Revised Compare and Contrast Paper

Soccer Versus Hockey

            Until the day he died, Bob Marley always enjoyed two things in life, music and soccer.  In fact, soccer is an important part life for the majority of the world.  According to Fifa (Federation International Football Association), 700 million people worldwide watched the World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain on television (Dunbar).  Soccer, called “futball” outside of the United States, is a game of skilled, majestic play.  Another sport popular to the world is hockey.  Hockey is a game full of speed and power, with magic goals and bone crushing hits, and, of course, the occasional fight.  Played on ice, it is one of the more challenging sports to get grasp.  Compared side-by-side, two sports offer similar, yet different, aspects of sport.  One is more tactical and meticulous, the other aggressive and gritty.  But, one thing everyone can agree on, they are two of the most popular sports in the world.

            Soccer and hockey are similar based on the fact that both are extremely popular.  As stated earlier, 700 million people world wide watched the Fifa world cup final.  The most popular hockey game of late, the United States versus Canada gold medal final in the Vancouver Olympics, was watched by 114 million people around the world (Podnieks).  The basic rules of the game are similar as well. The object of both games is to put the puck/ball in the net the most.  The penalty system is similar as well, punishing players more severely for more serious infractions.  Both even have similar penalties, such as an offside call and tripping.  Both use a goalie, and have similar attacking and defending styles.  Also, the overtime system is alike.  When teams are tied at regulation, both sports have them continue playing for a set time.  If the game remains tied, then a penalty shootout takes place.

            As similar as the two sports seem, there are surprisingly many differences.  There are obvious differences in the playing surface and equipment, but it goes much more beyond that.  Soccer is an extremely diverse sport, with just about every single country supporting soccer.  It is extremely popular in the Latino based countries, with some of the best nations and players of soccer come from.  Brazil has forever planted itself as the legendary soccer nation, where players develop their skill individually and later learn team play.  This is where the creative aspect of the game is developed.  Hockey, on the other hand, is not very diverse.  Hockey is in large part played by predominately white nations.  To put this in perspective, there are only eighteen African American players played in the NHL between 1958 and 1991 (Morrison) and only a handful of latinos and asians.  This is due to the fact that those nations are warm, and hockey is played on ice.  Obviously, hockey is dominated by Canada, the United States, Russia, Czech Republic, and Sweden.  All of these countries are similar through their colder temperatures.  Another interesting fact is that those nations don’t tend to field world class soccer players

            Another difference, which again can go along with the region at which the sport is played, is the expense of each sport.  Hockey is an expensive sport, where many different types of pads are required to play.  Skates alone can cost you four hundred dollars if you want the best.  A solid stick can also be costly.  On top of that, the sticks break, meaning you would need two or three at a time.  Ice time would also have to be scheduled, and can be very costly.  Soccer, on the other hand, can be played with ease.  Any open space could do, and for the most part, there aren’t any pads. Shin guards are all you need, but most players don’t wear them.  A ball can last years, and nets can be made with trash cans.  The better players of the world tend to come from the streets, where they learn their raw skills.  Soccer is really the only sport available to the underdeveloped nations.

            Soccer and hockey share similar qualities in the object of the game, yet the type of player is different.  It is interesting that two sports with the same basic concept can differ so much.  Soccer is the classy, beautiful game that the entire world loves.  Hockey is the blue-collar, gritty sport that the world loves, which again is interesting due to the types of players that play that sport.  They are similar, yet different.     

Works Cited

Dunbar, Graham.  Fifa Expects 700 Million to Watch World Cup Title.  11 Jul. 2010.  2 Oct. 2010 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/11/fifa-expects-700-million-watch-world-cup-final.html.

Morrison, Michael, and Chris Frantz. "African American Hockey Players in the NHL: History & List of Players — Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmhockey1.html

Podnieks, Andrew. "FROM CANADA TO ITALY TO BRAZIL, THE 2010 OLYMPICS MADE NHL PLAYERS MORE GLOBALLY FAMOUS THAN EVER BEFORE." Canadian World Hockey Summit. 25 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010. http://www.worldhockeysummit.com/index.php/ci_id/141231/la_id/1.htm