Why soccer is beloved around the world

Among vertebrates — birds, fish, terrestrial — the basic ground plan includes two sets of appendages, upper and lower. English-speaking humans call ours “arms” and “legs.” Most of our sports use both.

With soccer, not so much. Using only feet, how interesting can a team sport be? It is not unusual that after 90 minutes, plus referee time, neither team has scored and the only action worth watching has been the fighting in the stands, among cadres of bored-silly fans. So, what’s to be done? The pitch is cleared; goalies and kickers decide which team can claim to have “won.”