Essays24.com - Term Papers and Free Essays
Search

Soccer Vs. Football

Essay by   •  November 11, 2015  •  Essay  •  1,547 Words (7 Pages)  •  862 Views

Essay Preview: Soccer Vs. Football

Report this essay
Page 1 of 7

Kolby Williams

Ms.Barret, Instructor

Eng 111-94

March 16, 2015

Soccer vs. Football

Soccer and Football have long been high class sports with ample amount of respect and dignity, groomed through history. Regulations and guidelines have been set in stone and shifted throughout the course of competition. Safety is key in both recreational sports and has become essential for the protection of the people that participate. Stylistically the two sports contain a different overall goal, however the techniques vary. From a beginners point of view the sports seem derived from a primary source, however in the overall scheme they differentiate through many different loopholes. These differences will be depicted throughout the essay, allowing the reader to grasp a better understanding of the sports as a whole. In reality soccer and football are extremely similar, yet diverse in many ways.

Historically speaking, these sports derived from one another, if soccer was none existent there would be no American football in today’s societies. The official rules of soccer were founded in England ("A Brief History of Soccer"). Although we are not sure when or how it originated, evidence dating back nearly three thousand years ago in China shows that a small fur stuffed leather ball was used as the official game piece of a purely foot based activity with the overall objective being to score into opposite teams net likely known as Tsu Chu. The brutality of the sport grew over time as the game’s overall principles were toyed with, causing more injuries and controversy with higher powers in England, during the ruling of King Edward, resulting in expulsion and arrest if caught participating in the sport ("A Brief History of Soccer"). Hundreds of years later the popularity in the sport had grown tremendously in England, allowing teams to be formed in schools. Soon after, the Americans started to pick up the sport and called it football instead. The first football game took place in the late 1800’s when teams from Rutgers and Princeton universities joined in what was known as the first intercollegiate game (“A Brief History of the Game”). Just like soccer, football is known to have changed the rules of the game over time also to regard the safety of the players. Years after colleges started to pick up the game, numerous schools decided to ban it due to the brutality of the sport and the large quantity of injuries along with deaths. After a hand full of meetings between schools, they came to an agreement on a seven member rule committee, which later became known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“A Brief History of the Game”). This is when modern day football started to appear across the states.

Though the history may come off a little similar, the equipment and the rules of soccer are what set apart the two popular games. The gear and equipment has changed a numerous amount of times to help reduce injury during the game and ensure the safety of all players. The goalie, a very important player in a soccer game, wears gloves to protect their hands. His uniform consists of a long sleeve shirt and long padded pants to protect the arms and legs. Soccer players wear shin guards to protect themselves, while football players wear much more to protect their bodies. It is proven that in the game of soccer you are more likely to receive a concussion rather than any other injury, due to lack of protection ("Soccer Injury Rates Are Increasing”). In football you have a higher chance of injury due to the repeated collision of every play. You must wear a great amount of protective gear. Players must wear a helmet, pants with leg pads, shoulder pads, mouth guard and an athletic supporter with cup (Gavin 2). The different balls used between the two games are dynamically structured based upon how it is used directly in game play. The soccer ball is made in a spherical shape and designed with high tech materials such as foam, leather and other equal mediums. These attributes produce flight accuracy, a soft feel for safe heading and less water absorption. The football is made up of leather from a cowhide and into a prolate spheroid shape. The football is no longer than it is round and the shape of it allows the ball to be thrown further than any other ball design, but with less drag. The football and soccer ball are both physically very contrasting and are used in a different manner.

Soccer is an outdoor and indoor sport, played on either real grass or artificial turf. The field is a rectangle divided into two halves, directly in the middle is a center mark used for kick off, surrounded by a circle with a ten yard radius. In all four corners of the field are corner flags which represent where corner kicks take place. On each side lies a goal, which is surrounded by a goal box and a penalty box. Each line is highly important during game play. Two teams of eleven aside battle against one another with ten field players and a goalkeeper on each side. The referee controls the outcome of the game along with the help of the assistant referees. They call off sides, fouls, substitutions, corner kicks, penalty kicks, and also initiate yellow and red cards when the game gets out of hand. Each half consist of forty-five minutes of play along with extra time based upon injuries, substitutions, and referee judgments. Fouls occur throughout game play, which result in free kicks. When the ball crosses the sidelines it’s considered a throw in and when the ball crosses the base line it’s considered a goal kick unless it goes out on the defending team in which case it would be a corner kick. Another major aspect of the game is off-sides, were the attacking player receives the ball on the other team’s side and he or she is beyond level with the second to last defender. The objective of the game is to score by kicking or heading the ball across the line of the goal resulting in a one point gain. A coin toss determines whether you start with the ball or choose which goal you want to attack. Just like soccer, football starts the game with a coin toss as well, but to determine whether they kick the ball or receive the ball. The fields may look similar in shape and size, but football fields are one hundred yards long and for every ten yards is a first down. Eleven players are on each team and the goal of the game is to run or pass the ball down the field till you reach the end zone. There are field goals on each end behind the end zone, which are used every time a touchdown has been made for an extra point or if the team feels it’s not possible to score they will kick a field goal worth three points. Once the team has made a touchdown or could not reach the end zone in enough plays, they must return the ball to the other team. The game is broken down into four quarters with each quarter being fifteen minutes long.  The most important player of the game is the quarterback, who has possession of the ball at the beginning of each play. One thing that can change the whole game is a turnover, which is when the offense loses possession of the ball either by fumble or interception. Football and soccer seem very similar, but are completely different once you break down each sports guidelines.

...

...

Download as:   txt (8.8 Kb)   pdf (153.1 Kb)   docx (9.1 Kb)  
Continue for 6 more pages »
Only available on Essays24.com
Citation Generator

(2015, 11). Soccer Vs. Football. Essays24.com. Retrieved 11, 2015, from https://www.essays24.com/essay/Soccer-Vs-Football/64457.html

"Soccer Vs. Football" Essays24.com. 11 2015. 2015. 11 2015 <https://www.essays24.com/essay/Soccer-Vs-Football/64457.html>.

"Soccer Vs. Football." Essays24.com. Essays24.com, 11 2015. Web. 11 2015. <https://www.essays24.com/essay/Soccer-Vs-Football/64457.html>.

"Soccer Vs. Football." Essays24.com. 11, 2015. Accessed 11, 2015. https://www.essays24.com/essay/Soccer-Vs-Football/64457.html.