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If any sport can be termed as the truest representative of a game played throughout the world with equal fervor and passion, Soccer officially named Association Football or more popularly in most part of the world as Football, is no doubt the only winner. Currently there are 300,000 soccer clubs worldwide comprising of 240 million players in 2005 alone1 There may be a billion players of soccer being playing throughout every nook and corner of every city, village or a stadium but all of them share the exact same instinct amongst them, the very passion to play the game. No game has ever enjoyed the stature and magnitude of success which soccer has accumulated in recent history and the money involved is simply outrageous where transfer fees for players to world class football clubs average in millions of dollars or pounds. Soccer’s history none-the-less is no less interesting and here’s a brief history of the global sport.

Soccer or football as it is most commonly known around the world is said to be as old as 2nd or 3rd century B.C. with “Tsu’Chu” being the name of the game which ancient Chinese armies used to play. The ball back then was made up of feathers and the players used to kick it in order to gain ball control and foot strength. It later evolved into another ancient game where the player had to shoot a small soccer-like ball through a tight circular target. Juggling of the soccer ball and all the game tricks are therefore not a new thing for today’s soccer players.

Another version of the game arose in South America where it was considered a sacred ritual which perhaps ended bloodily for the winner by cutting the winners head and the collected blood offered to the god of choice by the religious leader (most commonly known to be associated with the Aztecs)

However modern soccer, or football, as as we know today got into shape around the middle of the 19th century, when rugby, another ancestral sport, parted ways and professional soccer leagues came into existence in UK and other European countries. Along the next 100 years or so, soccer as we know today evolved; meaning that all the rules and regulations regarding the game were redefined. During the 20th century again the stalwarts of the soccer again met and they decided to hold the football world cup after every 4 years.

Soccer now is enjoying even more popularity with modern television coverage of all major competitions including the FIFA World Cup, regional clubs in all continents as well as professional leagues which bring in $400 Billion annual revenues, 80% of which is being earned by Europe.

With revenues from endorsements to advertising by branded companies and ever increasing television coverage around the world has brougt Soccer to center stage in most countries and brings in viewerships in billions when times comes to the FIFA world cup every four years.

With the internet age, watching football online has also gained immense popularity with internet coverage of live football matches from around the world; ideal for travelers who enjoy the sport or who do not receive the coverage of matches or perhaps enjoy watching live football streams from the comfort of their homes and now even through their smart phones in their pockets!

Resources:

1 http://www.loc.gov/rr/business/BERA/issue3/soccer.html

nascar history HD

Baseball bats have an important and fascinating story. When baseball bats were presented to the game of baseball they were available in many different sizes and shapes and were crafted of wood. In the middle of the 1800′s baseball was initially a fairly young sport and baseball batters in fact designed their own bats. These bats were made in many different lengths and designs. Throughout this specific unique moment in baseball history, players played around with several different types of wood for their bats to be able to enhance hitting capability. They quickly understood that wagon tongue lumber the very best wood for making baseball bats. Within just five years, the round baseball bat started to be really popular. Almost all baseball players ended up using a round wagon tongue bat.

Due to the fact of all the different sizes and shapes of bats, a new regulation ended up being put in place around 1859 through the Professional National Association of Baseball Players Governing Committee which voted in favor that bats cannot be larger than 2.5 inches in diameter, however one more rule ended up being added that said the actual baseball bat could be not be longer than 42 inches which still applies to baseball rules today.

The introduction of light weight aluminum bats in the 70′s permanently transformed the sport of baseball at each and every stage. Light weight aluminum baseball bats are more powerful and also can easily hit a baseball drastically further than old wooden bats. As time has moved on, so did the engineering put into aluminum bats. Metal inside bats nowadays is actually the same kind of metals used in airplanes. Researchers have created more powerful alloys that they use to make the bats stronger than ever before. In recent times, bat designers have launched improvements such as the bats with double walls. Some of the actual high end bats are so thing that they only last literally a few games before getting dented out of shape. Titanium mixed with aluminum is another addition added to the baseball bat family. Titanium is light and portable as well as extremely strong, making it possible for improved swing action.

What does Memphis, Tennessee have in common with big cities like Chicago? A truly significant number of historic structures would be the result of the query. The city can boast of over eleven thousand national register listings. However, while old buildings and antebellum architecture is visible everywhere, Memphis realty has not stayed locked in past architectural designs. The monetary cycles, plagues, and wars of the wider country have all effected the architectural style of the city. An attempt to apply modern principles can also be seen throughout the wider urban area. The predictable growth of Memphis, central hub for Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee was hampered in the 1870s by a series of epidemics that cut the population almost in half, reducing it to 32,000. The city slowed down and boasts few buildings from that period. Homes prior to the epidemics can still be viewed, especially in the midtown area. Federal Brick architecture and Italian Villa style can be seen around Memphis. Victorian, Italian, and French designs can be appreciated in Central Gardens, the Evergreen Historic District, and Annesdale Park. The 1890′s ushered in an era of functionality and utilarianism in Memphis realty design. Unnecessary applied decorations were eliminated, buildings were to be “regular” looking rather than symmetrical, and volume was more important than mass.

The influence of modernism spread from residential to commercial and even industrial properties. Many of the older buildings on Union Ave., Main St., Second St., and Madison were torn down, replaced by more modern steel frame buildings designed by Chicago architects. Other older buildings were resurfaced to appear modern. Skyscrapers started appearing by 1914, and streetcars encouraged the development of subdivisions such as Central Gardens, Estival Park, and Annesdale Park. These new suburban residential areas became middle class modernist communities. High quality materials were used for spacious homes with large yards. Smaller dwellings tended toward Craftsman style or a modern version of Greek Revival design. Occasionally, an imitation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School style was also interspersed, boasting bands of wooden casement windows, horizontal lines, and deep overhanging roofs.Very utilitarian housing projects were also included, but it wasn’t until 1924 that the city started designating certain areas to be residential, commercial, or industrial. Atypically for Memphis, Memphis led the nation in focusing on the design of smaller affordable homes. The Memphis small builder’s association published a catalogue with more than a hundred design plans costing less than six grand.

Also, local architects offered their services at a reduced rate. Memphis’s special interest in home ownership dates from the Great Depression. Patriotic fervor during the Second World War slowed adoption of modern European design. International styles lost popularity with the association with the feuding Europeans. However, in the late 1950s, Mies van der Rohe made an attempt to reinvent modern architecture with 1-2 story steel framed houses with glass-curtained walls and free standing central stairways. Not really popular, the effort gradually died out in Memphis realty although his work can still be seen there today. Today, Memphis has had a prolonged buyer’s market, and hopeful home owners can choose from fine homes in the downtown and riverfront areas. The city is slowly revitalizing itself, growing from the west. Older buildings are being saved with Midtown especially retaining an antebellum grace. In the far east, faux-estates with acreage abound. While there are homes for sale in every price range, values are appreciating, and the higher the price the more the competition. If you’ve got a family to wean Memphis offers professional basketball, museums galore, a packed annual festival calender, a variety of cultured activities, and a laid back southern drawl. That’s a basic description of the history of Memphis realty.

The Texas Rangers are a Major League baseball club in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The Rangers play in the American League West division. The team got its name from the Texas Rangers police squad. While their home stadium’s name has changed over the years, it is currently called Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The original franchise launched in 1961 as the Washington Senators, in Washington D.C. Following the 1971 season, the Senators were no more, and the team relocated to the Dallas area.

End of Futility

The Rangers are members of an exclusive club of teams that have never reached the World Series. The other teams are the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals. Only the Rangers and Nationals have never won a playoff series. The Rangers hope to exit this group this season, as they are in first place, and for the first time, have what analyst Nate Silver calls the “secret sauce”.

While the Rangers have never won a pennant, the distinction sounds worse than it is. They have only played in Texas since 1972. Since then, many other teams have failed to go deep into October.

If you include their years in Washington, the Rangers franchise is the longest running franchise in any of the four primary American pro sports leagues that has never won a trophy. That said, the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giants won their latest championships before the Rangers came into existence.

Ownership Change

In 2009, team owner Tom Hicks was reported to have defaulted on a $525 million loan. In April of that year, Hicks declared that he was inclined to put a minority stake in the team up for sale. One month later, the Hicks Sports Group announced its intention to sell the team in its entirety. Later in the year, Hicks had to borrow money from MLB to satisfy payroll demands.

In August of 2010, an ownership group comprising of Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan took over the team.

Arsenal FC is one of the most rooted football clubs of England. Not only they are old but also they are known to be one of the most successful clubs in the football history. They were called Dial Square when they were first founded in 1886. Soon after they were renamed as Royal Arsenal and finally they got their current name as Arsenal FC. The team became professional in 1891 and joined the football league of England in 1893. Their home ground is known as Emirates Stadium. Arsenal won 13 First Division and Premier League titles in their history. The chairman of Arsenal football club is Peter Hill-Wood, and their manager is Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal has millions of supporters around the world, and they are called as “The Gunners” by their supporters. They are the second club in the Premier League that has attended the most number of matches. Arsenal is known to be the second most valuable football club in the world. They are also the originator of some of the very famous players like Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, Patrick Vieira and William Gallas. Arsenal FC plays charity matches as well, and they performed a special charity program in 1985 by playing several matches for social welfare agencies.

Finally, let me give you some statistics about Arsenal. 2004 was one of their best seasons as they won 49 matches in that season. Their best goalkeeper is David Seaman who also holds the appearance record of 563 matches. Thierry Henry, played from 1999 to 2007, is their top scorer with 226 goals in total. The youngest first-team player is Cesc Fabregas at the age of 16 years. And Ted Drake is the player holding the record for the most goals in a season by 44 goals in 1934-1935.

I tried to give you some brief information about Arsenal FC history in this article. I hope you liked it.

The earliest record on the ice hockey was on some Dutch publications in 17th century. The gentlemen were skating with a round cake on the icy river in a pair of shoes tied a bone edge. In the early 19th century, there started to be some records of a similar game played by a Canadian, Micmac Indians. What he used were sticks and round cakes. Yet another argument is that ice hockey was originated from an ancient American sport – lacrosse. However, the most widespread and also widely accepted is that the ice hockey evolved from the hockey, which originated in northern Europe and has more than 500 years of history. The British soldiers resided in Canada introduced the sport in North America.
On December 25, 1885, the first ice hockey game was held in Kingston of Canada. Later in 1858, this sport was spread to Europe. The disk-shaped ice hockey of rubber ran into Canada in 1860. On March 3, 1875, the first official ice hockey game was held on Victoria Rink in Montreal, Canada between two teams of McGill University. At that time, each team had 30 players on the court at the same time. In 1879, one student, W.F. Robertson and one professor, R.F. Smith of this university jointly developed the rules of the contest. Thus, every team had 9 people ever since.
In Canada, ice hockey quickly became the most popular item. In 1885, the first Amateur Hockey Association was formed, and then every hockey lover could join them. However, the unreasonable was that the association was collecting certain fee from the amateur enthusiasts. When coming to this stage, the athletes began to use more protective gears to ensure the safety of the body, such as the goalkeeper started the shin plate and mask.
Later, the ice hockey quickly swept every corner of the United States and Europe. In 1893, the Canadian ice hockey team offered a show for the first time in the United States. Later in 1902, the first European Ice Hockey Club was established in Switzerland the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace was formed in Paris, but now its name is the International Ice Hockey Federation, whose headquarter is in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1910, the first European Ice Hockey Championship was hosted and the British won. Seven years later, the NHL was set up, but there were only six teams until 1967. In recent years, the NHL has already become the world’s league of highly successful professionalization and commercialization.
In 1912, Canadian National Hockey Association firstly created the six-a-play and it is still used by IIHF. The NHL’s influence is also growing. As the importance of NBA to the world’s basketball, the Stanley Cup of the United States Hockey League has also become a legendary honor. In addition, it has been honorable enough to be one of the significant akegeesports.

Superbowl History

SUPER BOWL HISTORY

The year was 1966, and war was raging in professional football. It was a bidding war for talent and it had been going on since the American Football League came onto the scene in 1960 to challenge the National Football League, 40 years its senior. At first, the battles were for college players, and the AFL scored an early victory when a court ruled in favor of the Houston Oilers over the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams after both clubs had signed Billy Cannon, the Heisman Trophy winning halfback at Louisiana State.

Although the leagues agreed to a “no tampering” rule on existing player contracts, the stakes became high for college talent. Bonuses went sky-high. The AFL’s New York Jets signed Alabama quarterback Joe Namath in 1965 to a $400,000 contract, the largest amount ever for a collegian. In 1966, the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons gave Texas linebacker Tommy Nobis a $600,000 package and the Green Bay Packers forked over $711,000 to Texas Tech running back Donny Anderson.

Meanwhile, veteran players were settling for small raises on relatively small salaries. For example, John Brodie, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, received $35,000 in 1965 and was asking for a raise to $65,000 after leading the NFL in completions, completion percentage, yardage and touchdown passes. Then came a back-breaker. Buffalo placekicker Pete Gogolak, who had played out his option in 1965, signed with the NFL’s New York Giants. The “no tampering” code had been broken. The conflict was in the open, and it was time for action.

On April 7, 1966, peacemaker Joe Foss resigned as AFL commissioner and the next day Al Davis, general manager of the Oakland Raiders, took over. Davis was a hawk in regard to the NFL, and he had a plan. Davis organized an AFL war chest and urged owners to start talking to established NFL stars. The NFL had bragged of its superiority because of the caliber of its quarterbacks. Davis wanted to sign those quarterbacks for the AFL.

The Raiders quickly signed Los Angeles quarterback Roman Gabriel to a commitment starting in ’67. Houston offered the 49ers’ Brodie $75,000, spread over 10 years, to sign a five-year deal with the Oilers. Reportedly, eight of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks were dickering with the AFL. The NFL had no choice. On June 8, 1966, two months after Davis became the AFL commissioner, a merger agreement was announced. There would be a common draft starting in 1967, interleague preseason games starting in ’67 and regular-season play combining the leagues in 1970. Territorial indemnification of $18 million was to be paid to the 49ers and Giants over a 20-year period. Most important, from the standpoint of football fans, was the immediate establishment of a championship game between the leagues. This was the AFL-NFL World Championship Game — which was popularized as the Super Bowl from its inception.

Gabriel never went to the Raiders and Brodie never left the 49ers, but Brodie collected a million dollars on the agreement he had made in his talks with Houston. Davis resigned as AFL commissioner a month after the merger. He clearly had won his battle.

Reserve your Superbowl Limo Today

If you’re a Miami football fan, you’re no doubt looking forward to the 2009 Superbowl as much as Millenium is. When the big game rolls around, you can rely on Millenium making your experience even better. Keep an eye out on the Millenium website for sports-event-related specials, and keep your fingers crossed for the Dolphins.

The New York Jets began play in 1960, when they were known as the New York Titans. They were a founding member of the American Football League. They spent their first few years as a mediocre team before becoming one of the AFL’s top teams in the late 60s under the direction of star quarterback Joe Namath.

The Jets were instrumental in the merger between the AFL and NFL. In 1968, the Jets defeated Oakland in the AFL Championship game, allowing them to play against the NFL champion Baltimore Colts. The game was being referred to for the first time as the “Super Bowl.” The Jets were thought to be overmatched by their counterparts from the superior NFL. Namath was undeterred, guaranteeing a Jets victory. He then went out and backed up his claim by playing in one of the biggest upsets in football history, defeating the Colts 16-7. The game proved that the AFL was capable of competing with the NFL.

In 1968 the Jets were also a part of one of the most famous moments in television history. After the Jets took a 32-29 lead with 1:05 left against the Oakland Raiders, NBC cut to commercial and then began to show the movie Heidi. Fans were outraged, with so many calling the network that they knocked out the NBC switchboard. Although NBC decided to show the conclusion of the game, it could not be communicated and the movie aired as planned.

The fans were even more outraged when the game ended with the Raiders ahead 43-32. The game resulted in sports leagues and networks changing their rules so that all games would be broadcasted until the game was officially over, even if that cut into network programming.

The Super Bowl of 1968 ended up being the pinnacle of Joe Namath’s career. The charismatic quarterback suffered from many injuries throughout the 70s, causing the Jets to struggle in the immediate years following the merger. He was let go following a dismal 1976 season in which he threw for 4 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He eventually signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he would retire after just four games.

In 1981, the Jets enjoyed their first winning season since Namath’s departure. They were led by quarterback Richard Todd and defensive linemen Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko. The two defensive linemen combined for over 40 sacks in 1981 and would come to be known as “The New York Sack Exchange.” They would go on to make the playoffs, eventually lose to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card game.

In 1983, the Jets upset the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in the first round. They would go on to defeat the top-seeded LA Rams to earn a spot in the AFC Championship game. They played against the Miami Dolphins in Miami following severe rain storms in Florida, causing the field to be a muddy mess. The muddy field had a negative effect on both offenses, with neither team gaining over 200 yards in total offense. The game, known as the “Mud Bowl,” ended with the Dolphins on top.

The 1998 season resulted in the Jet’s greatest success since the days of Namath. Coach Bill Parcells led them to a 12-4 record. They ended the season by playing in the AFC Championship game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

Looking forward, the Jets have a bright future. Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez exceeded all expectations this year by taking the Jets to the AFC Championship game. Coach Rex Ryan has done a great job getting his team to focus on running the ball and playing defense. Those are two of the core ingredients for success for playoff football. The Jets will build on last year’s success and should be a contender in the AFC for years to come.

Over the entire World Cup History, a variety of players have made history, themselves. To retire with a World Cup is the dream of many players around the world and much at the influence of player such as these. In honor of the FIFA World Cup ready to begin, here is a list of my top four of the very greatest performances ever seen in the history of the tournament.

4. Gerd Müller 1970, West Germany

It was 1970 when a rather young German by the name of Gerd Muller showed the World Cup and awe inspiring performance as he lead Germany to third-place.

He was able to score in two hat tricks consecutively in the Group Stage against Peru and Bulgaria and placed West Germany in the quarterfinals.

There, Muller scored the winning goal against England. This set up the semifinal match with Italy where he scored twice in extra time. Although Italy made a great comeback and pulled out a 4-3 win in what was referred to as the “Game of the Century”, West Germany went on to win third place and this was largely credited to Muller.

3. Sándor Kocsis 1954, Hungary

The World Cup in 1954 began with an injury to Hungary’s forward Ferenc Puskas. This gave fellow forward Kocsis his legendary opportunity to amaze which he did with three and four goals achieved against both West Germany and South Korea.

He scored twice more in the quarterfinals against Brazil and two additional times in extra time playing Uruguay. This put Hungary in the finals. With a record total of 13 goals in the 1954 World Cup, Kocsis established a record that has yet to be beaten.

2. Pele 1958, Brazil

In the first internationally televised World Cup, Brazil was able to strut their stuff in front of the entire world as they won the World Cup, their most prominent player being that of 17 year old named Pele who slowly became noticeable throughout the Group Stage.

Pele scored the winning goal in the quarterfinal against Wales, which got Brazil into the semifinals. There, his hat trick against France got them into the World Cup playing Sweden where he continued to score two more times and Brazil won their very first World Cup.

1. Diego Maradona 1986, Argentina

Maradona began Argentina’s legendary World Cup with the tying goal in a Group A match with Italy who were the defending World Champions.

After the tie in the group stage, Maradona helped Argentina proceed onto the World Cup quarterfinal which would be against England. There, he became known for the two most famous goals of all time.

“The Hand of God” was the first goal which comprised of Maradona punching the ball over keeper Peter Shilton. The second of which was considered the “Goal of the Century” where he charged through the entire English defense from midfield to all the way to the goal. Maradona scored both of Argentina’s goals in a 2-1 win in the semifinal. Although he did not score in the final, he did pass the winning play and ended this World Cup with five goals and five assists.