Football-the world's favorite game

Football has over the ages proved to be the world's favorite game,a game that transcends all cultural,political,socio-economic and behavioral borders and brings together people as one. People play the game with the same fervor and excitement in every part of the world. Every growing kid once has a swing at the ball in his childhood and is bound to get attracted to the game. You might be wondering that how could an Indian be more excited about football than cricket. Well,the matter of the fact is that cricket just happens to be a "richer and more posh" game in this country. But we share the same enthusiasm as an Arsenal or a Man Utd fan....we love the game. In fact, today's youth prefers the game much more than cricket which is the primary reason why they had to come up with the T-20 version of the game. There are some reasons I came up with:-

1. Football is more action-packed and enthusiastic than any other game. The entire complexion of the game could swing from one side to another in a matter of few minutes, something you would rarely find in any other game.
2. It is of just 90 minutes duration which perfectly suits today's busy world where people don't have time to spend the entire day sitting in front of the idiot box and spending time idiotically on long drawn games.
3. The game attracts a lot of money through sponsors( yeah,it does.Not in India,but it does) which means people get to see a lot more action from their favorite stars.
4. One of the most important feature is that football continues even in the rain,snow,slush and other such natural stuff.So it doesnt need some stupid arithmetic like Duckworth Lewis to decide matches.Cricket should take a break and go join some university;wasnt sports supposed to be a break from studies.Well,i guess,cricket thought otherwise.
   
5. Last but not the least, the players play it with a lot of passion and pride, something I find really lacking in other sports.

Football is an absolute live-wire game. It is guaranteed to leave you on the edge of your seats wanting more of it. How else could you explain the fact that every big and small club has a huge group of highly loyal supporters who flock to the ground every matchday to cheer their team. I mean London alone has so so many clubs. Despite the fact that it is not a highly-populated city, you have huge number of supporters for every team who follow their team all around Europe with absolute dedication and devotion.Those who can't make it to the ground do make it a point to catch the game,be it in the late hours of night or in the wee hours of morning.This is a clear indication of the level of enthusiasm that Football can generate.
One major thing that Football has succeeded in doing is that it has spread its roots throughout the world. Although it was initially a British Game, it did spread to all other countries under the British Raj and made a huge impact in these countries. People have since then played the game and see where it stands now compared to other games. 202 registered countries who play under FIFA,the world's governing body for football. With so many teams competing against each other in the World Cup, you can truly call the winner a World Champion,unlike cricket where a handful of teams actually play against each other. The huge no. of teams all round the world provides us with an opportunity to watch games from all round the world,watch our super-heroes excelling and spot young talented players coming up through the ranks.
Football has also helped in solving many world-wide issues,be it political or cultural or socio-economic. Players play in leagues all across the world where there is no discrimination amongst them. It unifies them together and they help us to forget enemies we are fighting on the battlefield. It helps us fight world issues like poverty, racial discrimination, social oppression, diseases, everything. Football has proved to be the highest fund-raiser game during times of any natural calamity. This just goes to prove how football is more of a humanitarian symbol than just a game which 22 players play among themselves. It's a statement which people are making all round the world-one of extending their arms of brotherhood and stringing together everyone with a thread of peace and communal harmony. It's a stage where the so called "poor" and thirld-world nations make their mark and announce to the world that they do exist.Football has over the decades successfully proved to be an ambassador of goodwill and friendship and will continue to do so forever.
So here's wishing all you football-buffs a happy footballing life....may you enjoy the game forever...and don't forget to yell your lungs out for your favorite team !!!!!!