How did soccer start?

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I can't wait to talk about soccer today. It's my favorite sport. I'm excited too. I've been researching all week. And by researching, I mostly mean looking at pictures of David Beckham. That counts, right? Anywho, I got you a little surprise. Is it another autographed picture of you? Believe it or not, better than that. A handmade greeting card? Even better. Close your eyes and stick your hands out. Ooh, what's it gonna be? It feels like a pair of tickets. Open your eyes.

It is a pair of tickets they say World Cup? Are you serious? We're going to the biggest international soccer tournament in the world? Oh, um, not that World Cup? Therefore, the World Cup Convention? It's the biggest drinkwear convention around. You mean like cups you drink out of? Exactly. So these tickets were surprisingly much more affordable than the World Cup soccer tickets. That would explain why the tickets are shaped like coffee cups.

Yep. This is the convention for cup lovers. You're gonna see so many kinds of cups. glass cups, plastic cups, compostable cups, cups with handles, cups with stems, cups with straws, cups for sipping, cups for dipping, cups for soup, cups for goop. Cups for goop? Yeah, where else are you supposed to keep your goop? A bucket? That's hilarious. What is a bucket but a giant cup? So true. One question. Are we still going to talk about soccer today? Are cups the best vessel for goo? Um, yes?

Then that's a yes, yeah, soccer episode here we come. You're listening to Forever Ago, part of the Brains On Universe. I'm your host, Joy Dolo, and I'm here today with my co-host Brooke from Needham, Massachusetts. Hi, Brooke! Today we're kicking back and talking all about soccer. And Brooke, you wrote to us with a question about this. Do you remember your question? Yeah, I wanted to know what's the history of soccer? Well Well what got you thinking about that?

So, like, soccer's been my favorite sport for like as long as I can remember. Mm-hmm. And I've always, you know, just really loved it. But one day I was just like, I love soccer so much, but what's the history? Like I wanna know the history behind it. So uh have you played soccer before? Oh yes. Uh I've been playing soccer since I was like three or four years old. Oh wow. For very long time, yeah. So what do you like about it?

I just really like the team concept and well obviously it's just really fun. But like sometimes I think like my brain goes way too fast and the strategy of it like makes me slow down, like think for a second. So it's also like good for like real life events. Do you have like a favorite post game snack that you like?

Yeah, so um I was actually um talking about this with my mom. I love Oreos. Factors Yeah, Oreos. I don't know why. They're just like so like ev like winner loss, like s a sweet tree honestly is just all I need. Yeah, yeah. Um have you been to any professional soccer games? Yes, I've been to two R New England Revolutions games. It's a men's New England soccer team. Okay. What was it like going into the arena and seeing everything?

I mean, like it was wild. And I really liked it. I was on the Jumbotron, like Yeah. That was really fun. Oh wow, just seeing your face in like the big audience. That's pretty cool. Oh yeah, that sounds really fun. So when you play soccer, what's your favorite position? Oh, I love striker. I mean I just like to go at the goal, you know what I mean? Yeah. The striker is mainly the one that's like going for the goal.

Yeah, and then there's like the wingers, which is like the kind of to the sides of the strikers. And there's mid the in the middle, but they're like in between the offense and the defense. They're midfield. They always like go up for attacking and down for defending. And then there's defense. And they're like kind of like stay back and like protect the goal from like getting any shots.

Okay. I think with your description, Brooke, I think I'm ready to start playing professional lens of soccer. Yeah. Yeah. I'm ready to go strike it out or, you know, defend the offense. Yeah, you know me.

of the most popular sports in the world, ranking number one in most countries in Africa. South America and Europe. It's estimated that there's over two hundred and forty million registered players across the B billions of soccer fans to boot. But there's nothing new about this. For thousands of years, humans have kicked balls around for fun. Over two thousand years ago in China, there's a game called Suju, which translates to kickballs.

Players would try to kick a leather ball into one central goal that was in the middle of the room. Like soccer, you weren't supposed to use your hands. But unlike soccer, you couldn't let the ball touch the ground. Kinda like playing kippee uppy with a balloon, but only using your feet. And instead of a balloon, it was a ball. That sounds super tricky, I'm impressed.

Yeah, me too. So meanwhile in medieval Europe there was a game called folk football or mob football, which often involved the whole town. Goalposts were placed on opposite ends of a town or village, sometimes miles apart. Opposing teams would try to use any means necessary to get the ball to the goal posts. The so-called ball was actually an inflated pig bladder. There was no limit on the number of players, so it truly became a mob of people.

There is also hardly a limit on bad behavior during the game. Kicking, punching, even biting were fair play. Uh, did you just bite me? Uh come on, that's gotta be a foul. Hey, don't hate the player. Hate the game. This here is mob football. What do you expect? So many different cultures throughout history have had games that involve kicking around a ball, but soccer, at least as we know it, really got its start in England in the mid eighteen hundreds.

Back in the mid eighteen hundreds, the light bulb hadn't even been invented yet. Most people got around by walking, train, or horse and buggy. It was also around the time of, you guessed it, the Industrial Revolution. Back then, rugby and soccer were thought of as two different versions of the same game. Like how we might think of softball and baseball. Right. So at the time, rugby and soccer weren't considered two separate sports, just different ways to play the same sort of kicking ball game.

All versions of these ball games were becoming really popular, especially at schools. And schools wanted to play against each other, but it was tough because everybody played the game a little differently. So in 1863, a bunch of people from schools across London came together to make some official rules. In the end, they declared the two different types of football. There was rugby football, which meant you could carry the ball with your hands.

And then there was association football, which wouldn't let you touch the ball with your hands, except for the goalies. The first official association football game was a year later in 1864 at a park in London. Spread to other parts of the English sailors, railroad workers, and immigrants introduced football to other countries. From France to Argentina to the USA. By 1908, Association Football had become an official Olympic. Association football came to be the soccer we know and love today.

But why do some people call it soccer, but others call it football? That is a stupendous question, and one we'll try to answer in a bit, but right now it's time for

This is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time. And today's three things are three cups. Yeah, you guessed it. So we've got we've got the no spill sippy cup, the disposable paper cup, and the chalice, which is kind of like a goblet, like a fancy cup with a stem and foot. So uh Brooke, have you heard of these types of cups before?

Oh yes, I actually remember I had a nose spill sippy cup for a long time because I could not stop spilling all over myself. Ha ha I had a problem with that. Yeah. Yeah. But um that's tricky. Yeah, yeah, it is tricky. You know, I I think they should have those no splits sippy cups for adults because if you ever see me in real life, look closely at my shirt because I tell you there's always coffee. I am always covered in co it just dribbles out of my mouth.

So like I can relate. Like at like lunch I am like prone to like n even if it's not a drink, like I'm sh I spill everything. Like earlier today I got like pasta sauce on my sweatshirt. I'm like, come on, man. Maybe this could be this should be like a reminder for everyone that you know and love. Just to look closely at everyone's shirts, especially if they're over the age of thirty. Because I'm telling you, your teachers have stuff. They have goo.

Okay, anyway, anyway, okay. So we have uh the no spill sippy cup, the disposable paper cup, and the chalice. So which do you think came first, second, and most recently in history?

Okay, so I'm definitely thinking that the uh chalice like the goblet definitely came like first because in like all those like medieval like set movies they always had like those goblets with like the fancy dinners with the royalty like it's like always had like the fancy encrusted stones on it you know like I always just like like when I think of that kind of cup I always think of like the medieval like the royalty and the high

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And like folklore and dragons and things like that. Yeah, yeah, totally. Okay. All right. That's a great guess. So number one is chalice. Yeah. And number two, okay, so this is kind of this is really tricky. I remember learning in like fourth grade science the um Plastic. It was kind of industrialized back in like the early, early nineteen hundreds. Mm. But also I don't like I can't imagine like the old timey people with their carriages having their no spell sippy cups either.

Ha ha. Yeah. I just can't imagine that. But um oh this is so tricky. I know it's So I'm gonna say the paper cups because it's not as like advanced'cause like I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um I think it's gonna be paper cups and then the no spill sippy cup. Okay, okay, those are really, really awesome and educated guesses. We love that. So we have the chalice first, and then the disposable paper cup, and then the no spill sippy cup. Should we lock it in? Let's pop it and lock it.

Let's pop it and lock it. Yeah, that's my girl Brooke. So we'll hear the answers at the end of the episode right after the credits. So stick around. This is the season I know but fret not we'll be back in August with brand new shine Ooh, so shiny. In the meantime, if you have a history question or an idea for an episode, send it our way. You can reach us at brainson.org slash contact. We also love getting compliments.

Poems and fan art. Maybe you've come up with your own personal anthem inspired by our national anthem episode. Or you do a picture of my spa. Whatever you're dreaming up. See it or hear it. Or maybe if I'm lucky, smell it? Huh? Who knows? And keep listening. I know everyone's

their home, but I really love my home. My home is my happy place where I can relax and I hope that my family, guests, and pets can relax as well. I take pride knowing that each element of my home says something about And that's why I love it. Ruggable has design led and performance built rugs that are perfect for my living room and my life. From foster sitting pets to family gatherings. has stain resistant and easy to clean rugs.

I can just throw my rug into the washer and get back to living my life. Now y'all know I'm a vibrant girl, so I was drawn to Ruggable's equally vibrant fresco midnight rug. The dark blue base with gorgeous pink and purple flowers that match my home so well, y'all. I had a dickens of a time choosing from the many different styles. There's Boho, African retro, farmhouse, but the fresco midnight rug has drawn the whole room together, making it

Way more cozy, peaceful, and adding just the right element to my living room. Refresh your home at ruggable.com. Get 10% off your first order site wide with promo code ForeverAgo at ruggable.com. That's all. G G A B L dot com and use code forever ago at

You're listening to Forever Ago. I'm Joy. And I'm bro. So earlier we learned about some ancient games that involved kicking a ball around, like Suju from China or mob football from medieval Europe. But soccer, as we know it, didn't become a thing until the late eighteen hundreds in England. Eventually, soccer spread to more and more places. Now it's the most popular sport on the planet. Here in America, we usually call it soccer.

But not everyone calls soccer soccer. In fact, most people in the world call the sport football. So why do some people call it soccer while others call it football? That is an excellent question and one with a couple of different theories. So for starters, some countries already have a sport called football. Like in America and Canada, football is the sport we associate with touchdowns and the Super Bowl.

And in Australia, there is Australian football, which they also call footy. But in most countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia, the sport us Americans know as soccer is called football. So if we call it soccer in America, Canada and Australia, did the name come from any of those places? The term soccer actually comes from England, which is kind of ironic because most everyone in England calls the sport football. That is so confusing. How did that even start?

Well, remember how back in the 1800s the schools in England were trying to differentiate rugby football from association football? They actually came up with nicknames to separate the two. I love a nickname. Let me guess. Did they name it Ruggy and Associate? Honestly, not far off. At the time, it was really popular to add an ER to the end of a word to make it sound like cool slang. Like Brooker or Joyer?

Um I want to be called Joyer for the rest of my life. Exactly. So people started calling rugby football rugger and association football soccer. Okay, I can understand how rugger is short for rugby, but how is soccer is soccer short for association? So the theory is they shortened association to the first five letters to make aside. So A S S O C then added the trendy E R at the end to make a soccer. Eventually they dropped the A and it just became soccer. That's quite the evolution.

Yeah, so association football became known as soccer in England. And what's even more confusing is people used both the name soccer and football at the same time. Check out this New York Times article from nineteen oh five. English soccer team won football match. A clean, well-played contest, bristling with clever passing, intricate dribbling, capital dodging, and exceptionally hard kicking. What a review. Whoa, they used both names in the same sentence, soccer and football?

Right. Meanwhile in the US, they were also using both names. The United States Soccer Federation used to be called the United States Soccer Football Federation, and before that, just the United States Football Federation. So what changed? Why does the US mostly just say soccer now? It's hard to pinpoint exactly why or when the shift happened, especially because both the US and the UK used the terms soccer and football interchangeably well into the nineteen eighties.

Eventually, the term football won out in the UK as the sport gained more and more attraction. So soccer is a British term, even though the majority of people there now prefer the word football. And there's more information for that football after we check the mailbag.

Let's see what we got. Oh, it's a note from a parent named Kelly about her kid Addie. Kelly says, the episode on mayonnaise lives rent-free in my kid's head. I don't know why, but she's always ready with mayo facts when it comes up. Yesterday she wanted a grilled cheese and I got out the butter and she said, no, use mayo. It makes it crispier. It was in the podcast. So she wanted Joy Dolo to see the crispy golden result. Oh wow, that is actually a beautiful sandwich.

You can see the golden, the golden layer on there from the disgusting mayo, but I'm sure it tastes pretty good. Um and there's ketchup too, which is one of my favorite condiments. Awesome. Thanks so much for sharing and thanks for that mail report. If you wanna send us something, do it. I love mail. Go to brainson.org slash contact. Thank you so much, Addy. I'm Brooke. I'm Joy, and we're still talking all things soccer, also known as football.

And we can't do an episode about soccer without mentioning the World Cup. It's a huge international soccer tournament that happens every four years. Not to be confused with the World Cup I was thinking of, the Cup Convention showcasing all the drink wear of my dreams. An easy mistake. Yep. So this year the World Cup is being hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The first World Cup was almost a hundred years ago, back in nineteen thirty in Uruguay.

Different nations competed, including Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru. USA, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia. Final match was between Argentina and Uruguay. So here's a cool bit of trivia. Before the whole tournament even started, both Argentina and Uruguay insisted on playing with their own soccer balls. So when the two countries went up against each other in the final match, there was a fierce debate over which Use.

Ultimately, they decided to play half the game with Argentina's ball And the second half with Uruguay's balls. In the end, Uruguay won and the country that was hosting the games was also crowned the champion. 13 different nations competed in the first World Cup. This year it's up to 48 different countries. Don't forget there's also the Women's World Cup. The first one was back in 1995. And the next one will be in twenty twenty seven.

Wow, all this cup talk has got me thirsty. What do you say we celebrate with a nice cold cup of goop? If we can drink it out of curly straws, I'm it. That's what I like to hear. Get your favorite goop cup and meet me in the kitchen. We're gonna goop it up. Hundreds, even thousands of like mob football in medieval Europe or Tsuju from ancient China. But soccer, as we know it, started in the late 1800s in England. It was called association football.

Association football was likely shortened to the nickname soccer. Depending on where you live, you might call it soccer or you might Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet. This episode was written and produced by Ruby Guthrie. It was also produced by Michael. Engineering help from Rafi Sophie. with sound design by Rachel Breeze, original theme music by Mark Sanchez. And if you want access to ad-free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our SmartyPath.

Okay, Brooke. Are you ready to hear the answers for first things first? I'm so ready, Joy. Oh yes, I'm ready to goop it up. I don't think that's how you use that term. It's okay. No. Turn me turn into a slang word. Take two, take two. Yeah Liberty Giblets. Okay. So Rick just as a reminder, we had the three different kinds of cups and you said chalice was first, then the disposable paper cup, and then most recently was the no spill sippy cup.

Yeah. I I have a bad feeling about this for some reason. No, I believe in you, Brooke. I believe in you. You know, you sh yep. Everyone should believe in me. Yeah. Is everybody listening? Everybody listening? Yeah. Brooke, are you listening? Because you got it all right. Actually? Yeah, for real. Woo! Oh yeah. Yeah, I goop it up.

So yeah, you're absolutely right. The chalice or the goblet was from the the bronze age and is that's a period between thirty three hundred and twelve hundred BC when humans were first starting to work with metal. And so chalices or goblets can be traced back to the Bronze Age, a period between thirty three hundred and twelve hundred BCE, when humans first started to work with metal.

One of the earliest goblets discovered was the silver Ein Samiya cup in Palestine, which dates back over four thousand years ago. Oh that's that's a very long time. Yeah, that's wild. It's wild. So that was a long time ago in the Bronze Age. And then next up, the disposable paper cup was from 1908. Oh. Yeah. You know, I th I thought it was something of like the O's, you know, like the O eight, O seven, you know?

Yeah, yeah, totally. Uh but the first disposable paper cup was invented by Boston inventor Lawrence Llewellyn in nineteen oh eight. So we're right by you out there in Massachusetts. Okay, Boston. Yeah, come through, Boston. Yeah. A few years later, Lawrence teamed up with another man, Hugh Moore. and started marketing the cup as a health cup with a K. At the time, public water stations used communal cups called dippers, which looked like metal ladles.

You. So the team marketed their disposable paper cup as a life-saving drinking technology that would help stop the spread of diseases. So the cup was later renamed the Dixie Cup after a brand of dolls by the same name. So you've heard of the Dixie Cup, yeah? Oh yeah, I've also heard of like the Dixie paper plates. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's where it all started, nineteen oh eight.

Yes, yes. And so last and certainly not least is the no spill sippy cup, which was invented in nineteen eighty-eight. So that's really recent. Yeah. Yeah. So it was invented by parent and mechanical engineer Richard Belanger in the late nineteen eighties. And Richard was growing tired of cleaning after his son who kept spilling his drink time and time again. So r you know, we know that story. Yeah, I think my parents can relate.

Yeah, yeah. So Richard wanted to make a solution and he had worked with glue guns as a mechanical engineer, so he knew how nozzles worked, and he experimented putting different mouthpieces on Tupperware until eventually the sippy cup was born. And also congratulations by getting them all right. Woo, thank you. The last episode of I know. Thank you so much. August. If you have an idea for an episode, you can let us know at brainzon.org/slash contact. Thanks for listening.