Now You Know Big Book of Sports. Doug Lennox

a Brazilian superstar soccer player. The Brazilian Portuguese expression Joga player. The Brazilian Portuguese expression Bonito (to “play beautifully”) parallels this phrase. In 1977 Pelé, one of soccer’s greatest superstars, named his autobiography My Life and the Beautiful Game.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that because of its regulation depth of six yards, the goal area is sometimes simply called “the six”?

       When was the first radio broadcast of a soccer game?

      On January 22, 1927, Arsenal played Sheffield United to a 1–1 draw in a Division One match at Highbury. It was the first match ever covered by radio, as the BBC called the game from pitch-side.

       When was the first television transmission of a soccer game?

      In 1937 the BBC was on hand to televise, for the first time, portions of the FA Cup final between Preston North End and Sunderland from Wembley Stadium in London. final between Preston North End and Sunderland The following year, the BBC televised the entire match.

       Top Ten Soccer Movies

      • Escape to Victory (1981)

      • Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

      • Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern) 2003)

      • My Name is Joe (1998)

      • Mean Machine (2001)

      • The Match (1999)

      • Ladybugs (1992)

      • When Saturday Comes (1996)

      • A Shot at Glory (2000)

      • Phörpa (The Cup)

       Who were Mitchell & Kenyon?

      The Mitchell & Kenyon film company was a pioneer of early commercial movies. Based in Blackburn in Lancashire, England, at the start of the twentieth century, they were best known for minor fictional narrative films. In 1994, a hoard of 800 Mitchell & Kenyon film negatives were discovered and restored. Amongst this collection are numerous films documenting soccer matches between English FA teams just after the turn of the century. The films are in storage at the British Film Institute, but can be viewed on YouTube.com

       What are WAGs?

      WAGs is an acronym created by the British tabloid press to mean Soccer “wives and girlfriends.” The acronym has been in use since 1994, but became extremely popular during the 2006 World Cup, in Germany, when the press gave increasing gossip coverage to the socializing and shopping activities of the English WAGs, who were based in the German town of Baden Baden.

       What is Panini ?

      These are not something you eat at an Italian soccer game. Panini is the brand name of an Italian firm that produces collectable stickers. The company is based in Modena and named after the Panini brothers, who founded it in 1961. It became famous in the 1960s for its soccer collections, which can now sometimes reach very high prices on the collectors’ market. The slogan “Stick with Panini” could once be heard in a jingle following the television advertisements that Panini aired during children’s programming.

       What are ultras?

      Ultras are a sanctioned form of team supporters renowned for their fanatical and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European and South American followers of soccer teams. Ultras frequently display their support through choreographed performances called tifos and also through “terrace chants,” which are sung en masse, often to well-known tunes, but with the words changed.

       Top Ten Soccer Books

      • Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby

      • Among the Thugs by Bill Buford

      • Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer by David Winner

      • Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Edward Galeano

      • How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer

      • The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuscinski

      • Foul! The Secret World of FIFA by Andrew Jennings

      • Congratulations, You Have Just Met the ICF by Cass Pennant

      • Futebol, the Brazillian Way of Life by Alex Bellos

      • Now You Know Soccer by Doug Lennox

       What are tifos ?

      Tifo was originally the Italian word for the phenomenon of supporting a sport team, but it is now mainly used as the name for the sort of spectacular, choreographed display staged by large groups of fans called “ultras” on the balconies or terraces of arenas or stadiums during sporting events, most often soccer matches. For example, tifos can consist of large sections of the crowd holding and turning colour placards, to create larger “tiled” banners. Other materials that have been used include coloured plastic sheeting, flags, balloons, confetti, paper rolls, flares, fireworks, dolls, and mascots.

       What is a firm?