Category Archives: Rules and Referees

Rethinking How We Treat Referees

It’s a fixture of headlines that appear with disturbing regularity: violence against and abuse of sports officials at all levels. And soccer isn’t exempt from the pattern. A well-documented phenomenon at both amateur and professional matches, instances of referee abuse are scattered across headlines from many professional leagues. Diego Costa, a striker for Atletico Madrid,… Read More »

Concussions: A Humorous Approach

You’ve probably never heard a Tarheels-Bulldogs matchup lauded about in the history books. In fact, you probably don’t even know who that is. And you shouldn’t. There is nothing too special about the Yale Bulldogs or the University of North Carolina Tarheels when it comes to soccer. However, you may be one of the 36.5… Read More »

A Case Study of Soccer Ethics

There are the published rules of the game, like the offsides rule, no hands, and so on. And then there are the actual rules of the games- the ones that aren’t necessarily published but guide the way we act and interact with the published set of rules. These unspoken rules, or norms, are what form… Read More »

What is going on in the soccer world right now…?

In the past three days, the soccer world has been flooded with terrifying stories of soccer-related bombings, Nazi chants, and even an attempted choking on an airplane. Although I haven’t been following the sport of soccer for very long, this burst of soccer-related violence and hate is both unexpected and depressing. But if anything, these recent events of violence… Read More »

¿Fue legal el gol más rápido de la historia?

Vuk Bakic, delantero serbio del GSP Polet, anotó este gol en el saque inicial del partido que su equipo ganó 4-1 en septiembre de 2012. Fue, casi literalmente, como si su equipo comenzara el partido con el marcador a favor. Ahora bien, el gol suscitó una gran polémica puesto que habría dos factores que no harían… Read More »

The Soccer Ball

The soccer ball was not always perfectly round. Over time, the soccer ball has changed significantly. In the early stages of soccer, in the middle ages, bladders of pigs were commonly used as soccer balls, and soon after, wrapped in leather to allow for rougher play and longer lifespan on the ball. The Vulcanized Rubber… Read More »