Soccer is one of the most if not the most widespread sport played throughout the world. Like almost every sport, it has undergone many changes throughout its lifespan, both in categories such as rules, but also in how it is viewed by fans and the world.
Soccer used to be relatively hard to access especially in certain countries. Before the matches were televised, one either had to go and watch the game in person or hope that there would be newspaper coverage afterwards. As time has progressed accessibility to the sport has increased respectably. As such, what soccer is and what it means to people has also changed. For many soccer started out as a way to form and find community for people. Immigrants in America would often play soccer to keep their communities alive or people would join soccer groups to join said community.
For other’s like in Uruguay during the 1970s and 1980s soccer was a form of expression. It was an outlet that allowed people to forget about their worries, but also speak out against them.
Overtime, soccer has become more of a spectacle. This can be seen through events like the World Cup, where the entire world gathers to watch their teams compete. Due to this widespread importance placed upon the sport it has naturally become more available to more people. People who are not hardcore fans can now read countless articles and look at countless statistics in order to understand the game and its many intricacies often without even having to watch an actual game.
Due to all of this availability, information, and different ways to consume the game, soccer’s fanbase has continued to grow larger and larger. This leads to an increase in crowds, merchandise purchases, etc… which allows soccer to continue to expand due to the increased revenue.
In conclusion, soccer is an ever expanding sport. More and more people start to consume soccer in some way, each year. This is a compounding cycle, that allows soccer teams to continue to expand. What was once difficult to understand, watch, or keep up with, has become one of the largest and most widespread markets in the world
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