Liberal Arts Blog — England and Soccer — Origins, David Beckham, Liverpool v Manchester
By: John Muresianu
Tags: Football, England, Liverpool, Liberal Arts Blog, Soccer

Liberal Arts Blog — Saturday is the Joy of Sports, Dance, Fitness, and All Things Physical Day

Today’s Topic — England and Soccer — Origins, David Beckham, Liverpool v Manchester

Growing up, I always thought of soccer as a Latin American sport. My first soccer ball was the gift of a friend of my father from Uruguay. The only friends I had who played soccer were from Latin America (or Spain). And Pele was the man. I was shocked to learn recently that the English invented it! Really? So I decided to plumb a few related mysteries such as was David Beckham the greatest British player of all time or just a celebrity? and, finally, what is the English equivalent of the Red Sox — Yankees rivalry? Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.

ANCIENT CHINA VERSUS ENGLAND — CUJU VERSUS MODERN “FOOTBALL”

1. The painting (13th century) above depicts Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty playing “cuju” with his ministers.

2. The consensus appears to be that while there were many ancient antecedents, modern soccer as we know it today, was invented by the English.

3. “The world’s oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C.W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872.”

NB: “The first international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England in Glasgow again at the instigation of C.W. Alcock. England is also home to the world’s first football league which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor. The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and Northern England.”

DAVID BECKHAM — cultural icon, “dead ball specialist,” passing and bending

1. In a recent survey of English fans, Beckham ranked number 6 among the “the 10 Greatest English Players of All Time.” However, if you widen the net to include the entire United Kingdom his ranking drops to #29. Not bad, but from a global perspective, not remotely in the same league as Pele, Maradona, Messi….

2. Beckham’s specialties were bending free kicks and passing, Hence the film “Bend It Like Beckham.”

3. A “fashion icon” especially after marrying one of the “Spice Girls” (Victoria Adams). For many defined the term “metro sexual.”

NB: Top Five Ranked English Players: Sir Bobby Charlton, Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard. The top UK player: George Best of Northern Ireland. Thoughts?

LIVERPOOL VERSUS MANCHESTER UNITED (1894–2020)

1. The rivalry has its roots in the 19th century. “Liverpool was England’s main port at this time and so charged the city of Manchester incredible taxes for access to the sea. Manchester then built their canal that would go through Liverpool to give them the feeling of superiority over them. This is why there is a boat on the United and Manchester City crests.”

2. Over 124 years, Liverpool’s claim to superiority: 6 European titles versus Manchester’s 3. Manchester’s claim: 20 league titles to Liverpool’s 19 plus in the head-to-head competition — 80 wins versus 67 for Liverpool.

3. The Pendulum: 1967–1992 — Liverpool is dominant, Manchester goes without a single league title. Then 1990–2020, major reversal: Manchester wins 13 league titles to Liverpool’s zero.

NB: But in 2020 Liverpool was triumphant! Why? New owners — from Boston! None other than John Henry, owner of the Red Sox!

Footnote: The image above is of the city of Liverpool’s coat of arms. The bird is a cormorant (also called a “liver bird”). The Latin motto can be translated: “God has bestowed these blessings on us.”

Manchester’s coat of arms:

Close-up of the “worker bees” which are Manchester’s symbol.

The 10 Greatest English Players Of All Time Have Been Named And Ranked

https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-soccer-players-from-united-kingdom/reference

David Beckham

David Beckham: Should Beckham Be Considered One of Football’s Greatest?

Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry

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YOUR TURN

Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to sports, dance, fitness. Or the coolest thing you learned about Sports, Dance, of Fitness in your life — whether on the field, on the dance floor or in the gym, whether from a coach, a parent, a friend, or just your own experimentation.

This is your chance to make some one else’s day. Or even change their life. It’s perhaps a chance to put into words something you have never articulated before. And to cement in your own memory something cool you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart.