Did you ever wonder which is the most popular sport in the world?

By David McClelland

If you would ask that question to my brother-in-law, who is from Ecuador, he would just smile and say, "No question. It is soccer."

There really is no question as to which is the most popular sport in Central and South American countries and in Europe as well. Soccer is king. It is often called football in those countries. Many countries have big soccer clubs that play internationally.

When I was young, my friends and I had never heard of soccer. It wasn't until my grandchildren began to play it in community leagues here that I really became familiar with the game. The "offside" call was always a difficult one for me to detect and someone else will have to explain it to you or you can find it online.

Our grandson, Josh Prantera, was on the 2008 State Championship team for Oakland Christian School and we didn't miss a game. To win, they had to play 2 games each in the Districts, the Regionals and the States. In those six critical games, they never gave up a goal. Pretty amazing! Their goalie, Kramer Everett, had 57 shutouts in his four years as the OCS goalie. I think you can see why that team kept our interest.

In professional soccer, The World Cup in the pinnacle. It has been played every four years since 1930, except for the War years of 1942 & 1946. Italy has won it the most, at four times. Spain is the current champion and won in 2010. The "Cup" is made of solid gold!

In the United States, soccer has become a far more popular sport and is played at every level. It is often the first sport that children play here now. There are professional teams in 16 U.S. cities. Most of those cities have built large soccer stadiums. If you haven't been to a soccer game yet, it would be more enjoyable for you if you took the time to learn the rules of the game before you go and it would also help if you knew at least one of the players. Enjoy!