There is a game that is played,
watched, followed, talked about,
written about, commented on,
that has its origins that can be
traced back hundreds of years,
which is like a religion to its enthusiasts
and to those who are genuinely fanatical
about everything to do with it -
from the league tables which indicate
how certain teams are doing in relation to one another,
as well as the names and the history of certain players
and their career from beginning to end…
every game that is played around the world
has energetic and enthusiastic supporters
who either attend or watch their chosen teams play,
and for every group of fans of every sport
every week of every season can feel like
a rollercoaster ride of emotions -
because just like in every game
there are winners and there are losers,
there are champions and there are those
who sometimes find themselves relegated
to the lower league of their peers;
however, in my experience, the players, the supporters,
the attention, and the opinions that are generated
by the game of football (or soccer)
are among some of the most passionate
and the most vocal that there are -
because some people love the game of football
and the particular team that they support so much
that they even sometimes go so far as to tattoo
their name and their crest upon their skin…
football (or soccer, as it is referred to in some places)
is a game and a sport that has captured
the hearts and the minds of millions of people
from all walks of life and from all around the world -
from the young to the old -
and when some people either go to a football match,
watch a football match, or listen to a football match being played,
it is like they are witnessing something that matters to them
on a deep, meaningful, and emotional level,
and especially at certain times of the season,
and most potently when there is
an international tournament being played
and teams from different countries are playing one another -
like during the FIFA World Cup that is hosted
in a different country every four years…
and there is seemingly no end
to how much time and money
certain people will devote and dedicate
to their favourite sport and their favourite team -
from merchandise to teams jerseys
which are worn to show a particular allegiance
to a certain team over all the others;
because certain people feel such a profound
connection and a loyalty to the team of players
that they have associated themselves with
that nothing and no one could stop them
from losing faith in their belief that their team
will some day be victorious and make it all the way
to the final game and win competition of a particular season -
until there is a natural period between seasons
when transfer windows open up
and certain players are traded and transferred to other teams,
and then the waves of speculation
about what is going to happen next start to rise
and start to occupy the imaginations of those people
who live, breathe, talk about, and think about football
morning, noon, and night…
the sport, the game, and the players of football
sometimes mean more to some people than their own family -
because, to some people, football gives them
so much pleasure, so much joy,
and also an opportunity to be able to be
on the same level with other fans who they may not know
but who they share a common interest with
that they can immediately establish a connection about;
and I honestly believe that to some people,
to some extent, football is the best thing there is -
and that is why, to some people,
football is more than a sport 
and is in essence “The Beautiful Game”.