Tradition of Football
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Traditional sports are rich in their history. They were played for centuries and had strict rules which were to be followed. They included football, basketball, cricket, baseball, and hockey. The sports encouraged regional and local customs. It strengthened the perception of national belongingness. They enhanced exchanges between regions and citizenships as they help in preserving a sense of cultural identity. It provided marks of reference and roots. Football is a game where there are two opposing teams, each consisting of 11 players. They try defending goals on opposite sides of the goalposts. Points are scored by drop kicking or place-kicking or carrying the ball to the opponent’s goal. In the essay, I will be comparing and contrasting the traditional sport of KSA and the USA.
The two countries had different types of football, but the aim was to score goals for their team while defending the opposing team from scoring a goal or point. Both had 11 players in the pitch, but the difference was that in KSA, the team comprised of a goalkeeper (Gruver 2011). The aim was to stop the opposing team from scoring. He was the only player in the field who could use his hands in stopping the ball. Defenders were positioned right in front of the goalkeeper, and they would stop the opposing team from reaching their goal area. Midfielders were the link between the attackers and defenders. Their main aim was to enter the opposing team’s zone and try defending them when the opposing team retained the ball ( Rappoport 2010). The forwards’ main agenda was scoring of goals. In the USA, the positions depended on whether the team was playing defensive or offensive football. The offensive positions were the quarterback, running back, fullback, center, wide receiver, tight end, left tackle and right tackle, left guard, and the right guard. In contrast, the defensive positions were cornerback, linebacker, defensive end, and defensive tackle. The responsibilities of the managers were the selection of the team players, strategy planning, motivating, and giving instructions to the players in the pitch.
The uniform in the football pitch separated one player from another player. In the USA, the jersey was the identity of each player, and it marked his allegiance to a specific team. The jersey was large to enable the covering of the shoulder pads. They had different numbers that appeared on the back and front of the jersey. The face masks and helmets were well designed in protecting the head and players’ faces from injuries ( Alqahtani 2016). They also had a mouth guard who helped in protecting their teeth and prevention of biting off their tongues.
The pads were essential since they absorbed physical blows during the game and helped in protecting each part of the body. Cleats and shoes were necessary for traction during the game. The type of fastener depended on the position, conditions of the field, and field material. In KSA, all the outfield players in the team wore the same colors, which distinguished them from the other side, assistant referees and the referee. Goalkeepers wore goalkeeping gloves to protect themselves from any injury that would arise and improving their grip when handling the ball. The knee guards were essential since the game posed pressure on knees.
The rules of the game differed since in KSA, the ball was kicked by legs towards the opponent’s goal while in the USA, it involved carrying, passing, and kicking the ball, and the player would make runs towards the opponent’s goal. In KSA, there were different rules which included the provision of offside. This happened when the attacking player was ahead of the last defender when a pass was played to him. This discouraged the attacking players from hanging around the opponent’s goal. Another rule that was applied when a foul was committed ( Gardasevic, 2019). The player received either a red card or a yellow card, depending on the intensity of a foul from the discretion of the referee. In the USA, there were different rules, such as fouls and penalties. This system helped to punish for the crime committed and maintain balance in adhering to the rules and maintaining a good flow of the game. In both countries, before the start of a match, the captains from both sides and referees met for a coin toss ( Sharma 2015). This helped in selecting the team to start the game.
In KSA, the length of the game was 90 minutes. It comprised of two halves, which were 45 minutes each and a resting period of 15 minutes in between the halves. In the USA, the football matches lasted for 45 minutes in two halves. The game was played on fields that were 70 yards wide and 140 yards long (Sasane 2012). the way of scoring was to kick or bat the ball inside the goal of the opposing team.
In summary, football is a game that can be practiced by the young and old. It does not discriminate on gender. It can be used as a form of exercise to boost physical and mental health. It has encouraged regional and local customs and boosted economies of different countries.
Reference
Gruver, E. (2011). The American Football League: A Year-By-Year History, 1960-1969. McFarland.
Rappoport, K. (2010). The little league that could: A history of the American Football League. Taylor Trade Publications.
Alqahtani, A. M. (2016). Obstacles of Professional Management in Football Professional League Club in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Sasane, A. D. (2012). Development of Football in Kolhapur district: an exploratory study.
Sharma, R. (2015). Assessment of motor fitness, physical fitness and body composition of women football players at different levels of their participation. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 3(2), 47-54.
Gardasevic, J., Bjelica, D., Vasiljevic, I., & Corluka, M. (2019). Differences in body composition of football players of two top football clubs. Journal of Anthropology of Sport and Physical Education, 3(4), 15-19.