Ever wondered why soccer failed to catch on in the United States and the other most populated countries in the world? This video from the brain4breakfast YouTube channel does a brilliant job of explaining why.
It’s not quite the #MeToo movement, nor is it a Pokémon. But the #MeTwo movement in part inspired by Mesut Özil is evolving into something quite powerful, something that’s been building for decades.
Soccer has a pretty extensive history, dating back to the original rules cobbled together in 1863. One would expect the basics to have always been the same, but the rule on how many players on a soccer field at any given time hasn’t always been set in stone.
The Croatia World Cup final vs. France is definitely something historic for the Balkan country.
Not many countries have had the honor of reaching that stage.
This has all the more merit considering how young the country is — Croatia was formed as a nation state in 1991 after the dissolution of Yugoslavia.
Immigrant players and sons of immigrants largely make up World Cup rosters. Welcoming immigration has proven to be the secret to having success at the World Cup. Out of the four teams still remaining in the tournament, France, Belgium and England feature squads composed of players from very diverse origins.
The story of why is Seven Nation Army a soccer chant began, as most great stories do: in a bar, before a soccer match. But what makes Seven Nation Army such a unique force in soccer culture is not its small-time origin story or even its catchy riff — it’s the ability for people around the world, regardless of language or background, to meld as one in a unique chorus.
The World Cup will be held in Russia for the first time ever this coming month. Four World Cup participants in particular will be quite pleased the tournament is scheduled for summer, because all good historians know it’s impossible to conquer Russia in winter (unless you are the Mongols, who didn't qualify). Germany, France, Sweden and Poland have all failed invasions of Russia in their past, so they’ll hope history doesn’t repeat itself when July rolls around.