When Americans think of soccer, they think of Pele, but why? Millions of people around the world have played the “beautiful game”, but his name sticks out. Why? There are, actually, multiple reasons why Pele is as famous as he is. This has to do with how influential a person Pele was on, as well as off the pitch. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, is widely revered as the best soccer player of all time, if not the best athlete of all time. He was born on October 23rd, 1940 (age 76) in Três Corações, Brazil. It didn’t take long for his football career to take off as he first played professionally at age 15 for the Brazilian club, Santos. It was here, with Santos, that Pele would go on to play 638 games totaling 619 goals for
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Because of how good and skillful he was, he had a target on his back. In the 1966 World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the group stage where they only played 3 games. In the first game against Bulgaria, he scored a free kick, becoming the first player to score in 3 World Cups in a row, but got injured by the ruthless defenders. That just shows how influential on the game he was when he was playing when the defenders had a mission to purposely take him out of the game. Due to this injury, he had to miss the second game. In the third and final game of the group stage, he was started again by his coach against Portugal in a game they had to win. In that game, he was attacked by the defenders again, this time hurting more because he had not fully recovered. He had to stay on the field during this physical harassment because they could not make any substitutes, so he was limping in pain most of that game and they lost that game resulting in elimination. By the time he had won his third World Cup, in 1970, he had been captivated by the soccer community around the world. According to an article in Success Magazine, Pele even created a cease-fire in the Nigerian civil war in 1967, so that they could watch his superior athleticism on television (Brooks, …show more content…
Pele’s impact on sport and the field of sport management included him increasing the knowledge of soccer in America, increasing the knowledge of Brazilian culture around the world, and influencing people around the world in politics and as a role model. People were drawn to watch the “greatest in the world” play in New York when he came in 1975. More kids wanted to play soccer instead of baseball, football, or basketball, influencing community and youth sports, as well as professional sport. According to ESPN, Pele even had some impact in the creation of the MLS in 1993 (O’Connell, 2012). The children that were first introduced to soccer in the United States in 1975, grew up to be adults who created and played in the MLS. Pele participated in many activities off the field to spark interest in soccer throughout the U.S, becoming the sport’s “ambassador” in the U.S. Through sponsorships and endorsements, Pele showcased his talent and love for the game, sparking interest in children and adults who previously only considered American football and baseball as the dominant
Because of how good and skillful he was, he had a target on his back. In the 1966 World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the group stage where they only played 3 games. In the first game against Bulgaria, he scored a free kick, becoming the first player to score in 3 World Cups in a row, but got injured by the ruthless defenders. That just shows how influential on the game he was when he was playing when the defenders had a mission to purposely take him out of the game. Due to this injury, he had to miss the second game. In the third and final game of the group stage, he was started again by his coach against Portugal in a game they had to win. In that game, he was attacked by the defenders again, this time hurting more because he had not fully recovered. He had to stay on the field during this physical harassment because they could not make any substitutes, so he was limping in pain most of that game and they lost that game resulting in elimination. By the time he had won his third World Cup, in 1970, he had been captivated by the soccer community around the world. According to an article in Success Magazine, Pele even created a cease-fire in the Nigerian civil war in 1967, so that they could watch his superior athleticism on television (Brooks, …show more content…
Pele’s impact on sport and the field of sport management included him increasing the knowledge of soccer in America, increasing the knowledge of Brazilian culture around the world, and influencing people around the world in politics and as a role model. People were drawn to watch the “greatest in the world” play in New York when he came in 1975. More kids wanted to play soccer instead of baseball, football, or basketball, influencing community and youth sports, as well as professional sport. According to ESPN, Pele even had some impact in the creation of the MLS in 1993 (O’Connell, 2012). The children that were first introduced to soccer in the United States in 1975, grew up to be adults who created and played in the MLS. Pele participated in many activities off the field to spark interest in soccer throughout the U.S, becoming the sport’s “ambassador” in the U.S. Through sponsorships and endorsements, Pele showcased his talent and love for the game, sparking interest in children and adults who previously only considered American football and baseball as the dominant