Curious About Soccer

PODCAST 172: CURIOUS ABOUT SOCCER

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 16TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEEK’S EPISODE, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING WE LOVE SO MUCH.

O:  THAT’S RIGHT.  I’M 8 YEARS OLD, AND I’VE BEEN PODCASTING FOR HALF OF MY LIFE, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE I LOVE DOING THAT I’VE BEEN DOING EVEN LONGER THAN I’VE BEEN PODCASTING.  

DOUBLE-MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE MAILBAG!

“DEAR OLIVIA AND JACOB,

RECENTLY WE DISCOVERED YOUR PODCAST AND MY 2 SONS, THOMAS (10) AND NOAH (7) LOVE LISTENING TO IT IN THE CAR AND WE LEARN LOTS FROM IT.  NOAH ALSO FINDS IT VERY FUNNY TO HEAR NOAH IN THE PRESIDENTIAL EPISODES.  JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WE MOVED FROM AUSTRALIA TO GERMANY AND THE BOYS ENJOY ALL YOUR REFERENCES TO AUSTRALIA.  THOMAS IS CURIOUS ABOUT LOTS OF THINGS:  SOCCER - WHO INVENTED SOCCER?  MAGIC - WHEN WAS THE FIRST STAGE PERFORMANCE USING MAGIC?  HARRY POTTER - EVERYTHING ABOUT HARRY POTTER REALLY, AND COLORING BOOKS.  NOAH IS ALSO VERY CURIOUS ESPECIALLY ABOUT MINECRAFT.  MAYBE YOU CAN USE SOME OF THESE INTERESTING TOPICS IN YOUR FUTURE PODCASTS.  WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL MAKE MANY MORE PODCASTS!  WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FROM GERMANY.

GABY, THOMAS, AND NOAH 

“DEAR OLIVIA, AVERY LOVES LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST AND THINKS IT IS SO COOL THAT SOMEONE SHE KNOWS IS ON A PODCAST.  WE OFTEN LISTEN TO EPISODES ON THE WAY TO SOCCER PRACTICE.  SHE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR A CURIOUS ABOUT SOCCER!  THANKS SO MUCH.

LOVE,

AVERY”

O:  THOSE MESSAGES WERE AWESOME.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SOCCER THIS WEEK FOR THOMAS, NOAH, AND MY SUPER TALENTED SOCCER TEAMMATE, AVERY.  IT’S INCREDIBLE THAT WE HAVE LISTENERS RIGHT HERE IN NEW JERSEY, BUT ALSO AS FAR AWAY AS GERMANY THAT WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOCCER.  

D:  AND I’M SURE THEY’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SOCCER.  SOCCER IS THE MOST POPULAR SPORT IN THE WORLD.  THE TRAVEL SOCCER TEAM THAT YOU AND AVERY PLAY FOR IS CHERRY HILL FC.  DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE LETTERS FC STAND FOR?

O:  THEY STAND FOR FOOTBALL CLUB.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  IN MOST PARTS OF THE WORLD, THE GAME WE CALL SOCCER HERE IN THE UNITED STATES GOES BY THE NAME FOOTBALL.  IN THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT GAME THAT WE CALL FOOTBALL, BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, CALLING SOCCER FOOTBALL MAKES A BIT MORE SENSE BECAUSE PLAYERS USE THEIR FEET TO MOVE THE BALL, UNLIKE THE SPORT WE CALL FOOTBALL, WHERE PLAYERS USUALLY USE THEIR HANDS TO MOVE THE FOOTBALL.  

O:  SO, WHY DO WE CALL IT SOCCER INSTEAD?

D:  WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MOMENT.  WE ALSO HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST COMING UP IN THIS EPISODE.  I’M SO EXCITED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOCCER FROM OUR GUEST, LEQUAN, WHO TEACHES YOUTH SOCCER.  BEFORE WE GET TO ALL OF THAT, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE RECORD FOR MOST FANS ATTENDING A SOCCER MATCH?

D:  I REMEMBER THE BIGGEST CROWD AT ANY SOCCER GAME I’VE BEEN TO.  IT WAS ALL THE WAY BACK IN 2007, WHEN THE L.A. GALAXY, WITH SUPERSTAR DAVID BECKHAM, PLAYED AGAINST MY FAVORITE TEAM, THE NEW YORK RED BULLS, AT GIANTS STADIUM.  THE RED BULLS WON THE GAME 5-4 SCORING THE WINNING GOAL IN THE 88TH MINUTE.  THERE WAS A CROWD OF 66,237 AT THAT GAME, AND THAT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE.  CAN YOU GUESS HOW MANY PEOPLE SET THE RECORD FOR THE MOST FANS AT A SOCCER GAME?  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SOCCER.  

O:  A GAME RESEMBLING SOCCER WAS PLAYED IN CHINA ALMOST 3,000 YEARS AGO.  IT WAS CALLED CUJU, WHICH TRANSLATES TO “KICK BALL”.  FROM THERE, DIFFERENT FORMS OF SOCCER SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD.  

D:  IT BECAME MOST POPULAR IN ENGLAND.  ABOUT 1,200 YEARS AGO, VARIATIONS OF SOCCER WERE PLAYED IN ENGLAND, BUT THEY WEREN’T EXACTLY LIKE THE GAME TODAY.

O:  FOR INSTANCE, THE GAME PLAYED IN ENGLAND BACK THEN INVOLVED KICKING THE BALL, BUT ALSO PUNCHING THE BALL.  THE GAMES WERE ALSO VERY VIOLENT AND PLAYERS OFTEN GOT SERIOUSLY HURT.   

D:  THE GAME, THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY EQUAL PARTS SOCCER, RUGBY, AND WRESTLING, TURNED SO VIOLENT THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY FORBIDDEN FROM BEING PLAYED IN ENGLAND FOR CENTURIES.           

O:  EVENTUALLY, THE SPORT RETURNED AND BECAME VERY POPULAR WITH ENGLISH SCHOOLBOYS.  THEY DECIDED THAT THEY NEEDED RULES, SO MEMBERS OF A DOZEN DIFFERENT CLUBS GATHERED IN 1863 TO PUT TOGETHER A RULEBOOK.  THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.

D:  JUST 8 YEARS LATER IN 1871, ANOTHER GROUP PUT TOGETHER A SET OF RULES DIFFERENT FROM THE RULES SET FORTH BY THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.  FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEW RULEBOOK ALLOWED PLAYERS TO USE THEIR HANDS.  

O:  THOSE NEW RULES WERE NAMED AFTER A SCHOOL IN ENGLAND CALLED THE RUGBY SCHOOL, AND THE SPORT CAME TO BE CALLED RUGBY FOOTBALL, OR JUST RUGBY (OR RUGGER) FOR SHORT.       

D:  THE ORIGINAL RULES CREATED BY THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CAME TO BE KNOWN AS ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.  SINCE ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL WAS A REALLY LONG TITLE FOR A SPORT, A NAME WAS CREATED TO CONTRAST WITH RUGGER, SO WHAT STARTED AS ASSOCCER, WHICH WAS SLANG FOR ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL, WAS SHORTENED TO SOCCER.  

O:  ONCE RUGBY DEVELOPED IT’S OWN IDENTITY, MANY COUNTRIES WENT BACK TO CALLING SOCCER FOOTBALL, BUT NOT THE UNITED STATES.

D:  WE ALREADY HAD OUR OWN GAME OF FOOTBALL, SO THE UNITED STATES IS ONE OF VERY FEW COUNTRIES THAT CALLS SOCCER SOCCER, WHILE THE REST OF THE WORLD CALLS IT FOOTBALL.  

O:  WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, IT’S A BEAUTIFUL SPORT.  I LOVE PLAYING AND WATCHING SOCCER.

D:  SO DO I.  THERE ARE 2 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SOCCER THAT I THINK SET IT APART FROM OTHER MAJOR SPORTS.  FIRST, THE ACTION IS CONTINUOUS.  WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A SHORT HALF-TIME BREAK, THE ACTION IN A SOCCER GAME NEVER STOPS.  ALSO, THE RULES OF SOCCER ARE VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND.  OF COURSE THERE IS A LOT OF STRATEGY INVOLVED IN SOCCER, BUT AS A SPECTATOR, THERE IS VERY LITTLE YOU NEED TO KNOW TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE A SOCCER GAME.  

O:  THE RULES OF SOCCER ARE MAINTAINED BY AN ORGANIZATION CALLED IFAB, WHICH STANDS FOR INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION BOARD.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH THERE IS AN OFFICIAL SOCCER RULE BOOK, WHICH IS 140 PAGES LONG, IFAB BREAKS THE ENTIRE GAME DOWN TO 17 LAWS OF THE GAME, SO SOCCER CAN BE SUMMED UP BY JUST 17 RULES.

O:  AND THE LAWS OF THE GAME ARE EASY TO UNDERSTAND.  IT’S SIMPLICITY IS PART OF WHAT MAKES SOCCER SO AMAZING.

D:  I AGREE.  BEFORE WE GET TO THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT SOCCER FROM SOMEONE WHO LOVES SOCCER EVEN MORE THAN WE DO, IF THAT’S POSSIBLE.  HIS NAME IS LEQUAN AND HE HAS ____ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE COACHING SOCCER IN NEARBY MOUNT LAUREL, NEW JERSEY.  WE’RE SO LUCKY THAT HE WAS ABLE TO JOIN US FOR A FEW MINUTES.  TAKE IT AWAY, OLIVIA.

O:  LEQUAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING ON THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WHY ARE SHIN GUARDS THE ONLY PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WORN BY SOCCER PLAYERS?

L:  ——————————————————————————————.

O:  WHEN SHOULD YOU KICK THE BALL WITH THE INSIDE OF YOUR FOOT AND WHEN IS IT BEST TO KICK WITH YOUR LACES?

L:  ——————————————————————————————.

O:  IN MANY SPORTS, BEING TALL OR BIG IS AN ADVANTAGE.  ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD, LIONEL MESSI, IS 5 FEET 7 INCHES TALL, WHICH IS ACTUALLY SHORTER THAN AVERAGE.  WHY IS BEING BIG AND TALL NOT SO IMPORTANT IN SOCCER?

L:  ——————————————————————————————.

D:  WOW, THAT WAS FANTASTIC.  A BIG THANKS TO LEQUAN FOR TEACHING US MORE ABOUT SOCCER, OR FOOTBALL, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT.  LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT IS THE RECORD FOR MOST FANS ATTENDING A SOCCER MATCH?

O:  THE MOST FANS TO ATTEND A SOCCER MATCH WAS 199,854 FANS.  THAT’S SO CLOSE TO 200,000 FANS.

D:  THAT HAPPENED BACK IN 1950 IN RIO DE JANEIRO.  THOSE FANS GATHERED TO WATCH BRAZIL PLAY AGAINST URUGUAY IN THE WORLD CUP.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  172 - SOCCER.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB THOMAS, NOAH, AND AVERY FOR THE FOOTASTIC EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN.  BEFORE WE GO, CHECK OUT THIS REVIEW WE JUST RECEIVED FROM LISTENERS IN CANADA.  IT SAYS “YOU GUYS DA BEST!  MY LITTLE BRO AND I ARE OBSESSED WITH THE PODCAST.  MAY YOU PLEASE DO ONE ABOUT BODIES?”  WELL, THANKS TO USERNAME JERMDO FOR LEAVING THE 5 STAR REVIEW.  WE’VE DONE LOTS OF EPISODES ON DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY, AND WE’VE GOT ANOTHER ONE LINED UP IN JUST 2 WEEKS, SO STAY TUNED.  NEXT WEEK, WE HAVE A TRIPLE MAILBAG.  WE ARE GOING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT CODING FOR LISTENERS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AND SHELBURNE, VERMONT.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.