The International Soccer Performance - Essay Example

The International Soccer Performance I. Introduction Known as football in most parts of the world, soccer is the most popular sport in the globe. Indeed, football is played in almost every corner of the universe and draws many people who express their passion for the game. Even though many people play soccer for fun, some play in order to defend their national colors while others engage in professional clubs. These different forms of practices explain the existence of various regional, continental and even worldly tournaments, including the world cup and European championships. Most of these competitions take place in beautiful stadiums in which faithful fans provide an unconditional support to their team. II. Choices A. Teams Playing Football. There are hundreds of teams playing soccer around the world; some are organized as professionals while others are just amateurs. Professional teams exist in various countries in which they recruit the best players around the world and pay them salaries while the amateurs play for fun. Nowadays, the best professional teams are in Europe, especially England and Spain that represent the best choices for any professional. This writer informs: “The Spanish domestic football league isoften considered to be among the best in the world. Spanish Clubs such asReal Madrid and FC Barcelona feature prominently in international club competitions”(Hoffmann, Ging&Ramasamy). Indeed, Real Madrid and Barcelona are among the best clubs in the world with their star players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who display their talents on stadiums every week. However, the English Premier league also has very talented teams even though they are being challenged by other European countries: “After years of unquestioned supremacy as the top-to-bottom best soccer league in the world, the English Premier League has been chased down by the rest of Europe” (Manfred). In fact, apart from Spanish teams, Italian and even some French teams like Paris Saint Germain have become real contenders.  B. The Various Trophies and Tournaments The world cup represents the most important tournament organized in football not only because of the number of different countries present but also the tourism and other economic and even political issues involved. Each country around the world dreams of organizing the world cup or at least to participate in the tournament. Organized every four years in a chosen country, all football fans and professionals around the universe converge to that place in order to enjoy the best moments of football. The following statement reveals: “The FIFA World Cup is one of the largest events in the world. The competition between the bestnational teams in the world mobi­lizes billions of people from all continents, cultures, ethnicities and creeds. It rouses passions and, at the same time, lessens differences” (Brazem). This passion and attraction make the event the most important eventin the world of football. Moreover, other significant trophies and tournaments exist all around the world and in each continent. For instance, the champions’ league in Europe, the confederation cup in South America, the African cup of nations and other competitions in other parts of the world are all significant tournaments that display great trophies. This article exposes: “Real have won more European cups than any other club (8wins). Barcelona are the current record holders for the European Cup-Winners’Cup (4 wins)” (Hoffman, Ging&Ramasamy). These records demonstrate the talent of Spanish teams and their hold on most trophies and tournaments. C. The most famous Stadiums and their Capacity Beautiful and legendary stadiums exist all around the world and in all sizes. The best teams in the universe play in magnificent infrastructures that reflect their talent and standards. With a capacity of 75,811 people, Manchester United’s mythic stadium, Old Trafford, represents one of the world’s most famous but also biggest stadiums in the universe: “It might be the most famous football ground in the world, which sometimes might work against United as teams always bring their top game to play there” (Rizzy). This fame and class add to the passion; which increases the expectations and even the fun. Other places in the world have a similar prestige; for instance Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu with a capacity of 85,454 seats also holds a particular significance: “Any stadium that is the home field of a Jose Mourinho squad is probably going to be on this list. The Bernabeu is a big stadium, with fans close to field,and while not known for being extremely loud, the talented Real team is intimidating enough” (Rizzi). Even though Mourinho is no longer there, the talent and professionalism of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale and other outstanding players participate in the fame of this stadium. Other stadiums around the world are also very famous like Maracanain Brazil, Park des Princes in France and Stamford Bridge in Chelsea. III. Results A. National Teams versus Private Clubs National teams constitute an important factor of world football because they defend the colors of their country and represent the ambassadors of all their people around the world. The national characteristic of these teams increases their significance as they carry the hope of a whole nation that supports them unconditionally. However, with the political and sometimes even financial issues involved, the national teams go through much pressure because every defeat may jeopardize the unity and even integrity of the nation. This author observes: “In the process of nation-building, in particular amongdeveloping countries, the performance of a national sports team in internationalcompetitions is able to bring together diverse tribes and races behind one national flag” (Hoffman, Ging&Ramasamy). Indeed, any victory represents cohesion and unity of the nation but defeats may also be disastrous. On the other hand, private clubs rely on professionals who invest their money and, therefore, expect profit. Thus, they have their business strategies and recruit the best players around the world likely to help them meet their expectations. This financial characteristic of private clubs explains why they pay outstanding salaries to the players and expect them to win trophies and tournaments in order to boost the club and, therefore, increase their profit. This business plan justifies why club owners are willing to pay the price in order to get the best players, but they may also get rid very quickly of those who fail them. This article exposes: “With average incomes well over $1 million, most players and owners facethe top federal marginal tax rate (39.6 percent), plus an additional 1.45 percent Medicare tax” (Siegfried & Zimbalist). These big salaries characterize professional football in which players earn much money but are also expected to exhibit their talent. B. Comparing the World Cup to European Championships The world cup is unique in the sense that it gathers the best national teams in the universe. The requirements in the qualifying stages are so high and rigid that only the most talented and competitive nations will have the chance to participate. Indeed, competitions are organized in each zone and national teams arranged in groups with different meetings in which only the best can strive. This preliminary aspect of the competition and the diversity of the countries represented demonstrate the significance of the world cup and its ability to mobilize millions of people around the globe. This writer argues: “One in every two people in the world is expected to watch the cup on television. Nike, McDonald's, and Coca-Cola—American brands all—see it as a much bigger deal than the Beijing Olympics” (Miller). This presence of people of different backgrounds and values and the financial outcome make the world cup the best sport event in the world. On the other hand, European Championships are regional and only concern Europe and the foreigners playing in the competitions for champions’ league or winners’ cup. This local focus excludes many countries and their best players and, therefore, does not provide much diversity. For instance, the European cup only involves the European countries qualified for the competition; which does not attract many people as the world cup does. The champions’ league and the winners’ cup seem to be more interesting because the best players in professional clubs get the chance to participate, even though not every foreign player gets that chance. This statement informs: “And many people, including the world's leading team manager, José Mourinho, maintain that the World Cup is inferior to the leading European leagues (in England, Spain, Italy, and Germany), because the latter draw at will from elsewhere to combine players on the basis of skill rather than birth” (Miller). Even though there is some truth in this argument, the world cup still draws more attention because of the diversity of the countries competing and the unusual experiences it provides. C. The Popularity of Football Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it is practiced almost everywhere in the globe. Most people play for pure passion as observed in the streets of every village, town or city in the universe; however, some more organized forms consist in national teams and professional clubs. This article foregrounds: “Football1 is commonly regarded as the most popular sport in the world.During the 2002 world championship in Korea/Japan, 32 survivors ofthe170-nation qualifying tournament competed for the coveted FIFA World Cup”(Hoffman, Ging&Ramasamy). The passion about football, the need to defend national colors and the money involved for the professionals explain why football is so famous. So, there is no single reason why football is famous because if some play for profit many others practice football just for fun. IV Conclusion Soccer is overwhelmingly popular around the world and involves regular fans, national teams but also professional clubs. Indeed, if some people play just for fun, some defend their national teams while others try to make money. Regardless of the motivation, football is practiced in many countries around the world where players express their talent for the appreciation of their fans. This passion about soccer and the money involved make the world cup the most important sport event in the universe even though some regional or even continental tournaments also receive much appreciation. Works Cited “FIFA World Cup is one of the Largest Event in the World.” Brazem-ksa.org. 2012.Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Hoffmann, Robert, Ging, Lee Chew &Ramasamy, Bala.“The Socio-economic Determinants of International Soccer Performance.”Journal of Applied Economics 5.2 (2002): 253-272. Ageconsearch.umn.edu. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Manfred, Tony. “The English Premier League is no longer the best Soccer League in the World.” BusinessInsider.Businessinsider.com. 2013.Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Miller, Toby. “Soccer Conquers the World.”The Chronicle Review. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 3013. Rizzo, Michael. “The best Football Stadiums in the World 2013.” Football Club Rankings. Word Press. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Siegfried, John & Zimbalist, Andrew. “The Economics of Sports Facilities and Their Communities.”Journal of Economic Perspectives 14. 3 (2000): 95–114.Uwlax.edu. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Read More