Why Has Football Become So Popular?

Today, during the break between exams, I felt worn out, drained, and a bit frustrated. I decided to take a moment and jot down my thoughts.

I had a choice between writing about football, given its timely relevance, and sharing my masochistic tendencies. Instead of picking one, I thought, why not tackle both at once?

Starting with football, with the World Cup in the spotlight, I figured I’d share my thoughts on its global impact. This idea came from a Facebook chat with a friend and the cover of a book titled “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization.”

Now, why did soccer become such a global phenomenon? There’s no single theory. However, I have my own idea, which I’ll share here.

What Makes a Sport Popular?

The popularity of sports seems to depend on how predictable the outcomes are. It needs to strike a balance. This balance must be high enough for fans to feel connected to their heroes and see themselves as experts.

Yet low enough to allow for surprises. According to Rottenberg (1956), fan demand for a sport is closely tied to the unpredictability of its outcomes. A genuinely uncertain contest sustains interest far better than a lopsided one.

For example, American basketball has a balanced level of play, and results can be quite random. In contrast, short-distance running often has a clear favorite who usually wins. In both cases, it’s hard to have long discussions about winning odds with friends.

According to Neale (1964), this is a classic illustration of the “uncertainty of outcome hypothesis.” In fact, a highly one-sided event, like a race with an obvious favorite, tends to generate less sustained fan interest than a genuinely competitive one.

The duration of the game matters too. And it’s no coincidence that a soccer match lasts as long as a full-length movie—it’s the perfect length for entertainment.

What Are the Downsides of Soccer?

Now, onto the core issue. Soccer can be a real headache regarding its social impact.

Youth suicide prevention organizations are sounding alarms. This is significant because youth suicide is the third leading cause of death for those under 20. Injuries, concussions, and other physical harms in team sports can lead young people to consider ending their lives.

According to Bretzin et al. (2021), JAMA Network Open, documented concussion rates in adolescent soccer are substantial and notably higher among girls than boys. Overall, this underscores that this is a real physical health concern, not just an occasional headline.

Even the WHO is concerned. They estimated over 100,000 AIDS cases following this year’s World Cup, which was a grim legacy of a South African event.

How Has Politics Fueled Football Violence?

Politics also play a role.

Remember the Cold War when countries boycotted World Cups due to political reasons and the Iron Curtain. Then there’s the “football war,” the 1969 conflict between El Salvador and Honduras, sparked by Honduras’s loss in El Salvador.

This already tense rivalry led to a brief war causing 3,000 deaths. Today, football still triggers violence.

For instance, when Andres Escobar scored an own goal in the 1994 World Cup, Colombia didn’t advance. Furthermore, he was killed shortly after.

In 2000, Ivory Coast players faced threats of army enlistment following a poor performance in the African Cup of Nations. More recently, during the 2021 European Championship, a 23-year-old Polish fan fatally stabbed a friend. The argument concerned the effectiveness of Polish players against Germany.

On March 16 last year in Iraq, during a local match between Sinjar and Buhayra, a spectator shot a player dead. This happened just as the player was about to equalize for his team.

So, the next time you feel anger rising because your favorite team is losing. Or you’re tempted to lash out, remember this: it’s a natural reaction. Unfortunately, the ball seems to breed aggression.

According to van der Meij et al. (2015), PLoS ONE, fan aggression is measurably linked to biological factors like low basal cortisol. Furthermore, it is linked to perceptions of referee fairness, not just team loyalty.