Soccer Changes Lives “I learned all about my life with a ball at my feet.” - Ronaldinho. Ronaldo De Assis Moreira is a retired Brazilian soccer player, who is now an ambassador of a league in Spain. Ronaldinho came from a troubled background, where his family could barely afford his first pair of cleats. He had no idea how different his life would be after the first time he stepped on the field. This sad, poor, little boy finally found a place where other children, like him, were figuring out their lives, too. Soccer changes lives. Friendships form and get stronger through soccer. When I started playing soccer in first grade, I developed new friendships with people I never imagined. I even made friends with boys, which was something completely new for me. One of these boys became my best friend, and we do everything together. To this day, I still have these friendships, and they are stronger than ever. When high school soccer started, I was incredibly nervous, …show more content…
Our coach always preaches “Respect their speed.” This means that we understand they are fast, so we play harder. Respect is also shown throughout the whole game. For example, when children play and get injured, the young players are taught to kneel down and wait until it is safe to resume play. In high school, when an athletes receive injuries, we give them space and use the time to get a drink. One time, during an intense game, a girl fell and could not get up. The referee did not blow the whistle to stop play. Showing respect to her, we kicked the ball out of bounds, so she could receive adequate medical attention. This same scenario happened at the boys’ game two weeks ago. A boy fell on his wrist and broke it. The Orion-Sherrard boys noticed this and immediately kicked the ball out of play. Then they proceeded to scream for medical attention for the athlete. When players get up from being hurt, we clap for them, demonstrating