Shaolin Soccer

Today I will be finishing my blog posts with a fun critique of the Chinese movie Shaolin Soccer! The first time I saw this movie, I fell in love with it so much. It is an action, comedy and sport movie. This movie is about soccer, obviously, but there is a nice story to it. Here is the synopsis:

" All his life, an ordinary young man Mighty Steel Leg Sing has been treated like dirt. Still, he's never given up believing that all the world's problems could be solved with a little kung fu. So he's teaming up with a band of misfits - six friends who were kung fu masters in their youth - to form a soccer team that only he believes has a chance to win a $1 million grand prize. Together, they're going to apply their hidden talents to a whole new game -- and soccer will never be the same"

I really like this movie because it inspires people to find their talents and to go get what they want in life. It teaches them to never give up in what they believe in no matter what! It also teaches people some kung Fu! Just like real professional soccer players and the characters in this movie, both of them show their burning passion to play the game which is even more inspiring to others. This movie gives a nice example of friendship between the 7 kung Fu members and can motivate others to be more social. Another reason why I am such a big fan of this movie is that it is realistic and non- realistic. In the movie, there are some parts when they kick the soccer ball so hard, the ball get super-hot from the amazing speed. I find that funny because while the movie has a serious concept and story, their kung Fu and soccer mix is unrealistic. It breaks the seriousness. I love kung Fu, well not specifically kung Fu but any kind of martial arts. I was once in karate for 2 years then stopped but I still enjoy martial arts very much. Soccer is just amazing; you already know I love it. The portraying in the movie of this mix is very nice and fun to watch.

Stephen Chow

 I highly recommend this movie to everyone because it is a movie directed by Stephen Chow and he is the main actor in the movie. Stephen Chow is the director, writer and the principal character in Shaolin Soccer. Stephen chow has been in many very fantastic movies such as Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7, God of Cookery, etc. If you are a big martial art/ kung Fu fan, you should watch his movies. Here is a funny clip of the movie.

Hahaha I love this part. As you can see, it is very unrealistic but in my eyes it has a very funny effect. I mean I wish I could kick a ball and it would curve right away in the net. Also, who wouldn't like to stand meditate on a soccer pole. That looks like it would be fun. You can see all these different kinds of moves in kung Fu. As a matter of fact, I forgot to mention that Stephen Chow grew up looking up to Bruce Lee and he was a martial arts addict so in moves in the movies are from his own capabilities. In my opinion, I think it would be amazing and unique if we actually used martial arts in soccer but of course not to hit anyone but to upgrade some skills. Just a few steps can make a difference but we can't go overboard with it though, having legs flying everywhere and such. Okay I will end it here, hope you enjoyed my blogs, bye byeeee!



Used sources:

"Shaolin Soccer." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 17 June 2015. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286112/

"Shaolin Soccer." Metacritic. Web. 17 June 2015.

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/shaolin-soccer/details

"Stephen Chow." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 17 June 2015.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159507/

Women's FIFA World Cup

Welcome back to my blog! Today I will be talking about the Women's FIFA World cup which is currently being broadcasted. You know, I am very glad that soccer, the most popular sport in the world, has a big tournament for boys and girls. Even though the FIFA World Cup for men is more popular, it gives a chance to women to show their capabilities and skills in soccer. Women can show everyone that they can be better than men in some sports. Many people are usually biased towards women playing sports. They say that only guys should play sports and women should clean the house. That's how it is many different religions too but of course we can't do anything about it. That person should decide what they want to do. 

Christine Sinclair

One of my favorite players in the Women's FIFA World Cup is Christine Sinclair. She is Canadian just like me! She represents Canada very well and she is an amazing player. Canada does not really have a good men's soccer team thus not being able to get in the men's FIFA World Cup. Therefore this is another opening for Canada not to be looked down on in this amazing sport. It's all thanks to the women. Canada presently advanced to the Round 16 of the World Cup. If Canada wins in the Round 16, they can get into the quarter finals. It would be amazing if they won the World Cup this year!!! It would be a huge inspiration to all the women in Canada who enjoy playing soccer. We haven’t won a world cup yet. The more wins they have, the more they show everyone around them how they got better, through practice and practice. This doesn’t just go for the Canadian team, but all the teams around the world so they can show their best side and the incredible abilities of a woman. 

Used sources:

"FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ - Matches - FIFA.com." FIFA.com. Web. 16 June 2015. http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/matches/

"FIFA Women's World Cup™ Archive - FIFA.com." FIFA.com. Web. 16 June 2015. http://www.fifa.com/fifa-tournaments/archive/womensworldcup/index.html

Bodenner, Chris. "Why Aren't Women's Sports as Big as Men's? Your Thoughts." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 9 June 2015. Web. 16 June 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/women-and-sports-world-cup-soccer/395231/

Racism in soccer

Hello there! Welcome back to my blog! Racism? It's a big important topic all over the world. Being discriminated and insulted against your colour, your religion, your race, etc. Racism is everywhere and one of those places is in soccer. Racism in soccer was very surprising to me at first because it's a game filled with teamwork and joy but I guess I was wrong. Racism should be stopped completely everywhere let alone in soccer but of course we can't change the way people act. There are many incidents that happen in soccer related to racism. It is not just the soccer players at times but also, the managers or the fans.



 For example, the Juventus, a professional soccer club, supporters chanted out to the Italian soccer player, Mario Balotelli, saying "A negro cannot be Italian". Well then, first of all, tell me, tell me why a Negro cannot be Italian. Let's say I'm black and I go to you saying oh a white man cannot be Italian, would you like that! In my opinion that was one of the stupidest things to say. I hate people like that. People are people and they can be what they want to be and sometimes they are just born that way. That fan who said that harsh thing should know that. He/she should be taught that. Like, seriously, just because of his skin colour, oh he can't be Italian. Let me go to Italy and see if there are no black Italians. I doubt that there are none Just what does this supporter have against black people? No matter what kind of situation or history he or she has had with black people, those kinds of words should not be said. Just think about how Mario would have felt. I mean he was being betrayed by his own race and country just because he is black. Perhaps it wasn't because he was black but maybe because he was on a different team that the supporter did not like. Juventus has a black Italian soccer player too though, Angelo Ogbonna, yet they still picked on Mario. Racism should stop period.

Angelo Ogbonna

Use sources:

"Luis Suarez, Patrice Evra and 13 Alleged Examples of Racism in World Football." Bleacher Report. 16 Oct. 2011. Web. 12 June 2015. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/895975-luis-surez-patrice-evra-and-13-examples-of-racism-in-world-football/page/5

"Angelo Ogbonna - Player Profile - Transfermarkt." Angelo Ogbonna - Player Profile - Transfermarkt. Web. 12 June 2015. 
http://www.transfermarkt.com/angelo-ogbonna/profil/spieler/48002

"Mario Balotelli - Player Profile - Transfermarkt." Mario Balotelli - Player Profile - Transfermarkt. Web. 12 June 2015. 

http://www.transfermarkt.com/mario-balotelli/profil/spieler/45146

Things I hate about soccer

Hi hi ! Mona is back again with another blog post. Today I am going to be talking about the things I hate about soccer. There are many many things I really don't like and that get on my nerves but today I will speak about 2. They make me want to explode and break a wall. Because I am 16 years old, it also makes me want to swear very much. Anyways let's get to it.

The referees...

Oh my dear god. The first thing I hate specifically about soccer are the referees. They just mess up the whole game and ruin everything. Now of course, not all referees are like that but many are. I think everyone knows that the FIFA World Cup soccer games have a lot of cameras recording it. We can see everything, from every corner. When I watch soccer, I can see the referee look at the foul that had just happened in the game but do they call it, yes but was it the right call, sometimes no for example this event 

"In the first 62 matches of the World Cup, there were no yellow cards shown for simulation. The first one came in the 68th minute of the third-place playoff game—and it was the wrong decision.Oscar had the chance to shorten Brazil's 2-0 deficit to the Netherlands when he went down in the area. Algerian referee Djamel Haimoudi believed the Chelsea star was diving, but replays clearly show that Daley Blind stomped on his right foot."

Fouls are very important in soccer games because they can cause major injuries to some players and they won't even get a free kick or penalty kick in return. Free kicks and penalty kicks can change the score in the game so it is super important. And the players who didn't really commit a foul yet still gets called for it will result them with a yellow or a red card which is very crucial to the players and the team. If he/she is the one of the best players on the team, it will be very hard to win without that person. Soccer is not supposed to be an aggressive game, some players need to calm down and do some yoga. Also, in my eyes, I feel like some referees side with one of the teams playing on the field just because they are probably from that country or just because they like that team more. I'm sure many other people would agree with me too. Soccer should be a fair game. In addition, I feel like referees interrupt the game because they run all over the place. I don't know if that's just me but yes.

Ball hoggers

I also do not like ball hoggers in soccer. Ball hoggers, for those who do not know what they are, are people that always keep the ball to themselves in a soccer game and barely pass to anyone because they think they are the best. Soccer is a team sport for goodness sake, understand that please. Even if the other players are not that good, passing the ball to them once or twice is not going to kill you and it won't kill the game either. Be nice. At the beginning of the game pass the ball to them and see how good they are, and then if you have that moment where you're about to score a goal, go for it. The others won't be mad at you. Don't risk a goal just to pass a ball but what I am saying it pass it once in a while. Those players that are not that amazing would understand your situation and won't get mad. Don't just keep it to yourself and pass the ball once in a full game. No don't do that. Who knows? Maybe those not so good players will be lucky and score a goal. The point of soccer is trying to win while having fun and good teamwork in safety. And being nice to everybody!

Used sources:

"Worst Refereeing Calls in Brazil." Bleacher Report. 16 July 2014. Web. 5 June 2015. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2128492-10-worst-refereeing-decisions-of-the-world-cup/page/9

"Major Soccer Fouls | What Will Get You in Serious Trouble?" Major Soccer Fouls | What Will Get You in Serious Trouble? Web. 5 June 2015. http://www.soccer-academy.net/soccer-fouls.html

 

The question always asked

Thomas Muller's nose bleeding after having collided with John Boye

Hello again! Now you might be wondering about the title to this blog post, well here it is: Are soccer players paid too much? In my opinion, I don't think so. Many people think it is very stupid that people running around kicking a ball make over 10 million dollars a year but I personally think it's not. They are soccer players and they put their lives and the state of their bodies on the line. They could break a leg or have a concussion. For example like the famous German soccer player Thomas Muller, who was headbutted by Pepe, a Portuguese soccer player. Thomas Muller ' head was bleeding in the match versus Ghana in the FIFA World Cup when he collided with John Boye, a player from that team. Soccer players suffer from many injuries so it's not that bad to pay them a little extra. Also soccer players are loved from all over the word and they bring us joy and entertainment. Go ask 10 people if they watch/play soccer or have a favorite player and 7 out 10 will answer to one of those questions, maybe even all three. Kids and adults around the globe love buying jerseys,flags, hats and many other kinds of merchandise because of their love for soccer, so it's normal if soccer players make a lot of money. To become a professional soccer player, it takes skills. These people have a passion for soccer, they worked so hard to get where they are right now. They sweated tears and blood and a lot of people recognize that and want to become just like them. Soccer players give dreams to all the people that are sitting alone in their room and that didn't find their talent yet or don't know what to do with their life. Soccer players also donate a lot of their money to charity like Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as I mentioned in my other blog. So in the end, I don't think soccer players are payed to much, they are paid as much as they deserve.





Used sources:

"Portugal's Pepe Sent Off for Headbutt." Bleacher Report. 16 June 2014. Web. 2 June 2015. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2098891-portugals-pepe-sent-off-for-headbutt-on-germanys-thomas-muller-at-world-cup

"Thomas Müller Head Collides with John Boye, Bleeds like Crazy (GIF)." FanSided Thomas Mller Head Collides with John Boye Bleeds like Crazy GIF Comments. 21 June 2014. Web. 2 June 2015. http://fansided.com/2014/06/21/thomas-muller-head-collides-with-john-boye-bleeds-like-crazy-gif/