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Cultural Impact

Soccer has a huge cultural impact because it is such a huge international game. One could argue that is has the greatest worldwide impact because of the sheer amount of people that it touches and changes their lives from all different ethnicities and backgrounds. I met so many different people and heard several stories from the sport from across the world because soccer is prevalent in many different countries like Italy, Brazil, and England. All places that I have visited and connected with people in through my experience with soccer. Without soccer I never would have got a chance to meet many people who I am still great friends with to this day. I saw how people in poor countries could use the game of soccer to escape and use it as a means to get money for their families. It happens all the time with the pros. For example, a great player named Gabriel Jesus was only a poor painter a few years ago who played soccer growing up in the streets of Brazil. One day he was scouted by a professional team called Manchester City in England and now he is one of the biggest players in the world playing for one of the best teams. Gabriel Jesus is only one example of a player using soccer to leave a bad situation. Millions of others are just like him in the soccer world. This Is a common route to a better life for your family if you have the skills, the passion, and the opportunity. Many players from all different backgrounds; rich, poor, black, and white can use soccer as a tool to help their communities, family, and there culture.  You don’t have to go that far outside of America to see how it changes people’s lives for the better.

Recreation Level

At the recreational level, it is more about the players having fun than winning. Parents would drop their kids off every Saturday just so they could let out some energy and meet up with their friends. Even they would sit back and enjoy watching their kids play on a beautiful Saturday morning without thinking of work. Snacks consisting of orange slices and Doritos were passed out at half time and scores were rarely kept. The practices were three times a week sometimes, but predominantly fewer than that. The reason for this being that the head coaches at this level are usually someone’s Dad whose knowledge of the game was based on their own recreation experience when they were a little kid. Plus, the kids did not want or need to have an extensive training schedule of playing soccer at this level. For most people, this was their favorite childhood memory of soccer and where their career came to an end. In recreational soccer, players don’t suffer the same punishment for not winning or having a bad game that you normally would at a club or professional soccer team.  For example, if the score was ten to zero which would definitely be a possibility in these youth games, it would still end in smiles by both teams. Not only is rec soccer not as competitive but the environment is not as intense. From top to bottom, enjoyment is the main goal. This is critical especially for this age group, if they want to continue to play at the next level where motivation is developed internally. Your passion and love for the game is what is going to carry you during these tough times when you are grinding. It’s not likely that you will win every game, or that everything will be easy.   

Academy Level

The passionate, hardworking, and dare I say brave enough, continued playing to the academy level. At the academy level, it is mostly about the development of players so they can continue soccer where they can hopefully become pros. This is where all the fun, hugs, and snacks disappear. To be on the Academy team there is an extremely competitive tryout between all the players in the state to land on a 20 man roster academy team. You have to have the skill, athleticism, and talent to make this team. However, once you’re on the team your job is not done. You will be tested for five to six days a week in practice and held to a standard of excellence in order for you to stay on the 20 man roster. If you start performing poorly you can be dropped from the team and replaced by players waiting to take your spot. During games on the weekend, it is like a war. Two Academy teams compete against each other, hoping to show well in front of different scouts from professional teams across the country. These scouts then have the ability to sign the very best of these players to become professionals, although the probability of this happening is very slim. This makes the competition that much more cutthroat as kids from all over the country compete for only a few spots. At the academy level motivation becomes intrinsic because everything gets a lot harder. The competition is tougher, and a lot more goes against you. You have to train by yourself in the rain, the freezing cold, or the extreme hot just to keep up with your competition so you can have a chance of making to the next level. When you are training by yourself, no one is going to make sure you are pushing yourself or doing the right thing. That is all up to the player.

Professional Level

Finally, at the professional level it is no longer about development or having fun, it is strictly about winning. The toughest out of the three levels of soccer to make it to and actually stay in.This is because even if you are fortunate enough to be scouted to be on a pro team, you will have to increase your work rate even more because the seriousness of games is at an all-time high. Professional soccer is a business and if you as an individual do not perform well, and your team does not perform well, you will no longer have a job.This is a big difference with the other two levels because at the pro soccer level the game is your livelihood. Without the game of soccer you may not be able to eat or have a house to sleep in.Winning is the main priority because you have to sell tickets to fans and fans won’t come if you lose. If these fans don’t come a lot of people will lose their jobs, starting with the players. Sadly, this is the reality, but if you do win games, being a professional will be your dream job and all your childhood goals, hard work, and sacrifice will pay off. You will get to be in the spotlight and have the fame, attention, and perks that come with being a professional athlete. Something millions of people across the planet dream about, but only 1 percent actually live it. Not everyone is a Lionel Messi in the world, and not everyone can be. But those who can come close to his level, come close to his income. Messi came from a poor neighborhood in Argentina, and is an excellent reminder to all people on never giving up on your dreams. He proves on a daily basis what the beautiful game can offer to a regular person who enjoys it enough to pursue it.

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