success in many sports, notably rugby union (considered the national sport), rugby league, cricket (considered the national summer sport), America's Cup sailing, world championship and Olympics events and motorsport and softball. Other popular sports include golf, hockey, tennis, cycling, rowing, and a variety of water sports, particularly sailing and surf sports.
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.
Sport in Russia
The most popular sport in Russia is football According to Yandex search analysis results rating of the most popular sports among Russians: "Football topped the list of the most popular sports in Russia" with 5 to 10 million requests. Ice hockey came in second with handball, basketball, boxing, auto racing, volleyball, athletics, tennis and chess rounding out the top ten rankings. Other popular sports include bandy, biathlon, figure skating, weightlifting, gymnastics, wrestling, martial arts, rugby union, and skiing. The Soviet Union (USSR) competed in the Olympic Games for the first time at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
1_Apprentice
Oh, no, but I'd love to learn
0_Wizard
Over 24 million people play soccer in the United States. My favorite team is the Seattle Sounders!
, over 24.4 million people play soccer in the United States.
self_Soccer_in_the_United_States_2
Soccer in the United States
self_2_Soccer_in_the_United_States
History of professional soccer in Seattle
The history of professional soccer in Seattle spans over four decades, and includes clubs playing in numerous different leagues such as the North American Soccer League, the United Soccer Leagues, the Continental Indoor Soccer League, Major League Soccer, the National Women's Soccer League, and most recently the Major Arena Soccer League. On December 11, 1973, a group of Seattle investors led by Walt Daggatt were granted rights to a franchise in the North American Soccer League, one of three (including the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes) heralding the expansion of America's struggling top-tier soccer league to the west coast.
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). They won MLS Cup in 2016. The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began play in 2009 as an MLS expansion team. The Sounders are a phoenix club, and the third Seattle soccer club to carry the Sounders name being part of a legacy which traces back to the original team of the NASL in 1974. The club's majority owner is Adrian Hanauer, and its minority owners are Joe Roth, Paul Allen and Drew Carey. Former USL Sounders coach and assistant coach Brian Schmetzer took over as head coach in July 2016 after the departure of Sigi Schmid.
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.
2009 Seattle Sounders FC season
The 2009 season was Seattle Sounders FC's debut in Major League Soccer. The inaugural game was on March 19, 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington against the New York Red Bulls. Sounders FC beat the Red Bulls 3–0 in front of a sell-out crowd. On August 5, 2009, Sounders FC set a stadium and Washington record for most people watching a soccer game against FC Barcelona with an attendance of 66,848. In a press conference on November 13, 2007, MLS announced the award of an MLS expansion team franchise to Seattle. In 2008, Sounders FC developed the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila and the USL team played most of the 2008 season at the updated facility.
Portland Timbers–Seattle Sounders rivalry
The Portland Timbers–Seattle Sounders rivalry is a soccer rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC, both based in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The rivalry originated in the North American Soccer League of the 1970s, with both cities reviving expansion teams, and has carried into lower-level leagues, including the A-League and USL First Division. The rivalry moved to Major League Soccer, the top division of soccer in the United States, in 2011, where it has grown into one of the largest in American soccer. According to many players, the Seattle–Portland rivalry is one of the only true derbies that is present in American soccer.
History of Seattle Sounders FC
The Seattle Sounders are a major league soccer team, sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, based in Seattle, Washington with origins that go back to the 1970s and the North American Soccer League. Even before the first cities in the United States were chosen to host Major League Soccer teams, Seattle was considered a viable location for a professional team. In 1994, as the U.S. was preparing to host the FIFA World Cup, more than 30 cities were pursuing the rights to an MLS team, Seattle being among them. However, despite the strong soccer fan base in Seattle, the absence of a soccer-only stadium was a drawback to establishing an MLS team.
2010 Seattle Sounders FC season
The 2010 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's second season in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier of professional soccer. For the Sounders FC franchise, it was their third year of existence, and including all previous franchises, it would be the 30th season of a soccer team bearing the Sounders name. The first game was played on March 25, 2010, at Qwest Field in Seattle against the Philadelphia Union, were the Sounders emerged victorious 2–0. They closed out the regular season on October 23, 2010, with a 1–2 loss against Houston Dynamo. In playoff action, Seattle lost to Los Angeles Galaxy on aggregate on November 6, 2010.
1_Apprentice
Oh wow, that's a lot. Are you one of them?
0_Wizard
No, while it is the third-most played team sport in the US, I'm just a watching fan.
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.
self_Soccer_in_the_United_States_3
Soccer in the United States
self_2_Soccer_in_the_United_States
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.
Sport in Ireland
The many sports played and followed in Ireland include Gaelic games (mainly Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motor sport, MMA, boxing, target shooting and tennis. Hockey, golf, rowing, cricket, rugby union and Olympic target shooting are organised in an all-island basis, with a single team representing the whole of Ireland in international competitions. Other sports, such as soccer and netball, have separate organizing bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. As Northern Ireland is a constitute nation of the United Kingdom it also sends a Northern Ireland Team to the Commonwealth Games.
Sport in Germany
Sport in Germany is an important part of German culture and society. In 2006 about 27.5 million people were members of the more than 91,000 sport clubs in Germany. Almost all sports clubs are represented by the Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (DOSB, German Olympic Sports Federation). Friedrich Ludwig Jahn known as "Turnvater Jahn" (father of gymnastics) was born in 1778 and worked as an assistant teacher in Berlin. At Berlin's Hasenheide Friedrich Ludwig Jahn opened the first German gymnastics field ('Turnplatz'), or open-air gymnasium, in spring 1811. His activities were particularly pointed at the youth, with whom he went to the gym field in free afternoons.
Sport in the United Kingdom
The United  Kingdom has given birth to a range of major international sports including: association football, rugby (union and league), cricket, netball, darts, golf, tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash, bowls, modern rowing, hockey, boxing, snooker, billiards, and curling. This has meant that in the infancy of many sports, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland formed among the earliest separate governing bodies, national teams and domestic league competitions. After 1922 some sports formed separate bodies for Northern Ireland though some continued to be organised on an all-Ireland basis. In a small number of sports, these teams are supplemented by high-profile events featuring a combined team representing one or more nations.
Finland
Finland (; ; ), officially the Republic of Finland (, ) is a sovereign state in Northern Europe. The country has land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east. To the south is the Gulf of Finland with Estonia on the opposite side. Finland is a Nordic country and, together with Scandinavia, is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. Finland's population is 5.5 million (2016), and the majority of the population is concentrated in the southern region. 88.7% of the population is Finnish and speaks Finnish, a Uralic language unrelated to the Scandinavian languages; next come the Finland-Swedes (5.3%).
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.
1_Apprentice
It must be very popular! Where did it come from?
0_Wizard
Association football was originally codified in England in 1863, over 150 years ago!
The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863.
chosen_Association_football_0
Association football
chosen_topic_0_Association_football
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.
Culture of the United Kingdom
The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by the UK's history as a developed island country, a liberal democracy and a major power; its predominantly Christian religious life; and its composition of four countries—England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland—each of which has distinct customs, cultures and symbolism. The wider culture of Europe has also influenced British culture, and Humanism, Protestantism and representative democracy developed from broader Western culture. British literature, music, cinema, art, theatre, comedy, media, television, philosophy, architecture and education are important aspects of British culture.
Sport in England
Sport plays a prominent role in English life. Sports brackets were found in Richard Alphonse Goupille the second's diary. Popular teams sports in England are association football, field hockey, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Major individual sports include badminton, athletics, tennis, boxing, golf, cycling, motorsport and horseracing. A number of modern sports were codified in England during the nineteenth century, among them cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football, field hockey, squash, tennis, and badminton. The game of baseball was first described in 18th century England   Although it differs from sport to sport, English sport often has fierce rivalries with Welsh, Scottish, German and Australian sport, which spans the whole sporting spectrum.
History of soccer in Brisbane, Queensland
The earliest known records of regular association football (soccer) games in Brisbane date from the early 1880s, when a group comprising mostly Scottish immigrants commenced playing at Queen's Park, adjacent to Alice and Edward Streets in the city (now part of the City Botanic Gardens) and vacant land in Melbourne Street South Brisbane, between Grey and Stanley Streets. This group of players subsequently formed the Anglo-Queensland Football Association in early 1884, and commenced playing fixtures at the sportsfield behind the Pineapple Hotel, in Main Street Kangaroo Point, and at Queen's Park, in June 1884.
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.
Comparison of association football and rugby union
Comparison of association football (football/soccer) and rugby union (rugby/rugger) is possible because of the games' similarities and shared origins. Rugby union has a number of set pieces, such as line-outs, scrums and rucks that do not have direct equivalents in association football. Association football aims at a more open kind of play, and there is not the same differentiation between forwards and backs. Another major difference is that rugby union, unlike association football, has no goal keeper. The earliest forms of football comprise the common ancestry of both association football and of rugby union.
History of rugby union
The history of rugby union follows from various football games played long before the 19th century, but it was not until the middle of that century that the rules were formulated and codified. The code of football later known as rugby union can be traced to three events: the first set of written rules in 1845, the Blackheath Club's decision to leave the Football Association in 1863 and the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. The code was originally known simply as "rugby football". It was not until a schism in 1895, over the payment of players, which resulted in the formation of the separate code of rugby league, that the name "rugby union" was used to differentiate the original rugby code.
1_Apprentice
Oh nice! That's really old!