Reading improvement

 THE WORLD’S 

GAME

........

Throughout history, humans have played some kind of kicking  

game. What the world now calls football—or soccer in the  

United States—began as far back as 2500 b.c.e. with the Chinese  

game of cuju. However, the sport we know today originated  

in Britain. In the 1840s, England’s Football Association  

established a set of rules, and the modern game was born.  

Today, more than 200 million players all over the globe  

participate in the game, truly making soccer the world’s sport. 

So, why is soccer so popular? Maybe it’s the game’s  

camaraderie:1 

 the feeling that the team on the field is your team;  

their win is your victory, and their loss is your defeat. Or maybe  

it’s the game’s international quality. In countries like France,  

England, Spain, and Brazil, major teams have players from many  

different nations, and these clubs now have fans all over the  

world. Or perhaps it’s the promise of great wealth. A number  

of professional soccer players, including Brazil’s Neymar and  

Nigeria’s Victor Moses, come from poor families. Today, both of  

these players make millions of euros every year. 

Soccer is popular for all of these reasons, but ultimately, the  

main reason for its universal appeal may be this: It’s a simple  

game. It can be played anywhere with anything—a ball, a can,  

or even some bags tied together. And anyone can play it. “You  

don’t need to be rich . . . to play soccer,” says historian Peter  

Alegi. “You just need a flat space and a ball.” 

It is this unique simplicity that makes soccer the most popular  

sport in Africa. Here, even in rural areas far from the bright lights  

and big stadiums, children and adults play the game, often with  

handmade balls. 

.......

1-Camaraderie: is a feeling of friendship or team spirit among people who share an  

experience together.