Football, also known as association football or soccer, is a team sport in which players play in specific positions. Teams consist of 11 players on each side. There are also special teams and substitutions. Most football teams have 30 to 40 players on a regular basis. Teams value teamwork and the overall talent of their players. Football is the most watched sport in the world, and the World Cup has double the audience of the Summer Olympics.
A game of football can be traced back to the 15th century, although the Football Act 1424 was passed a century later. Nevertheless, evidence from 1633 shows that schoolboys were playing “football” in Aberdeen, Scotland. The word “pass” was also used during this time, though it is not clear if the players were simply hitting the ball.
Games involving the kicking of a ball have been played by indigenous people for thousands of years. The English explorer John Davis is believed to have played football with Inuit in Greenland in 1586. The Inuit played a similar game on the ice called Aqsaqtuk. Another game that may be a distant cousin of football is Pahsaheman, a game played by Native Americans.
Baseball is another sport that dates back to the late 19th century and is played throughout the world. An estimated 825 million people follow the sport. The game is played by two teams who dribble a ball up the court and shoot it into a net shaped like a hoop. It is an excellent sport for people who like to run and jump. It also has a high participation rate in many countries, and is accessible to any age group.
