How do you go off side in soccer?
According t
o the book Understanding Soccer: Rules and Procedures for Players, Parents and Coaches, the complex Offside-Rule is based on the notion that it is unsporting for attacking players to hang around the mouth of the goal, waiting for a pass and an easy score. With many exceptions and qualifications, attacking players are therefore generally prohibited from positioning themselves ahead of the ball. So, basically, in soccer the Offside-Rule is all about no cherry-picking!Who was Pele?
Edson Artantes do Nascimento, more famously known by his childhood nickname of Pele, is one of the best soccer players ever to play the game. Nearly three decades after his retirement from competitive soccer, he is still idolized in his home country of Brazil. His “bicycle kick” started not only a movement in aggressive play but spurred sports scientists to break down the mechanics of previously simple actions such as striking the ball. Since retiring from professional soccer, Pele has been an active participant in activities of the United Nations, including UNICEF and U.N. environmental initiatives. The honours he has received include an honourary British Knighthood in 1992 and recognition as Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 (although he never played in Olympic competition). In an age when video games have become universally popular, Pele is also noteworthy for being the first sports figure featured in a video game, a product of the Atari company that was called Pele’s Soccer. (Source: Biography Resource Centre in TBPL’s Virtual Collection)
Why is the official World Cup ball such a big deal?
The FIFA (International Federation of Association Football – the anagram makes sense in French!) Web site explains that the adidas Jabulani, which means “to celebrate” in isiZulu, is the 11th edition of adidas’s FIFA World Cub balls. The 11 colours that are present on the Jabulani pay tribute to both football and South Africa. They represent a colour for each team player, every official South African language, and for each of the 11 South African communities that will welcome the world next year. The design also celebrates two of the most important facets of the South African nation – diversity and harmony – as it is these principles that make it such a colourful and welcoming nation. The players are probably more concerned about the ball’s performance than its symbolism. Jabulani ushers in some major advances in football technology. It has a grip ‘n’ groove texture, which allows for maximum control, stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions. As opposed to the flat-paneled molding of previous adidas balls, Jabulani is made up of eight thermally bonded 3D panels that have been, for the first time ever, spherically molded to make this ball perfectly round. These features combine to make a football that is more accurate than ever before. If you are curious to see how this ball is made, go to YouTube and search for “Jabulani ball production.”
Is it possible to be TOO passionate about sports?
Yes: if you get stressed out watching your favorite sports team in action, you may face an increased risk of heart attack and other cardiac events, suggests a study in the January 31st, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers assessed cardiac events in 4,279 German citizens during the 2006 soccer World Cup in Germany. They found that on days of matches involving the German team, the number of cardiac emergencies more than doubled overall, tripled among men and increased fourfold in patients with known coronary artery disease. (Source: Men’s Health Advisor, May 2008, Academic OneFile, TBPL Virtual Collection)
So, soccer fans, enjoy the action on the local fields and on TV during the World Cup, but stay calm! Visit your Library in person or online to get all your soccer questions answered.
Joanna Aegard, Head of Virtual Services
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