The Beautiful Game

Heard an interesting fact about soccer. According to Declan Hill author of The Fix (a book I've been meaning to read) 5% of all humanity (that is, encompassing of all mankind's history) watched the World Cup final in 2006 between France and Italy.

Wow.

Any questions as to which sport is the most popular?

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One book I am currently reading happens to be a soccer book. The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinnis. It's a fantastic read. I'm only 100 pages in but I liked this passage explaining soccer:

"Once my defense mechanisms agains the glories of the sport had broken down, among the first of its elements to enchant me was the degree to which skilled players could execute all the basic maneuvers of a basketball player - dribbling, passing accurately, and shooting on target - using only their feet. Also while running non-stop (for there are no time-outs in soccer) over an area considerably larger than an American football field for a total of an hour and a half, all the while at the mercy of defenders who, unlike in basketball, were permitted to make frequent and often violent bodily contact."

Then there's the free direct and indirect kicks and corner kicks that seem harmless plays onto themselves but are complex in their actuality. In addition, an average soccer player runs the equivalent of 10 kms in one game - while getting hacked to bits by defenders. North Americans "sports" fans who bash the sport have no clue what they're talking about.