TheMarketForIdeas

Football (or soccer, as it is called in English-speaking ex-colonial zones; the term “soccer” was coined by English university students, deriving from “Association (Football)”, and was intended to distinguish the code of 11’s football from that of 15’s football, or rugby, or “rugger”) is almost omnipresent on the planet. This sport is a magnet for the masses, and its popularity constantly increases, according to statistics and worldwide reach. For sure, there are so many other sports games that are also very attractive, but somehow football stands out at the top of the list. However, did you ever wonder why this phenomenon is happening?

No doubt, there is a consistent percentage of subjectivism and personal choice that define one’s affinities for one sport or another, but on a mass scale some elements that make football the top choice can be easily identified. Also, it is a must to underline that, at its core definition, football (like all team sports) is actually a “game” by nature, since sport presumes one single player that competes in an athletic form against another opponent or against time, distance, points, etc. In sustaining this essay, we will try to bring forth some of these arguments and will use comparison to other sports (games).

1. Football is easy to play as a leisure game.

It does not require specialized infrastructure (in comparison to ice hockey, for example, where a sport venue with ice is mandatory, or water polo, where a swimming pool is needed). There is a level pitch with grass or synthetic coating that varies in size, one ball, and two goalposts (with or without nets). At minimum, football can be played in these limited conditions, and even with smaller teams. That is why it can be played in a backyard, in a park, or on a pitch. Who did not ever kick a ball? Moreover, personal gear is also not so expensive – sneakers are the main element for each one, gloves for the goalkeeper, and a ball for all. Other sports, if we are to consider, for example, tennis or cycling, are much more demanding in terms of financial effort. Of course, as the level of competition increases, so do the demands in terms of skills and abilities. But, for the generic fan of sport, it may be slightly more attractive to watch a game that he/she played at leisure level. This is not a rule.

2. Score is easy to record and understand.

Counting the goals for each team, this is it. No points system differentiated per shot (like in basketball), no 15–30–40–Advantage game/set order, as we find in tennis, no runs set-up structure from baseball, nor -1, -2 ... to par from golf. Simple to track the score, easy to remember.

3. Freedom of movement.

The game is not designed with a limited time to attack; there isn’t a requirement to tap the ball against the floor (in opposition to basketball or handball), no backcourt violation – for example, in football, once you passed the mid-court line you can still return “home” for safety, as opposed to basketball – and there is no forward-ball violation like in rugby, and so on. There is total freedom of movement on the pitch, except for the offside rule. Theoretically, one player can run with the ball from one goal line to the other, back and forth. This specific element has a deeper meaning, as it forces the opposing team to come out of defence and play, not to wait for the attack time to run out. Even if, at first glance, it does not force the offensive and permits the anti-sport-like conduct of “arresting” the ball in the home field, in fact it is more challenging, as it forces the other team to press. You want the ball? Come and play!

4. Limited dead time.

In contrast with American football, rugby, basketball, and others, there are fewer game interruptions in football caused by the rules of the game themselves: fouls that presume a free kick at one team’s basket if the team is in penalty, scrums ordered by referees in rugby, and so on. There are interruptions, but not from the rules per se; rather, they result from players who are injured (or faking injuries). The game is designed to be smooth, and it is no wonder that some of the best matches of all time implied limited actions from the referee. Most recently, in a friendly game between England and Cape Verde prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026, Cape Verde committed only one foul during the entire game.

5. Consistency.

Let’s consider, for example, rugby (also a great game), where one of the main purposes for the team on the offensive is to hit the lateral limit of the pitch, resulting in an out ball as close as possible to the target field of the defending team. The defenders will get the ball back into play, but there will be pressure on them in the proximity of the try zone; they may commit a mistake, and the other team may score points or receive a penalty kick. Great tactic, but this raises another point of questioning: a game that has as one of its purposes hitting the ball out of the field is somehow wrongly designed. In football, it is the other way around: the defenders try to deflect the ball; it may exit the lines, but this is not the aim of the game at the tactical level.

6. The purpose of the game – the goal – is harder to achieve in comparison with other games.

So this makes it rare and therefore precious. In handball or basketball, a goal or a 2-point field goal, considered separately, is not a “rare event”, even if those are of capital importance during the match, since they could decide the winner. But in football, a goal is one of the main events of the match.

7. Play time is quite extended (90 minutes).

In contrast with other team games that are 48 (basketball) 60 (handball, hockey) to 80 minutes (rugby). It has just one half-time break, except hydration time-outs and substitutions. Also, there are no time-outs called by one team or the other when things go sour on the pitch. Team plays badly? Live with it; make adjustments on the run. No stopping 20 seconds before the end of a period to decide a tactical foul, like in basketball. These aspects contribute immensely to the sport flow and reduce fragmentation. Imagine that you are at a concert at the Opera and, just before the prima donna sings the climax of the drama, the Conductor calls a time-out. All the momentum and the energy are lost.

8. It is a team sport.

As such, the coordinated actions as a team are mingled with personal dribbling skills resulting in a complex pattern of interactions. A sport like athletics or cycling is pretty much straightforward for a spectator: throw a discus farther, run faster, finish first, etc. Football combines a little of everything: agility to dribble, strength to shoot, speed for the sprints, planning for the development of attack and defence during the game, tactics in setting the team and the inter-player relations, and long-term strategy for winning championships.

9. Kept simple at the level of play rules.

While there are many secondary rules and specifications, these are established for exceptional situations that may or may not occur during a game. Most of the time, the match is governed by approximately 17 main rules that are quite simple and have few variations and alternatives.

10. Football stadiums are much greater in size.

That is relative to the team sports that are played indoors. Therefore, higher attendance can be reached in a football game than in a sport that is played in a venue (that has fewer seats). At first glance, this might be of reduced importance in the attractiveness level of that sport, but, in fact, greater capacity for the public means higher exposure to the game. Of course, rugby is played in big stadiums also, so we cannot consider this element as being a football-only thing.

All these factors and elements are found in many other sports: team tactics, personal abilities, astonishing personal executions (gymnastics, for example), but football combines, in a harmonious way, a bit of all these traits. This means a great show for fans.

Through this analysis, we do not aim to minimize any other sport or game. Performance is hard to obtain in any sport field and is to be praised. All sports are nice, all are fun to watch according to preference, but, as statistics point out, only one is the true king.

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons.