Getting the Ball Rolling

It's been too easy thus far, but I promise the well of corny soccer-related puns will run dry soon enough. I shouldn't be too surprised to imagine that any chance I have of a continuous readership will depend on it.
I am a college sophomore at James Madison University, and a lifelong soccer fan. I am starting this blog to present my thoughts and hopefully discuss them with others, on soccer. Particularly on how the game interacts with controversial societal and media issues.

If that sounds peculiar, its likely because professional sports, particularly in America, represent more of an exception to societal rules than barometers of their impact. Certain traits and a general degree of masculinity seem to come standard with any widely publicized professional athlete. However, soccer, or football as the countries where it exists predominantly know it by, has some traits that slightly vindicate it in this regard.

The most noteworthy of those is its viewership. Without exception, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. It is estimated that there are approximately 3.5 billion fans globally, and the professional game is comprised of more diversity than likely all of America's major leagues combined. Soccer's expansive reach gives it much more credibility as a measurement tool of societal trends.
With such a comprehensive fan base, the sports governing bodies are also naturally much more inclusive. National tournaments that assume a scale far greater than any comparable competition for another sport. On top of this, these tournaments are hosted all amongst said fan base, from South Korea to Uruguay.
Furthermore, soccer is more competition focused than any other marketed sport. There are two forty-five minute halves, with the only commercials coming in between highlights at halftime. There is less of an intrusion from advertising into the message and observation of the game. 

These traits give soccer a remarkable ability, relative to other sports, to provide a narrative of global issues in a open, passionate forum. It can capitalize on the pure emotion utilized and induced by sports whilst including an ample sample size from which to observe from.
As the sport has continued to expand, it has faced numerous issues from the societies it's assimilated into. Even established front's for the game, such as the supposed founders in England, have faced a disconcerting stretch of racism issues as of late. That same issue has plagued competitions in Italy, Russia and Asian countries as well, provoking an equally widespread debate on how best to address the issue. FIFA, soccer's governing body, has yet to present a solution, and this is just one of many issues I hope to address, albeit this one with some depth later on.

I have coursework with due dates staring at me from my desk, so this will have to suffice for my first post at the moment. Hopefully I  have sufficiently convinced you that I may be capable of providing entertainment. I would be honored to have already earned and retained your attention. If not, I implore you to to stick around for a second read next time. I am good for it. I'm an Eagle Scout.