 |  | ||||
Getting a Kick out of SoccerBy KRISTEN STERNBERG | NIE Educational Consultant Many kids and adults are currently experiencing soccer "fever" as professional teams play their way to the World Cup finals. Soccer's rapid growth in popularity in the United States may be due partly to the country's advance into the quarter-final round of 16 teams, but that doesn't explain the fervor of fans worldwide, whose avid interest has consistently kept soccer in newspaper headlines around the globe. Recently, kids as young as six years old were excited about their opportunity to get involved in the sport at a local soccer camp.
The game of soccer involves two teams of eleven players each, who may during the course of a game use their feet, along with other parts of their bodies, to connect with a leather or rubber ball about 28 inches around. Team members work together at a furious pace to guide the ball into goal cages at opposite ends of the playing field. Goalkeepers may use their hands to stop a ball from entering their goal cage. While history shows that kicking games were played long ago by Chinese, Greek, Mayan and Egyptian cultures, modern soccer was developed in England in the 19th century. The first set of written soccer rules went into effect in 1863 with the London (England) Football Association. In most of the world, what we know as soccer is called football. Whatever it's named, fans will agree that this action-packed game can be exciting to watch. Some soccer "spectators" have become so caught up in events that fights and other incidents are now routinely associated with the sport, especially during the World Cup and other important competitions. Fans may become irate over players' actions, referees' calls and the win (or loss) of their preferred team. Soccer can be a rough game, and it may be that some of the tension involved rubs off on fans and causes tempers to run high. During this year's World Cup competition, many games are being broadcast live, which means that, due to the fact that participating countries may lie in vastly different time zones, games are aired in the various countries at any hour. A game scheduled to start at midday somewhere in Europe, for example, may air in the wee hours of the morning in North and South America. Unusual broadcast times have not seemed to reduce the number of viewers, however. Fans set their alarm clocks to wake them at all hours, including in the middle of the night, so that they do not miss any action. Employers on several continents are feeling the effects of this. Due to the changes in their normal schedules, so many fans are staying home and missing work that some offices have had to close while the World Cup is going on. The day after a recent World Cup soccer game aired in Mexico starting at 1:30 a.m., so few teachers showed up at one school that classes were cancelled for the day! While contact sports like soccer aren't for everyone, most fans (especially youths) will agree that if soccer is fun to watch, it is even more fun to play. Fortunately, there are many local opportunities for kids to play soccer. From summer camp to school sport, from All-area to the World Cup, soccer may be living up to its name as the fastest-growing, most popular sport in the world. Try these interesting activities using The Daytona Beach News-Journal
1. Some soccer players are regarded as heroes. "Hero" can mean different things to different people, however. To some, the term is reserved for people who perform such deeds as saving lives or working toward world peace. To others, "hero" symbolizes great achievements or admirable personal qualities. What is your definition of a hero? Brainstorm for a moment, writing down your thoughts as they occur. Now, assume that a hero refers to someone who has achieved something great in the world of sports. Look in the sports section of a recent News-Journal for an athlete who could be called a hero. Make a list of the characteristics you admire most about the athlete you chose, and share your thoughts with a family member or teacher. If possible, write a fan letter to that athlete telling why you admire him/her. (Sunshine State Standards: SSA.1.2.1, SS.A.2.2.3) 2. For professional soccer players, travel is the name of the game. A team may play, for example, in Germany one day and show up the next day in a different country on another continent. For the next several weeks, "travel" with the soccer pros through the pages of your sports section. Pick a professional team (you may choose either soccer or another sport you enjoy) and keep track of all the places that the team travels. Imagine that you are planning to attend a pro sports game in another city. Search The News-Journal for advertisements for travel agencies to find out how much it would cost to get there. Get ready for your "trip" by clipping items from The News-Journal that you might want to take along. Be sure to check the newspaper's weather report to see what kind of weather you should prepare for! (Sunshine State Standards: SS.B.2.2.2, SS.D.1.2.1) 3. In many cases, sports are no longer played just for the thrill of the competition. Today, they are played for big money! One segment affected by the sports industry that reaps monetary benefits is television. Although TV broadcasting companies pay lots of money for the rights to broadcast sporting events, they recoup (get back) that money and more by charging businesses that advertise their products and services during commercial breaks. Some sporting events bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars for every minute of advertising that airs. Look through The News-Journal's TV listings and note all the sports broadcasts in your TV viewing area for one day. Assuming that each broadcast will air 15 minutes of commercials per hour, at the rate of $200,000 per minute, how much money does television have the potential to make in a single day? (Sunshine State Standards: MA.A.3.2.2, MA.A.3.2.3, MA.B.3.2.1, SS.D.1.2.1, SS.D.2.2.1)
4. Soccer is an aerobic exercise; it gets the heart and lungs in good condition by increasing their ability to use oxygen. Soccer also requires stamina, because playing fields are big and players are busy running all the time. Check The News-Journal's sports pages for other sports that provide aerobic exercise. List the types of sports you found and ask a friend or classmate to help you rank them in order of their appeal. (Sunshine State Standards: PE.A.1.2.1, PE.A.1.2.4, PE.A.3.2.1, PE.B.1.2.2) 5. Sportswriters use descriptive, action-packed headlines to make sports events come alive for their readers. Turn to the front page of The News-Journal's sports section to study the headlines. Imagine you are a sportswriter. Write action-packed headlines for three or more sporting events. Ask a friend or classmate to listen as you read your creative sports headlines. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.B.1.2.2, LA.B.2.2.3, LA.B.2.2.6, LA.D.2.2.1, LA.D.2.2.3) A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org. Check out these links to learn moreOne way to keep up with the fast pace of soccer is to check the news often. Take a look at this site called "Headline Soccer." There, you can read news, review rules, play games, test your referee skills and even join the online soccer community by making your own web site for your club soccer team. (Before you head for the chat room, remember that you should never leave any information that can be used to identify you.) library.thinkquest.org/26054
More exciting headlines and stories can be found at this official site for broadcasting soccer news. Check out current scores, schedules and statistics and be sure to visit the youth soccer link to learn how you can test your own soccer skills against kids across the country. Much of the information is provided both in English and Spanish. www.mlsnet.com Are you looking to perfect your soccer technique? Here's a chance to learn some skills and drills to play like an international star. You may also want to visit the pages on Game Basics, Soccer Lingo and Game Strategies or even locate a team or league near you. www.myteam.com/mytp/instruction/index.jsp?sport=Soccer&cindex=-1 Learn about many aspects of soccer at this Think Quest site, which was designed by students. Find soccer facts, history and some vital statistics about soccer hero Pele. tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3903. For more information about ThinkQuest contests check out the ThinkQuest web site at thinkquest.org. Take a look at this beginner's guide to soccer to learn proper techniques, pick up some soccer slang and see how you can get involved in the game. library.thinkquest.org/11431/beginner.htm This site claims to be for kids only. If you visit, be sure not to miss the listings and reviews of books about soccer that you might enjoy. Don't forget to check out the Soccer Tip of the Week and save time to read some jokes and funny stories about soccer (and sports in general). www.geocities.com/soccerkidzforever/ Here's an opportunity to exercise your wit! Write and submit a funny caption for a selected sports photo and see if it gets published. www.soccerjr.com/www/Foto The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world, which may contain additional news stories about soccer. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries. The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published June 24, 2002 |
Copyright © 2009 NIE WORLD (www.nieworld.com). All content copyrighted and may not be republished without permission. The News-Journal has no control over and is not responsible for content on other Web sites. Privacy Policy. |