Soccer & Baseball

Jose Mauricio Cardenas
Professor McNamara
English 100-007
14 April 2013
Soccer & Baseball Soccer and Baseball are two great sports I greatly admire and respect. Having been born in a country where Soccer is unavoidable, naturally I took a passion for it. When I arrived in the United States it took me a while to get accustomed to the environment, but one thing I was fascinated was with Baseball. Throughout my life I have had the opportunity to play Soccer and Baseball and have realized that they have significant contrasts. These include different arenas, the huge distinction of the equipment to play the sport, and the amount of games played. First of all Soccer and Baseball are both played at sport arenas where fanatics are always present, but the shape and location is quite differential. Soccer’s overall dimension is one hundred yards long and sixty yards wide. The midfield line is where the field is divided lengthwise, and a ten yard circle is drawn to ensure defenders remain before kickoff. On each side of the pitch, goals measuring up to twenty four feet wide, and eight feet high are placed to ensure the most attractive enthrallment of Soccer. Baseball is different and its dimensions vary depending on many factors, such as the city it is currently built on, and special traditions that make the park unique, thus making outfield capacity vary with venue. However each Major League ballpark maintains a strict standard of ninety feet between each base, sixty inches and six feet from the Pitcher’s Mound to Home Plate, and one hundred twenty seven feet from Home Plate to Second Base. Another additional contrast is the equipment used to play Soccer and Baseball. These pair of sports both requires some type of equipment to facilitate who comes out victorious in the end. Ordinarily for Soccer the only necessity is a pair of footwear, and a soccer ball. Feet and head are the primarily tools to play Soccer. Goalies can use their hands if they desire. Baseball is much more complex. Having been a sport where multiple little things are a key point between competitors, Baseball requires vast amount of Baseball balls, bats, and gloves. In Baseball all body parts used whether it is a pitcher, batter, or even an umpire. Finally the ultimate contrast is the amount of games played. These two couple of sports both competes in fixtures to improve their overall score in their respective leagues. Soccer played worldwide fluctuates between nations but their total games played in a week is usually one. In a full season there is thirty eight games played, plus other fixtures played between nations and various tournaments. Baseball is more unequal. Games are played almost seven days a week for six months. There are one hundred sixty two games in a full Major League season, in addition to the playoff games if a team manages to reach the postseason after winning enough games. In culmination Soccer and Baseball have much adverse differentiation. Some forms are field dimensions, the total equipment and tools used to play the sport, and the amount of games played in a full season. I have been blessed to witness and enjoy both Soccer and Baseball and have come to understand how opposite they are from each other, and how unique they are. It is my understanding I will forever be athletic at heart and enjoying the contrasts for Soccer and Baseball is what makes me play both sports at my own leisure.