Football: The Sport Where the World Shakes Hands

A worldwide game that defines nations and brings people together as they compete
Rahman Mohamed

People of Earth: walking around the world, living in different nations, speaking different languages, and, greeting each other in a different way. But did you know there is something that unites people globally? Kicking a ball at a lone man standing between two bars with a mesh net behind him, the only one on the vast field that’s allowed to use his hands.

It’s true. Sports don’t just bring families and friends together; according to Kari L. Jaksa (2011), published in SAIS Review of International Affairs, “For many countries, sports are a major component of national identity. . . . [T]hese countries are defined as much by their sporting pursuits as they are by their politics, economy, and geography.” There it is, the same scene around the world: a family (or a bunch of guys) from one or many cultures/backgrounds sitting on a couch staring at a TV (or in the stands) watching: THE GAME.

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The Laws of the Game

How to play Football (the official rules from FIFA)
Rahman Mohamed

The FIFA Men’s World Cup is coming this summer to Brazil and FIFA Women’s World Cup next year to Canada. But do you know how to play the game?

Here’s a breakdown of the official “Laws of the Game” (last modified at their 127th Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2013)

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Raptors Roaring and Rebranding; Showing the North a Canadian Game

Toronto Raptors; returning from near extinction to conquer a Canadian game
Rahman Mohamed

Raptors Logo

Official Raptors Logo; Retrieved 19 April 2014

Not only that, there’s a new campaign.  CTV reported that the Raptors, the only NBA team north of the 49th parallel are advertising themselves as “We The North” in a new identity campaign to rally all of the Great White North behind them.  But why?

Basketball is a Canadian game.

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