The Most Popular Sport In The World

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The Most Popular Sport in the World According to USA Today, “David Beckham is indisputably among the most recognized sports figures in the world, where soccer -- known every place but America as football -- is the real king of sports.” (Hale 7). Today, the game has no shortage of fans throughout the world. Soccer is commonly considered “the world’s game” and is played by more nations than any other sport. (Stewart 10). One hundred and seventy countries have national soccer teams that compete in the World Cup, held every four years. (Stewart 10). Top professional players like David Beckhman are paid millions of dollars per year. (Heath 8). Let’s investigate how soccer became the most popular sport in the world. No one really knows when and where soccer began, but historical records show that the game of soccer started in China during the Han dynasty in 2500 BC. (Stewart 12). Each culture played it in a different way. For instance, Chinese athletes juggled a ball the size of a softball with their feet, thighs, and forehead, trying to keep the ball in the air as long as possible. (Stewart 12). They called it tsu-chu, which means, “kicking, leather ball.” (Stewart 12). Tsu-chu continued to gain popularity over time as it was passed down from dynasty to dynasty. (Stewart 12). Eventually, the Chinese version of the game evolved to be played by two teams. (Stewart 12). The objective was to kick a leather ball filled with human hair into a net stretched across poles thirty feet apart. (Stewart 12). The players were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands. (Stewart 12). All ancient cultures seemed to have had their own version of the game. The Aztecs played a similar game, but it was much more violent. (Stewart 13). The ball was usually the head of an animal and the winners of the game were sacrificed to the Aztec gods, by having their

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