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Juan Martinez Moreno

Professor Lawson

English 113B

18 April 2017

Pop Culture Research Paper Revised Final

Word Count: 2,541

A New way of Marketing

Challenging and changing the expected behaviors of people are what make a social

reform. For example, if I were to play tic-tac-toe every time with the same moves, my opponent

would win the game every time because my opponent knows all of my strategies and can win the

game easily by knowing which moves I would take to get to the other side of the board game..

Take this example and apply it to soccer. If all soccer teams knew how their opponent would

tackle each and every situation on the field then they would win the match every time. However,

this is not the case, different soccer teams play and use different tactics to win the game. A soccer

team who has height disadvantages would not go about a game the same way they would, had

they been against a soccer team with a height advantage. The soccer team with the height

disadvantage would have to change their way of playing soccer to keep them on a competitive

standing. On a larger scale, if an adult endorsed a public service announcement about the

shingles virus most of the people would believe the adult because the adult has been alive for a

long time and has gained experience over his years of life. On the same note, if a child were to

deliver the same public service announcement on shingles the child would not be as credible as

the adult would. The same logic is used in soccer, different teams take into consideration who it

is that they are going against and find a way to make themselves seem combative in the
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circumstance they are in. The different styles of soccer are like marketing in the way that,

teammates choose a certain skill and stick with that skill because it is what works best for them.

Marketing producers have to have different styles to meet the demands or interests of different

people. Just as in soccer different countries play by different means to win the game.

If a brand wants to get their product through to a wider population, the most logical way

to complete this would be to advertise to adults and make the adults long for their product.

Adults are the role models of the world. Younger generations look up to them and aspire to

achieve ,if not more, what they have achieved in their life. From birth, the child has been fully

influenced by his parents- everything the child wears, watches and listens to is based off the

influence of what the parents want their child to be like when he grows up. Going back to the

public service announcement of the adult delivering the information on the virus, the marketing

companies knew that they had to change their character to a character who has had prior

experience with the shingles virus. The effect the adults have on the world affect many

circumstances. Since adults are the one who earn income and have money to buy products, this

makes adults a very important group in society.

In the soccer stadium, most of the fans are decked out in their favorite teams colors.

There are some fanatics who are very excited to be in the same location as some of their idols,

and fill the stadium with an extra amount of energy. The children who come with their parents to

the stadium are exposed to this energy and intuitively or not, the children take some part of the

stadiums energy with them. Soccer is a worldwide sport. Many people are familiar with the

popular sport and the trend has spread and gained popularity as it passes from country to country.

In an online article from CNN Eoghan Macguire informs the readers of an interaction the

famous soccer player, Lionel Messi had with one of his fans Murtaza Ahmadi. Ahmadi is a boy
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from Jaghori and his favorite soccer player is Lionel Messi. Ahmadi comes from a poor family,

and his parents could not afford to purchase a Messi fan shirt, so Ahmadis parents gave their son

a makeshift Messi shirt by gathering materials found around his home. A photo was posted onto

a fan site,[and] sparked a manic search by fans to find the six-year old from Jaghori, southwest

of Kabul. In several short months Ahmadi got to meet his idol and received two autographed

shirts and a signed football. This shows how influential soccer is all over the world. The power

soccer has is that it unites people from different countries over similar topics and skills. The

diversity and extent soccer has reached was able to unify Ahmadi with his idol Messi. Ahmadi

does not come from a town who places importance on soccer, instead Ahmadi and his family

have challenged the status quo from his town and embraced their liking to soccer.

The problem with a sport like soccer is trying to make it visible on a broader, wider, and

national scale to be displayed to a bigger selection of people. Here in America, most of the

people are obsessed with American sports. By American sports I mean: golf, tennis, lacrosse,

and ultimate frisbee. Soccer is not as nearly advertised on television or on promotional posters as

the American sports are. This creates a diffusion of publicity- a handful of sports get the most

attention and therefore receives the most amount of money. While a pinkys worth of sports only

receive national broadcasting or promotional material every two years, and that is if the big-

name companies decide to endorse and sponsor the lesser-known sports. In the article Soccer

Culture in the U.S. Julianna Miller and Bryon Silverman explain the decline of soccer interests

in America. Miller and Silverman state, When you think of sports culture that exists in our

country, you immediately think of basketball, baseball, and American football. These sports have

become an integral part of American societys culture. This is used to explain that not many

citizens who live or reside in America think of soccer in terms of a popularized sport. Perhaps,
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no one would even mention soccer, if asked which sports are a representation in America. The

concern here is that the reason basketball, baseball, and American football are leading the

scoreboards when it comes to popularized sports in America, it is because the thing these three

sports have in common is media. When each sport is broken down to its components of: how to

play the game, endorsing the game, and formation of the team, it is seen how these sports are

more well-known than others. In basketball, the objective of the game is easy, dribble the ball

from one side to another, ensure the enemy does not steal the ball from our team, and shoot the

ball into the basket. The game is heavily endorsed with the help of March Madness. This

television show is broadcasted every year and updates about the game are posted onto the

National Collegiate Athletic Association webpage. Basketball is a moderately adaptable game,

one where any child of any age is able to participate in. In toy stores, companies sell basketball

stands at varying heights for different age groups of children. This shows that basketball is a

typical sport in America because there are accessories that accommodate varying age groups.

Going back to the story of Ahmadi, the boy from Jaghori whose favorite soccer player is

Lionel Messi. He and his parents were downcast upon in their village. Ahmadi and his family

members were scolded that Ahmadis relatives would let their son play soccer instead of

practicing their religious beliefs. This shows the disparity between a traditional family and a

family who is implementing modernistic practices. This statement proves that some people or

groups are not ready for a change. In the article Creating change through soccer Simon Fudge

recalls a time in which he sat down with the founder of the organization Opportunitas Aequa

,Greg Anderson. Anderson describes why he started the organization stating, He encountered

this refugee camp, where there was total chaos. However, in the midst of all this chaos, there

were these children that were playing soccer and having a good time. This memory evokes the
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feeling and the power that soccer has the ability to erase all of the madness of the world and

focus on the game. Ahmadi must have played soccer in his leisure time to escape from all the

catastrophe he was facing from his hometown, little did he know that engaging in this sport,

would create more speculation. In Ahmadis village, engaging in a sport made him and his family

members pariahs instead of the head of social reformation. This is alarming because it concludes

to the idea that difference is not accepted, instead it is reinforced with shaming.

Looking back at the different styles and approaches to playing soccer, it is refuted that

differences are not looked down upon, rather applauded with audacity. Taking risks in soccer

shows that you and your teammates can win a game by risking the fame and trophy earned in the

game for one more point. This shows on a micro-level that in a soccer game, in a life event, you

must take risks, and with these risks come the possibility of ridicule as well as the possibility of

adoration. As shown in the article, Soccer Culture in the U.S. Julianna Miller and Bryon

Silverman indicate that the best way to gauge soccer into American culture and eventually

worldwide, is to send out more media coverage of soccer to television stations and radio shows.

By sending out coverage of what soccer is to many people all over the world, would greatly

influence the productivity of the sport.

When dealing with the public relations of a sport, it is important to ensure that the name

of the sport is not tarnished. In the article, Halo effect the company beinghuman.org declare

that The research into the halo effect shows that a persons positive qualities, physical

appearance, and general attractiveness affects how we judge their character- the better they look

and behave, the better a person we judge them to be. This is used to advise the people who wish

to carry out the name of soccer to America and to other countries to populate the practice of the

sport. Soccer is about diversity and creative thinking in matches, it is imperative that these
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themes do not vanquish in trying to spread the sport. How the Halo effect works with soccer is in

the way soccer is perceived. Other countries may be welcoming and accepting of a new sport on

their grounds, while other countries , like Ahmadis, prefer to spend their time on another

activity. The light the country bestowed upon soccer will keep shining the same light because to

the respective country, the acknowledgement of soccer will always be on the sport. The same is

true for countries who do not accept change as easily. These countries will cast a negative light

on soccer and the light will shine on and on until the country changes its decision on the sport.

The Halo effect is the easy way to decide the opinion of the sport.

On the note of countries and their opposes or concedes, should a country accept the way

of the sport, each country will adapt to the game in a different manner than the other. In the

article 6 Very Different Styles of Football From Across the World Nicolas Wendichansky

states, Depending on the continent or on the country, the styles of Football seen on the pitch

can vary a lot. Wendichansky then explains in a compiled list all of the countries who

participate in soccer leagues and the different approaches and the differences between country to

country. This is used to show how even though countries do not use the same tactics or

approaches when competing in a game, it is within these changes that allow the team to flourish

in the game.

Much like any other nation, it is hard to distinguish which team is who with the naked

eye. To actively see change, is to look closely at the surroundings and at the game in and of

itself. The reason soccer may seem wrong to people is because they only see men running to

each ends of the field with the purpose of scoring the ball into the net. However, if the soccer

team from Iceland and the soccer team from Italy were put at odds of each other, there would be

explicit differences between the two of them. For instance the Icelandic team will have an easier
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time with agility but lack coordination or quick passes. Meanwhile the Italian team will have

great coordination yet, lack the distance they will need to run from one end of the field to the

other. In the article Analysing football styles: A different ball game The Economist enlightens

us with Defining a unique football style can be like defining obscenity- you know it when you

see it. But it is difficult to quantify exactly how different a team such as Barcelona is compared

with its peers. This shows how the styles of soccer are indifferent, but when examined closely

we can see changes and different techniques being used on the field.

Soccer is an up-and-coming sport. There are more and more teams, and soccer clubs

formed; It will take time for soccer to be recognized again in America as a leading sport; As well

as it will take time for soccer to hold its bi-annual soccer tournament. The media is also a means

of production, by that I mean the more exposed we are to a product or theme, the more likely

consumers are to purchase that item. Take that logic and apply it to soccer- If soccer gets exposed

to many people, over a certain period of time, then the probability that the percentage of soccer

club registrations and soccer matches being assigned go up because more people are exposed to

it.

Works Cited

Fudge, Simon . Creating change through soccer whitecapsfc .

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2008/04/15/creating-change-through-soccer . Accessed 25

April 2017 .

Halo Effect|Being Human beinghuman.org , http://www.beinghuman.org/article/halo-effect .

Accessed 25 April 2017 .

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Macguire, Eoghan . Lionel Messi meets Afghan plastic shirt boy Murtaza Ahmadi CNN , 14

Dec. 2016 , http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/13/sport/lionel-messi-meets-murtaza-ahmadi/ .

Accessed 18 April 2017 .

Miller, Julianna and Silverman, Bryan . Soccer Culture in the U.S. duke.edu .

https://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/world-cup-2014/usa-soccer-and-world-cup-

2014/soccer-culture-in-the-u-s/ . Accessed 25 April 2017 .

The Economist . Analysing football styles: A different ball game .

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2014/09/analysing-football-styles . Accessed 16

April 2017 .

Wendichansky, Nicolas . 6 Very Different Styles of Football From Across the World. 90MIN ,

http://www.90min.com/posts/2990047-6-very-different-styles-of-football-from-across-the-

world . Accessed 11 April 2017 .