Full Description
How did a simple kicking game conquer the world? In this concise yet comprehensive history, sports historian Brian D. Bunk traces soccer's unlikely, meteoric rise, showing how a pastime humbly rooted in English schoolyard contests grew to become the planet's most popular sport. Today, soccer is a cultural and economic juggernaut: The World Cup, the sport's crown jewel, is now our most-watched sporting event, and one of soccer's biggest stars, Cristiano Ronaldo, is the world's most-followed person on social media. Soccer even has the power, as Bunk's surprising history recounts, to sway elections and topple governments. Drawing on key historical and contemporary events both on and off the field, from famous victories to the dark money and backroom deals that now power the game at its highest levels, Bunk shows us the many ways that a single soccer goal today may not only electrify a sold-out stadium but reverberate around the world.
The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.
Contents
Introduction
The Origins of Soccer
Soccer around the World
Soccer Professionals
Soccer Clubs
Soccer Stars
Soccer Tactics
International Soccer
Violence and Tragedy in Soccer
Soccer as Business
Soccer and Politics
Conclusion
Notes and Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
