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| | * [[Cristiano Ronaldo]], a [[Portuguese]] contemporary player for [[Real Madrid]]. | | * [[Cristiano Ronaldo]], a [[Portuguese]] contemporary player for [[Real Madrid]]. |
| | * [[Lionel Messi]], [[Argentina]]n forward, currently plays for [[Barcelona]]. | | * [[Lionel Messi]], [[Argentina]]n forward, currently plays for [[Barcelona]]. |
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| | + | ==Soccer and socialism== |
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| | + | The nature and rules of soccer very much resemble [[socialism]] in many ways:<ref>http://blog.american.com/?p=16158</ref><ref>http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/soccer_the_perfect_socialist_s.html</ref> |
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| | + | * The "no hands" rule can be compared to socialist tax policies. |
| | + | * The "off-sides" rule prohibits using certain aggressive ("unfair") tactics in the game. |
| | + | * The game forbids frequent stops, which can be compared to "carbon footprint" efforts to fight supposed [[global warming]]. |
| | + | * Soccer is very bureaucratic, and teams are very much tied to their countries. |
| | + | * The US is often treated unfairly by other nations in the game, one reason being soccer's lack of popularity in the US - socialism always claimed to favor the absolute will of the majority rather than personal and economic freedom of the individual. |
| | + | * The World Cup trophy resembles [[Hollywood values|socialist Hollywood's]] Emmy Award. |
| | + | * In youth leagues, everyone gets a trophy for their efforts regardless of achievement, and there is no scoring in the game. |
| | + | * [[Union]] [[strikes]], even during the playing season, are a major issue with soccer. |
| | + | * Riots caused by "hooligans" - fans of a team which lost a game - often include violent crimes, such as infringement on private property rights. |
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| | ==A note on terminology== | | ==A note on terminology== |