Why do people choose to support their local football team Essay

Why do people choose to support their local football team - Essay Example People pay tons of money for tickets to these football games and proudly march in wearing their jerseys and plenty of face paint ready to scream and yell for their team. These fans are relentless in their support and continue to return year after year win or lose. Football is a rare sport in that it spans across the whole world and is celebrated heavily by many, it has been around for centuries and from the turnout that football still has, football will be around for many more years to come. In the United States sports are seemingly spread everywhere. They have their own sections in the newspaper and you cannot walk into a bookstore without magazines with sports plastered on the front of them. Sports' Illustrated is recognized around the globe and its website is a good way for people to check scores and times for matches. "Soccer" isn't the countries leading sport per se but it is certainly recognized and played by millions of people. Sites like http://www.ussoccerplayers.com are available to avid fans of the U.S "soccer" team and to also keep watch on where the players will be traveling to. Being that the United States is arguably a melting pot society, "soccer" from Mexico is being shown on television quite frequently. The United States is just one country who participates and supports soccer but it is certainly not the custom that is it in other countries. In Mexico "soccer" is very much a part of their culture and because of their climate it can be played year round. In an article in the San Francisco Cronicle reporting on an area densely populated by people of Mexican descent they describe restaurants and gas stations filled with people trying to watch their respective teams. "Mexican soccer, maybe the Toluca Diablos Rojos versus the Pachuca Tuzos, plays nonstop on the overhead TVs. Young men stand in line at the glass booth in the corner, waiting to cash checks, buy smokes or send money home. Outside, a fruit vendor with a leathery face serves up Ziploc bags of pineapple and mango, sprinkled with lime, salt and chile" (Ness). In another article it is said that you cannot go anywhere in Puerto Vallarta without seeing children kicking around "soccer" balls and stores and restaurants with their televisions tuned to their local team. Mexico is one country who surrounds itself with "soccer" and has many teams that represent areas of Mex ico. Although there is one major team for the country, there are many smaller teams that the country supports. In Spain football is widely recognized and Madrid alone has 3 football teams. These teams are Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. Real Madrid was recognized by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) as the best team of the Twentieth century (gomadrid.com). Tickets to these games are notoriously hard to obtain and have strict rules for ordering. First tickets are given to season ticket holders, then to club members, then a "special" fan card is given to some and they are able to order tickets. After this whole process, then the general public is allowed to purchase tickets and they are known to be gone within hours. Real Madrid plays in the Bernabu stadium which is dedicated to Santiago Bernabu who developed and planned the structure. The stadium has also hosted many