how to write a college essay about soccer

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How to Write a Killer College Essay About Soccer

By Eric Eng

Ah, soccer essays. The subject of much debate in the world of college admissions. We know what you’re thinking. “How could something as seemingly insignificant as a college essay about soccer be the subject of controversy?”

Well, with over a decade of experience in this field, AdmissionSight can confidently say that this is a heated topic. To be fair, soccer essays aren’t really the direct focus of this disagreement, but rather an unfortunate recipient. The real issue revolves around sports essays in general and whether or not they’re a suitable subject for a college essay.

There’s one camp that is adamant about advising students against sports-related college essays because they’re too cliche and generic. Instead of even bothering with the issue and running the risk of turning in a below-average essay, these people recommend applicants to avoid the topic altogether.

On the other side of the fence, there are some people who – while still admitting that the topic is often trite – say that it can be done properly. As a result, this second camp doesn’t swear off it but simply tells applicants to be careful about the potential trap that this subject so often sets.

So, who’s right? Is a college essay about soccer or any other sport doomed to fail? Or is there a potential that this essay can work in your favor when applying to a prestigious school? Well, they’re both correct in their own way. They both acknowledge the potential for a sports-related topic to come across as banal.

The primary difference is that one group of people don’t recommend it to students out of principle while others say that it can be done but should be approached with caution. This latter approach is where we find ourselves. For the right students, a college essay about soccer can be an excellent topic with a strong impact.

How To Write a College Application Essay About Sports

Here, we’ll provide a few tips for writing an effective essay about soccer or any other sport you want.

Avoid the cliche.

The general isn’t going to favor you in this essay prompt. There are likely thousands or even tens of thousands of students applying to the same university as you who have had similar experiences on the soccer field. Assuming at least a small percentage decide to write about the same topic, you’re going to have a tough time standing out from the crowd with a more generic response. A great way to filter out these unusable topics is to run each idea through a filter as you’re brainstorming. You can ask yourself:

• Is there a chance that other people have had this same experience?
• Did many people react the same way I did to the situation?
• Is it a predictable topic on a college essay about soccer?

Make sure you’re honest in your responses as they’re crucial for determining whether or not the topic is usable. If you find out it’s too generic, move on to the next without getting too attached.

Make it unexpected.

As an incredibly common topic, sports essays are generally recommended against. One of the main reasons for this advice is because it’s hard to stand out from other applicants when your essay is expected. What do we mean? Well, thousands and maybe even tens of thousands (depending on where you’re applying) of applicants are sending in essays. If you choose a generic topic such as sports, one of the first things that will undoubtedly pop into an admissions officer’s head when reading your essay is “Oh, I know what’s coming…”

Now, this setup can either work in your favor or against you. If your college essay about soccer ends up being what was expected, your application is going to suffer a major blow. It’s never a good sign when your essays are predictable since that means similar essays have been seen by the college countless times before. However, if your essay is totally unexpected and doesn’t meet the reader’s previously held expectations, you’re setting yourself up for success. Surprise is always a good reaction to have on your essay.

As a result, you should try to write a response that’s not predictable or expected. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. It’s smart to avoid the first idea that pops into your head. And maybe the second, third, and fourth. Make sure to write them down as you can always come back to them. But waiting to see what other ideas pop up can make it more likely that you’ll stumble upon something truly exceptional that no admissions officer will see coming no matter how experienced they are.

Be personal in your essay.

Another great rule of thumb to use when writing a college essay about soccer is to determine if another applicant could put their name at the top of your piece. Would anything change? Is there anything within your piece that makes it undeniably unique to you? Or is it so general that anyone could pass it off as their own without anyone knowing? This is like a litmus test for the uniqueness of your essay. Ideally, your topic is so personal and one-of-a-kind that you are the only applicant who could possibly write it. This ensures your story will successfully stand out amongst the crowd of applicants and increase your chances of getting noticed.

Think about ancillary events.

What happens on the soccer field during a game is more or less the same every time. Although each game takes on a life of its own, there are only a few variables that can change in order to create a different outcome than the rest. What’s the purpose of pointing this out? Well, since the experiences players have on the field are more or less limited, this is difficult territory for finding a unique angle on a college essay about soccer. Although one of the highlights of any player’s experience is playing on the field during a game, you don’t want to end up getting bogged down in topic ideas that are too common to work.

A great way to come up with some topic ideas that are more unique is to think about what’s happened off the field. If you think about it, the vast majority of your time spent “playing soccer” hasn’t really taken place on the field during a game. Between drills, practices, watching the film, working out, and other everyday activities, you’ve actually had more soccer-related experience take place off the field. Thinking about these events is a great way to start coming up with more unique ideas. Not only will fewer applicants writing a college essay about soccer consider these seemingly ancillary events, but you’ll also have a better chance of avoiding cliche topics.

Create a unique title.

As we’ve mentioned before, writing a college essay about soccer or any sport for that matter is like wandering through a minefield of cliche. It’s more than possible to write a compelling, unique, and effective soccer-themed essay, but you have to work extra hard to maintain the attention of admissions officers. However, before you can even worry about holding their attention, you have to capture it in the first place. That’s where a great title comes into play. If you want to hook the reader right away – as you’ve heard time and time again in English class – you need to have a catchy, unique, and unexpected title.

Here are some more general title examples that you’ll want to avoid along with similar variations:

• How Soccer Changed My Life
• Why I Love Soccer
• What I Learned Playing Soccer
• Why Soccer Is My Favorite Sport

As you can see, none of these titles are particularly captivating. None pulled you in as a reader and had you demanding more. And that’s exactly what you want to avoid when writing a college essay about soccer. Even though admissions staff will read your essay, either way, having a fascinating title will prime them for an equally amazing essay which you should also deliver!

Real College Soccer Essay Examples

“Simply put, I love soccer. I love being part of a team of girls who go out there and give their all, heart and soul, in every game. We truly are a family in our team. I love being a part of that family and taking a leadership role, both on and off the field. Soccer has also helped me be a better leader in student organizations and classwork, where I take a proactive role. Whether it is a good defensive block or scoring the winning goal, soccer is an empowering part of my life, and I would not be the person I am today without it.”

What’s bad about this essay:

Overall, this college essay about soccer falls short of where it would need to be in order to be competitive in an Ivy League setting. Here are some of the problems we were able to identify:

• The writer used repetitive language. For example, the essay uses “I love” three different times. Furthermore, the concepts of leadership and family are mentioned twice. Not only is this too much repetition given the essay’s relatively short length, but the writer also didn’t write for the target audience: well-educated admissions officers.
• The piece is too nebulous. Instead of simply mentioning a “leadership role” or “proactive role”, the writer should have provided a description of what these phrases mean in this specific case. This leaves the essay too vague and generic to stand out.
• It feels unfinished. Despite being a short essay, there should still be a complete thought fleshed out within the piece. Unfortunately, this writer wrote as though there would be another hundred words of further explanation. When she says that soccer ended up making her the person she is today, the reader has no idea what that means. It’s a good attempt at being personal but ends up being too vague.
• The language is too cliche. You’re probably tired of hearing this, but we want to drive the point home. In order to succeed when writing a college essay about soccer, you have to avoid coming off as cliche or too general. With phrases like “the winning goal” and “heart and soul”, this writer is falling right into the trap. These ideas are found in way too many sports essays that do not count against her.
• The response is too short. Yes, it’s true that the word-limit was considerably short at just 150 words. However, you’ll want to make use of every single word on these shorter essays. This writer only used 108 words of the total, and it shows in the writing. Even without counting the words, the reader is able to feel that something is missing.

“Soccer has been my passion ever since I was a little kid. I grew up with a soccer ball in my bed. Soccer has in many ways been my outlet, my escape from the stresses of school. Soccer has taught me so many wonderful, powerful lessons like never giving up and always believing in myself. I recall a time when I missed in a shootout. I had let my team down. I was so upset. And yet I picked myself back up and practiced my shot for the next three weeks. The next time I had to participate in an OT shootout, I didn’t miss.”

• The sentence structure isn’t varied. The writer uses the simple “I + verb” structure in nearly every sentence. This makes the piece very boring and unexciting.
• The language is too simple. The nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs used in this essay were too basic for an Ivy League application. In order to really catch the attention of admissions officers, the writer would have to write at a collegiate level at least.
• The topic is too cliche. Similar to the essay above, the subject of this piece is too generic. The theme of sports isn’t the problem. Rather, it’s the sub-topic. Too many students have experienced the same in sports for it to be considered unique.
• It’s too short. Again, this essay doesn’t make use of the full word count. While you might be able to get away with not making use of all the space allotted on longer essays, ones with a few hundred words are another story. You’ll want to make the most of these.

How we would recommend improving these essays:

• The sentences would be much more interesting and engaging with varied sentence structures.
• Instead of simply listing out ideas, the writer could weave together an interesting short narrative.
• The topics discussed should be a bit more unique. As we mentioned before, if someone else can put their name on the essay without it changing a thing, you should change the topic. Neither passed this test.
• The writers should make use of every word available when the essay has such a short word count. Leaving empty space is losing out on opportunities you have to flesh out your ideas. Don’t waste it!

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Excellent essay writing blog for students seeking help with paper writing. We provide exclusive tips and ideas that can help create the best essay possible.

Thrilling Soccer Essay: Here’s Your Guide To Writing!

Discover how you can pen down a fascinating soccer essay in minutes! Get tips and a free essay sample to kick start your journey today cozily.

One of the most-watched sport in the world is soccer. Almost everybody is aligned to one soccer team or the other regardless of age, gender, or even occupation. My grandfather still supports Manchester United until now from his youth.

So what makes an essay about soccer as impressive as the sport itself? That is why you are here. Your thirst will be quenched in a few.

Outline of Soccer Essays

Before a soccer match begins, the referee gives the rules to the players to ensure that the game runs smoothly. That is what we want to look at, the structure of a soccer essay.

Introduction

Someone once said, show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are. I would rephrase the same, too, show me your intro, and I will tell you whether I will read your essay or not. What am I insinuating here?

The soccer essay introduction will have an impact on your readers. It will either ignite the readers or turn them off, just like the battery’s role in a car. Thus, the importance of soccer essay hooks, such as quotes from famous players.

Your thesis statement about soccer in the introduction should connect to the background information through a transition. Being the heart of the essay, it should, therefore, be manageable and researchable.

The body of an essay about soccer is composed of paragraphs supporting the thesis statement. It should, therefore, be concise to allow for easy readability.

The same logical connection to the thesis statement should follow in the body paragraphs. Their length varies depending on the assignment.

The 5-paragraph essay is, however, the standard recommended essay body length.

When concluding a soccer essay, try to act like the referee. Let the players know that the match has come to an end.

Briefly, let’s see some soccer essay topics that can get your piece a Wembley stadium audience.

Striking Soccer Essay Topics

• Benefits of playing soccer essay
• An essay on the history of soccer
• My passion is soccer essay
• My favorite sport is soccer essay
• Soccer as a unifying factor essay

Using one of the topics, we are going to explore a soccer essay sample for practice.

Sample of a Soccer Essay

Benefits of Playing Soccer Essay

“God gives gifts to everyone; some can write, some can dance. He gave me the skill to play football, and I am making the most of it.” A quote by Ronaldinho. Soccer is not a sport only but an oasis that quenches the thirsty hearts of many. Dating back to the Egyptians who used to play games involving kicking a ball, soccer has now spread like wildfire globally. Both men and women can now play this sport, not forgetting, the World Cup, help after every four years. It is indeed a sport that has come with great benefits not only to humanity but the whole planet at large.

Soccer has united people now more than ever. Initially, people would only mingle at a community or country level through their unique games and sports. However, soccer has broken these limits. Different people from all walks of life, race, gender, and age, and occupation, social, and political classes have come together. During the World Cup, this phenomenon is evident. Presidents, ordinary people can be seen on the stadium stands cheering their teams. What more could unite such classes than soccer?

The society has grown healthier as a result of soccer. Unhealthy eating habits have been a significant cause of diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. The cost of treating such conditions is expensive. Soccer provides a way of staying healthy, fit, durable, and ability to endure. One can join a community club or team and engage in vigorous soccer training. They have helped many to remain healthy and keep out of hospitals for years.

Generally, soccer is beneficial. The thoughts discussed may not be exhaustive, but the point is home. Everyone, both children and adults, blacks or whites, should embrace this excellent uniting and healthy sport. To have soccer is to score big!

Soccer Essay Made Simple

From the sample above, one can note that such an essay on soccer is as easy as getting pizza from McDonald’s. Its impact and role can be seen in everyday society and, therefore, easy to relate with at any stage of your writing. As always, the jargon should remain to create the context of your essay.

Are you thinking of scoring a soccer essay? The ball is in your court. Get it!

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118 Soccer Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Soccer, also known as football in many parts of the world, is one of the most popular sports globally. With millions of fans and players worldwide, soccer has become a universal language that brings people together. Whether you are a die-hard fan, a player, or just someone who enjoys watching the game, there is no doubt that soccer has a special place in many people's hearts.

If you are a student looking for soccer essay topics for your next assignment, you've come to the right place. In this article, we have compiled a list of 118 soccer essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started on your writing journey. From the history of the game to its impact on society, there are plenty of interesting angles to explore when it comes to soccer.

• The history of soccer and its origins
• The evolution of soccer rules and regulations
• The impact of technology on soccer
• The role of referees in soccer matches
• The psychology of soccer players
• The influence of soccer on culture and society
• The economics of professional soccer
• The importance of teamwork in soccer
• The role of coaches in developing soccer players
• The impact of injuries on soccer careers
• The rise of women's soccer
• The controversy surrounding the FIFA World Cup
• The role of fans in soccer matches
• The influence of social media on soccer
• The psychology of penalty shootouts in soccer
• The relationship between soccer and politics
• The role of soccer in promoting diversity and inclusion
• The impact of globalization on soccer
• The history of soccer hooliganism
• The role of soccer academies in developing young talent
• The significance of soccer rivalries
• The impact of sponsorship deals on soccer clubs
• The rise of soccer analytics and statistics
• The influence of soccer on national identity
• The role of soccer in promoting physical fitness
• The impact of climate change on soccer matches
• The rise of soccer in the United States
• The relationship between soccer and gambling
• The history of soccer stadiums
• The role of soccer in promoting peace and unity
• The impact of social media influencers on soccer culture
• The ethics of diving in soccer
• The role of video assistant referees in soccer matches
• The impact of travel on soccer teams
• The influence of music on soccer culture
• The role of nutrition in soccer performance

As you can see, there are countless soccer essay topics to choose from. Whether you are interested in the history of the game, the impact of technology, or the influence of social media, there is no shortage of angles to explore when it comes to soccer. So, pick a topic that interests you and start writing your next soccer essay today!

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, writing about sports in college essays.

Hey guys, I'm a junior and I'm starting to think about the topics for my college essay. I'm really passionate about sports and it's been a significant part of my high school experience. Is it a good idea to write about sports in my college essay? Can you share any tips and suggestions for making it stand out?

Writing about sports in your college essay can be a great idea if you approach it in a unique and personal way. While it's true that some sports-related essay topics are considered cliché, like sports injuries or victories, there's still a way to make yours stand out.

Here are some tips and suggestions for making your sports essay stand out:

1. Focus on a specific aspect: Instead of writing about your entire sports experience, choose a specific aspect or moment that carries personal significance. For example, how your connection with a teammate shaped your perspective on teamwork or how a particular challenge on the field taught you perseverance and resilience.

2. Share personal growth: Rather than just discussing your accomplishments or stats, emphasize how your involvement in sports has contributed to your personal growth and character development. Mention the skills and qualities you've gained and how they'll contribute to your success in college and beyond.

3. Write about a unique experience: Avoid the clichés by writing about an unusual or unexpected experience related to sports. For example, an essay could focus on how coaching a youth sports team shaped your leadership skills or how organizing a charity sports tournament benefited your community.

4. Show your passion: Make sure your genuine love for the sport comes across in your writing. This could be reflected in the vivid description of memorable moments or the enthusiasm with which you talk about your dedication and commitment to the sport.

5. Connect it to your future goals: Tie your sports experiences to your academic and career aspirations to show the admissions committee how your background in sports will contribute to your future success. For example, if you have a passion for sports science or sports management, discuss how your experiences on the field have fueled your interest in those fields.

By considering these tips, you can craft a compelling essay about your passion for sports without falling into cliché territory. Remember to make your essay personal, focused, and reflective of your personal growth, and you'll be well on your way to writing a standout sports-related essay.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

124 Soccer Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

In your sports essay or research paper, you can write about FIFA players or compare soccer and American football. If you want even more ideas, check out this selection of 121 soccer topics to write about put together by our team .

⚽ Top 10 Soccer Research Topics

🏆 best topics about soccer, ⭐ simple & easy soccer essay titles, 📌 most interesting soccer topics to write about, 👍 good soccer titles for essays, ❓ soccer research questions.

• Famous fixing scandals in soccer.
• The career of Lionel Messi.
• Psychology of soccer fans.
• Racism during football matches.
• What makes a great soccer player?
• Incapacitating injuries in soccer.
• The best approach to football practice.
• Medicine of professional soccer.
• Differences between female and male soccer.
• My passion for playing soccer.
• Football and Soccer: Differences and Similarities The team usually consists of eleven players and the game is played on a field that has goals on either end of the field.
• Playing Soccer Game: Personal Experience During the game, I paid the main attention to team strategy and the configuration of players around the point of action.
• Planning for an Intramural Soccer Event The same goes for the organization of games, recruitment of referees, and raising the money required to hold the event. The operational plan was a significant determinant of the success of the event.
• Senior Management: Soccer Tournament It is chosen as the central deliverable because the successful organization of the tournament is the most desirable outcome of the project.
• The Lack of Soccer Popularity in the U.S. Lack of soccer popularity can be traced from historic events as well as the lifestyle of Americans.”American children grow up with the mentality that soccer is to be played for fun which is not an […]
• Soccer in America: Its History, Origin, Evolution, and Popularize This Sport Among Americans The coverage of the history of this game which is also popularly known as soccer is quite diverse and different ideas have been put across as to where the game originated and its evolution to […]
• American Football’s and Soccer Comparison It is possible to say that the thirst to be better than the rest of people and to be the winner is in the nature of human being.
• South Africa World Cup and Destination Marketing The host had to create an African impression in every aspect from architectural designs of the stadiums to the opening ceremony because the event was to be held in Africa.
• Rhetorical Modes to Use When Discussing Soccer The advancement of urbanization and industrialization led to a reduced leisure period coupled with constant violence that undermined and slowed the game’s development. The team that outscores the rival is the winner, while scoring the […]
• The Scandal during the Soccer Match between Brazil and Tunisia Such incidents interfere with cohesion in society and the state because there is a division between supporters and sympathizers. People and organizations sanction those at the center of the scandal, which, from a sociological point […]
• Statistical Analysis: Soccer Premier League Because all of the data used in this project were of the quantitative type, it was relatively easy to calculate the values of the central tendency measures for them.
• Soccer Participation Issues in New York City My goal today is to describe the problem we as a soccer community face, discuss some of the solutions that would help resolve it, and the projections for the future with the benefits for a […]
• The Soccer Industry: Overview Soccer has become a major actor in the business sector around the globe today. In fact it has become a major industry worth billions of dollars a year.
• Plyometric Training for Female Soccer Players Jump performance capabilities were confirmed to improve in all the studies except the one by Ramirez-Campillo et al, who found the implementation of plyometric training is not associated with the extra impacts on female soccer […]
• Geometry Web Quest for Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Golf, Volleyball and Pool Field for golf is the biggest and made of grass, sand and water and is the biggest and it has no fixed shape. Soccer field is made of grass or synthetic material and is the […]
• Soccer Articles About Kings of Diving Further, it is intriguing to realize that not only is it a commonplace practice, but it is utilized by some of the top players in the league.
• Soccer and National Identity The jubilation and merry that is evident during the topmost soccer challenge in the world commonly referred to as FIFA world cup is testimony to the immense love that fans have for this game as […]
• How Soccer Influences Society and Resolves Issues The fans are interested in the moves of the players and the scores. It is a game which the youngsters and parents alike.
• Cultural Values Embeded in Soccer One of the cultural values embedded in soccer is socialization; socialization is promoted by the soccer events that are organized by the world soccer governing body FIFA.
• The Development of Soccer Analysis The fifth chapter is devoted to the analysis of interesting and relevant issues of the reasons of low popularity of soccer in the United States where other sports like baseball and basketball are dominant.
• Canadian Women’s Soccer Team’s Sport Marketing This paper identifies the best sponsor for the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team and how the two can collaborate to deliver positive results.
• The First Aid Knowledge of Youth Soccer Coaches To establish the interrelationship between the years of work and success in the First Aid Assessment test, a Pearson Product Correlation was used.
• Soccer Influence on Sociopolitical Aspects of WWI During this period, many footballers and athletes were tempted or encouraged to join the militaries of their respective countries and become part of the ongoing war.
• Soccer in the US and American Exceptionalism Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world in terms of viewership and participation. The fact that America is not the best in terms of producing the best soccer talents explains why […]
• Virtual Reality Technology and Soccer Training Moreover, the level of interactivity needs to be significant, and the most attention should be devoted to the modeling of situations that are viewed as the most problematic.
• “Superstar Effect” in Soccer and Its Importance The importance of the “superstar effect” in soccer is hard to overestimate because superstar players generate more revenues for the team by drawing more interest to it, providing it with better sports results, and being […]
• Superstar Effect in Soccer: When Fame Makes a Difference The Superstar Effect, which manifests itself in football stars receiving incentives and financial rewards that other team members do not, can be viewed as a graphic example of the phenomenon analyzed.
• Soccer Team, Its Positions and Their Roles You are the last player on the field and as such, are at a vantage position to not only see how other players are organized in the field of play, but can actually predict the […]
• Soccer in England, Its History and Popularity With this in mind, it is possible to say that is the most popular game nowadays, soccer can be taken as a unique phenomenon in the world of sport.
• Soccer Players Market and Transfer Contracts The aim of this essay is to provide the insight into the soccer players market and to describe some of the deals. The increase in the popularity of the game led to the creation of […]
• Professional Soccer Player’s Training Methods As of the disadvantages of this method, it is, for the most part, limiting because using only words cannot help in developing new skills in the case of professional soccer players, as they need visualization […]
• Football in Saudi Arabia: The Soccer Al Nasser Club The sport was introduced to the Kingdom following the relations between the Europeans and the Saudis in the 20th century. The club has many supporters in Riyadh and the rest of the country.
• The Developement of Soccer in the Past Century The side that will have put in the most goals at their opponents’ side by the ending of the game is the winner.
• The Use of Technology in Soccer Additionally recent events starting from the 2010 world cup where England’s midfielder Frank Lampard was denied a goal and Chelsea being awarded a goal that the ball had not crossed the line attest to the […]
• Miniature Camera on Soccer Shirt The issue is that some of the motions and rapid movements may lead to confusion, and it is paramount to take all the necessary measures to make sure that the level of stability of is […]
• Virtual Reality in Soccer Training The following work will focus on the analysis of the use of Virtual Reality in the training of soccer players with the evaluation of the practices adopted by particular soccer teams.
• Soccer player – Karl Henning His marketing strategy will also help him increase his customers of the age of 6 to 10 who have a low level of awareness.
• What Defines Parental Techniques and Strategies: The Case of Soccer Moms However, it seems that Crohn’s idea of positive stepmothering is more relatable to the topic, since the technique of Chinese mothers, in fact, proves positive and does not seem to have any tangible effects on […]
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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Sports — Soccer

Essays on Soccer

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The Role of Finance in The Football World

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Gender pay discrimination in the us soccer, soccer is a team game, a specific sport like soccer, types of training to increase the efficiency of the soccer player, help to permanently injured soccer players, the inequality in men and women's soccer in spain and the usa, review of the history and benefits of soccer, factors that lead to the success of a football career, personal writing: improving my talent as a football player, evaluation of whether footballers are overpaid, a look at leadership by a football player, the first world cup, race towards the goal, personal experience of connecting with my football team, developing the spirit of football in africa, fifa 19: top 5 overrated players, the risk of concussions in professional football, review of our last game against watford, the premier league on american television.

Soccer is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players.

The two teams compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms while it is in play, except for the goalkeepers within the penalty area. Players may use any other part of their body to strike or pass the ball and mainly use their feet. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.

Hook Examples for Soccer Essays

World cup fever hook.

""The world unites every four years in a frenzy of excitement and passion known as the FIFA World Cup. Join me as we kick off our exploration of soccer, a sport that transcends borders and brings people together.""

The Beautiful Game's Global Impact Hook

""Soccer isn't just a sport; it's a cultural phenomenon that influences nations and inspires generations. Explore the profound impact of soccer on societies, politics, and identity.""

From the Streets to the Stadium Hook

""For many, soccer starts as a simple game on the streets or in dusty fields, but it can lead to dreams fulfilled on grand stadiums. Delve into the journeys of players who rose from humble beginnings to international stardom.""

Passion and Loyalty in Soccer Hook

""Soccer fans are known for their unwavering passion and loyalty to their teams. Analyze the unique bond between supporters and their clubs, exploring the chants, rituals, and the electric atmosphere of soccer matches.""

The Artistry of Soccer Hook

""Soccer is not just about scoring goals; it's about the poetry of movement, the artistry of passing, and the precision of tactics. Join me in exploring the elegance and creativity that define the game.""

Soccer's Role in Social Change Hook

""Soccer has the power to drive social change and break down barriers. Investigate how the sport has played a role in addressing social issues, promoting inclusivity, and advocating for equality.""

The Thrill of the Penalty Kick Hook

""In the high-stakes world of soccer, the penalty kick is a moment of intense pressure and drama. Join me as we dissect the psychology and strategies behind this exhilarating aspect of the game.""

Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi, etc.

No one knows exactly when soccer was created, but the earliest versions of the game can be traced back 3,000 years. Soccer is the most popular game in the world. In many countries it is known as “football”. In England, soccer was formed when several clubs formed the Football Association about 150 years ago.

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Essay on Soccer

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Soccer, known as football outside North America, is more than just a game; it’s a global phenomenon that transcends cultural and national boundaries. This essay delves into the world of soccer, exploring its historical roots, cultural significance, and the profound impact it has on societies worldwide. It’s a narrative aimed at providing students with a comprehensive understanding of soccer for essay writing competitions.

The history of soccer dates back over 2,000 years, with ancient civilizations like the Chinese, Greeks, and Romans playing games involving a ball and a net. Modern soccer, as we know it, began in 19th century England, where it evolved from a rudimentary school game into an organized sport with standardized rules, established by the Football Association in 1863.

Soccer’s Global Spread

From its inception in England, soccer rapidly spread across the globe, becoming a universal language understood in every corner of the world. Its simplicity, requiring only a ball and an open space, made it accessible to all, regardless of social or economic status. By the 20th century, soccer had become entrenched in the cultural fabric of nations across Europe, South America, Africa, and beyond.

The Game Itself

Soccer is played between two teams of eleven players, with the objective of scoring goals by getting the ball into the opposing team’s net. It’s a game that demands both individual skill and team strategy. Key elements include:

• Positioning and Roles : Players assume specific positions like forwards, midfielders, defenders, and goalkeepers, each with unique responsibilities.
• Rules and Regulations : The game follows rules like offside, fouls, and penalties, governed by referees.
• Duration : A standard match lasts 90 minutes, divided into two halves.

Cultural Significance

Soccer is much more than a sport; it’s a cultural phenomenon:

• Community and Identity : For many, soccer clubs and national teams are a source of identity and pride.
• Rivalries and Unity : Historic rivalries add drama and passion to the sport, while major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup unite fans globally.
• Social Impact : Soccer stars often become role models, influencing fashion, language, and lifestyle.

Socio-Economic Impact

Soccer has significant economic implications:

• Industry and Commerce : It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry, with clubs, leagues, and players generating substantial revenue.
• Globalization and Media : The sport’s globalization is propelled by media coverage, sponsorships, and broadcasting rights, making it one of the most-watched sports in the world.

Challenges and Controversies

Despite its popularity, soccer faces challenges:

• Corruption and Governance : Issues like corruption within governing bodies have raised questions about integrity.
• Racism and Discrimination : Soccer is not immune to societal issues, with instances of racism and discrimination marring its image.
• Commercialization : The increasing commercialization of the sport raises concerns about its true spirit and accessibility.

The Role of Major Tournaments

Major tournaments like the World Cup and UEFA Champions League are not just sporting events but cultural phenomena that capture the world’s attention. They showcase the sport’s highest level, celebrate international unity, and often become platforms for social and political statements.

The Psychological Aspect

Soccer has a psychological impact on both players and fans:

• Passion and Emotion : It evokes strong emotions, creating a sense of belonging and community.
• Mental Health : Participation in soccer has been linked to improved mental health, offering an outlet for stress and a sense of accomplishment.

Soccer and Youth Development

For the youth, soccer is more than physical activity; it’s a tool for social and personal development. It teaches teamwork, discipline, and leadership skills, making it an integral part of educational and social programs worldwide.

The Future of Soccer

Looking ahead, soccer continues to evolve. With technological advancements like VAR (Video Assistant Referee), the sport is embracing modernization. The growing emphasis on women’s soccer is also reshaping the landscape, promoting gender equality in sports.

In conclusion, soccer, often called the beautiful game, transcends borders, languages, and cultures. Its universal appeal lies in its simplicity, teamwork, and the passion it ignites in players and fans alike. To write an effective essay on soccer, remember to capture its global significance, explore its rich history, and celebrate its ability to unite people from all walks of life through the love of the sport.

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Soccer - Free Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Soccer, known as football outside of North America, is a globally cherished sport with a rich history and significant cultural impact. Essays on soccer might explore its origins, the evolution of soccer rules and organizations, and the sport’s influence on international relations and national identities. Additionally, discussions might extend to notable soccer events like the FIFA World Cup, iconic soccer players, and the societal and economic aspects of soccer fandom and commercialization. A vast selection of complimentary essay illustrations pertaining to Soccer you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Informative Essay about Soccer

Soccer is the most played sport in the world today. As Alex Morgan one said, "It doesn't matter if its soccer, football, or futbol, This game brings people together". Soccer has a lot of background for its history, including the rules and regulations, has proven health benefits for playing the sport, and shows a lot of characteristics on why it's a team sport. Soccer is a sport that welcomes anyone to play and brings positivity and unity out in one's […]

Topic Soccer Balls Bounce

A ball will bounce differently depending on the surface because some surfaces are harder than others like grass, turf, concrete they are all different. Some surfaces absorb more energy than others do. A hard surface, such as concrete, absorbs less energy compared with a soft surface, such as a grass floor. The more energy absorbed by the surface, the less that remains in the ball for it to bounce. When a ball is dropped gravity pulls the ball toward the […]

The CAC 40 – the Paris Stock Exchange

The CAC 40: stands for "Cotation Assistée en Continu", which may be translated to continuous aided mercantilism, and is that the hottest benchmark index for funds finance within the French securities market. This index provides a general plan regarding the direction of the "Euronext Paris", that is that the largest stock market in France once referred to as the Paris stock exchange. CAC 40 represents the capitalization-weighted measure of the foremost forty vital values among the very best one hundred […]

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The Rules and Process of Soccer

When you hear the word "soccer" do you right away freak out like most of Americans do, well I will explain why you shouldn't. Soccer is a beautiful sport that is played across five continents. Americans have a wrong understanding of playing soccer because they believe their kids will get hurt playing soccer, but they encourage their kids to play American Football when it is even more dangerous than soccer. There is a rules and process of playing soccer. Soccer […]

The Effects of Soccer on Health

The world is filled up and down with soccer. With no doubt it is one of the most popular sports in the entire world. That is because it can be played practically anywhere you can think of, backyards, parks, streets, and stadiums. During a soccer match players work their body to the maximum. They do a variety of physical activity like jumping, sprinting, shooting, and dribbling for a whole ninety minutes. Soccer has a great impact on not only physical […]

A Football Player Homare Sawa

Homare Sawa was a Japanese football player who led Japan to victory as captain in the 2011 Women's World Cup, she hopes the disparity between men's and women's teams in Japan will close. About 25,000 girls play football in Japan, but there are no professional leagues for women. Sawa herself played on the boy's team. The pay gap between the genders is stark and most of the members of Sawa's World Cup team have full-time jobs and could only train […]

Racism in Soccer

Racism has been a part of civilization for a very long time now and will be something that will always be around. It has even found its way into sports all around the world and the problem continues to grow. Sports of all kinds have this problem, from organizations such as the NBA and NFL, to the leagues in other countries. One of the biggest sports in the world, soccer, has one of the worst issues with racism. Since soccer […]

About Motion of Soccer Ball

When a soccer ball is kicked or in motion it is determined by newton's laws of motion. Newton's first law of motion states that an object will move in a straight line unless acted on by other external forces. Newton's second law of motion explains that the velocity, the speed of an object in a given direction, changes when it interacts with an external force. The forces that can stop and interfere with the motion of the soccer ball is […]

Why Soccer is the Sport most Famous

For many it is not a mystery that the sport of the Soccer (or fut-bol in other countries) is the physical activity that has more followers around the world, which raises passions, emotions, joys, rivalries, etc; all that is what the fut-bol brings. But why is this? In this essay from a very particular point of view I, because soccer is the most watched sport in the world, all aspects that for me make football the king sport in the […]

History of Soccer

Soccer is among the most loved and celebrated sports worldwide. People will spent a lot of money to buy soccer jerseys with the same number worn by their favorite soccer stars Soccer has evolved throughout time, from being a game without rules to a game that has a visual assistant referee.The game get its name from that people uses their foot to kick the ball. It was started more than two thousand years ago as some other games. The only […]

The Evolution of Soccer

The Evolution of Soccer around the world and how it gained its popularity throughout countries Soccer is a favorite sport played all over the world. Although it has just been prevalent in North America for as far back as 30 years, soccer has been quite a while most loved most wherever else. It is the national game of many European and Latin-American nations, and numerous different countries. The game goes back to the Egyptians, who played amusements including the kicking […]

The Psychology Side of Soccer

The psychology side of soccer has helped me through learning how to deal with situations, ways on how to solve problems together with my teammates, allowing myself to adapt and meet new people from different countries. Many athletes are confused about the role of soccer psychology and how mental training can improve your performance. The goal of the psychology side of soccer is to help other athletes and teams perform their best by improving mental skills that help us excel […]

Soccer is a Highly Contested Cut-throat Game

Many people hold a notion that soccer is a highly contested, cut-throat game. However, soccer has a great role in hosting competitions and being a mediator betweens nations at an international level (Kunczik, 2016). Football touches lives both on a regional and global scale. At times it inspires revolutions, but it also has the capability to create an everlasting peace and lift the participating nations. However, a blend of politics and soccer has significant and far-reaching implications on the international […]

Soccer and Goalies

Description In the game of soccer, the objective is to score as many goals as possible (more than the opposing team) by the end of the ninety-minutes in order to win the game. If there is a tie at the end of the ninety minutes, depending on the situation, the referee will either declare it a tie, add additional time (also known as stoppage time), or the game will go into penalty kicks. Components of the Field In terms of […]

Soccer as the most Famous Sport

Soccer is known to be the most famous sport in the world. In soccer there is 2 teams with 11 players. Soccer is played on a large grass field but you can also play indoor. The point of the game it to get the ball into the opposite team's goal. You can player soccer by only using your feet to dribble it and the goalie can only touch the ball. Soccer is played by all ages around the world for […]

Soccer in the US

Football is the king of sports, is the most popular and playable sport in the world. In the USA they play the same exact sport but with different name soccer, which is an acronym of the word Football Association. Although soccer was not very popular in 50's or 60's, in the 70's and 80's it gained some publicity from the creation of New York Cosmos and the arrival of some of the greatest soccer players of that time. In the […]

Major League Soccer

The United States has realized several impacts following the creation of the Major League Soccer (MLS) which was initially formed from an ownership model which was specifically a single-entity one. The ownership model acted as an antidote to the failing investments which were made in the history of professional soccer in North America. The creation of the MLS and its sustainability in the American sports culture is outstanding considering the competition it has been subjected to by other domestic sports […]

Playing Soccer

Panting as she dribbles the ball down the field, making sure the ball goes off the right part of her foot, and trying to figure out who is the best player to pass to make up the amazing sport of soccer. Soccer is a rewarding sport to play because it teaches coordination, increases cardiovascular health, and has cognitive benefits. Soccer uses the whole body, therefore, requires coordination from your eyes to the rest of your body. Cardiovascular health is increased […]

Twelve Thai Soccer Players

On June 23, twelve Thailand soccer players and their coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, went missing. The name of the soccer team was Wild Boars. The soccer team was from the northern part of Thailand. The soccer team got trapped in a cave that was half a mile below the surface and was prone to flooding. The twelve Thai soccer players were roughly around the ages of 14 and 16, with their coach being 25 years old. The situation in June 2018 […]

Soccer and Stock Markets

According to earlier studies, emotions are omnipresent. They have an essential effect on the individuals' behaviour and thus the decision making. Take for example the impact of anger on judgment and it's influence on cognition, and how the incidental anger in one situation can result in misattributed blame in another (Tedeschi and Quigley 1996). Again,According to Aristotle, "Anyone can become angry,that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for […]

Sizes of a Soccer Ball

Soccer Balls come in many different sizes. They also have different weight to all of them, but all soccer balls have one thing in common they all have air in them which allows the ball to be tough or soft. In the beginning it will fly exactly in the direction of the kick, as it slows down due to the friction of the air. The spinning motion will cause the air on one side to move faster than the other […]

Stock Market and Soccer

The interest in the role of sentiment, mood, feelings and emotions in finance and business stems from the work of (Kahneman and Tversky, 1979). Results in this area was built on evidence from experimental psychology and economics and studies to explore how investors are affected in light of information's evaluation, risk, gains. The applying the direct and the indirect measurement on the sentiment and feelings of the investors as an attempt to discover its role on the performance of stock […]

Soccer and Stock Market

When reviewing previous papers, we can touch the remarkable role of emotions that would suggest alternative courses of action affecting behavior of individuals and thus the decision-making, As a simple example the incidental anger happening in one situation will elicits automatically a motive to blame individuals in other situations even though the targets of such anger have nothing to do with the source of the anger (Tedeschi & Quigley 1996), and that typically occurs without awareness, as if Emotions play […]

The Global Reach of Soccer Viewership

Soccer, known as football outside of North America, is undeniably the world's most popular sport. Its appeal transcends geographical, cultural, and socio-economic boundaries, captivating millions across the globe. The question of how many people watch soccer is both intriguing and complex, reflecting the sport's vast reach and its profound impact on societies worldwide. The sheer scale of soccer's viewership is staggering. According to FIFA, the sport's global governing body, over half of the world's population watched some part of the […]

Kicking it at Angelo’s Soccer Corner: more than Just a Store

Nestled within the core of the local soccer community lies Angelo's Soccer Corner, an oasis for devotees of the beautiful game. Far beyond a mere emporium, Angelo's has evolved into a vibrant nucleus for players, enthusiasts, and families, embodying the fervor and ardor that soccer evokes universally. This discourse delves into the distinctive role Angelo's Soccer Corner assumes in nurturing the local soccer milieu, fostering a sense of camaraderie, and contributing to the sport's proliferation at its grassroots. From its […]

Neymar’s First Name: the Story Behind the Soccer Sensation

In the world of soccer, few names resonate as strongly as Neymar. He's a figure known globally, not just for his skill on the pitch but for his larger-than-life persona. However, many fans, even the most ardent ones, might pause when asked, "What is Neymar's first name?" It's a question that invites us to explore not just a name, but the story and the culture behind one of soccer's most iconic figures. Neymar's full name is Neymar da Silva Santos […]

Unraveling the Origins of Soccer: a Journey through History

Soccer, or football as it's known outside of North America, is more than just a game; it's a global phenomenon that captivates billions. But who can we thank for this ball-kicking frenzy? The answer isn't as straightforward as you might think. Tracing soccer's roots is like walking through a maze of history, culture, and evolution. Long before soccer became the sport we know today, ancient civilizations were already playing ball games. The Chinese game of 'cuju,' recorded during the Han […]

Kwame Appiah: a Philosopher’s Perspective on Soccer

When Kwame Appiah, a renowned philosopher, turns his attention to soccer, you know you're in for an insightful ride. It's not every day that a thinker of his caliber delves into the world of sports. Appiah, known for his work on cosmopolitanism and identity, brings a unique perspective to the game of soccer, a sport celebrated and loved by millions worldwide. His approach to soccer is not just about the game itself but also about what it represents in our […]

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Essay About Soccer U.S. Soccer, the governing body for the sport in America, pays the members of the men's and women's teams for international matches. The men's team earns higher wages in comparison to the women’s team. A perfect example of this case is when the women only earned $2 million the summer of 2015 for winning the World Cup while the men's team earned $9 million without advancing past the Round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup. Five of the women's players filed a federal complaint accusing the U.S. of discrimination of wages even with their revenue increase. The soccer world and others should care and be mindful of this because of the equal employment opportunities and the equal protection clause for both men and women. In the end, we are in search of equal opportunities for our future and for the little boys and girls who have dreams to succeed as well. U.S. Soccer may think they can get away with this because the majority of sports that pay their women players are always lower than the men's sports. There was a time where the women’s national soccer team was making more than the men's team. There will always be a controversy within the wage difference between men and women. At some point, there should be a solution and an agreement on how much everyone makes. “I won’t settle for less than equal pay”, Former National Women’s Soccer Goalie Hope Solo, said with strong words fighting for equal pay as a professional women’s soccer player. This has been a constant debate throughout time about equal pay between men and women in the professional sports industry. Many women argue that they do just as much as men do in their field. From training camps to similar training periods and even equivalent working conditions. Throughout this paper, we will touch on some major factors as to why women should get paid the same amount as men do. To begin, throughout the duration of a soccer player’s career they go through many different levels before becoming a professional. They typically come up in the youth academy programs and then they move into high school level, from here they normally select a college to attend and they can opt-out after their first year to enter the draft. From here, this is where we run into major issues with differentiating between both genders in this sport. Professional soccer players on the men's side of things tend to make on average about $60,000, and they can see upwards of up to $300,000 in wages per year. As for women soccer players they make on average about $30,000 and can get paid upwards of $80,000 a year. Almost a $220,000 drop off and the question is why? Women prepare just as hard, and the demand of the head coaches for Women soccer player doesn’t differ because of their gender. This is still an ongoing debate as to why women aren’t being paid the same as men. To continue on the requirements of both men and women, they both have a similar playing field as men do. They train on the same size field as men, play with the same size ball, and even run training sessions that are just as long. So why is there such a gap in the pay for women soccer compared to men? Well, many argue that the fanbase of men’s soccer game brings compared to that of a women’s soccer game explains why there is a pay gap. For example, the last world cup for both men and women respectively both had a large number of viewers. During the Men’s world cup final in 2014 over 3.2 billion viewers across the globe. As for the women they had over 40 million across the world. With the men’s soccer final seeing such a difference in views across the world, this is the argument as to why there is a pay gap between both genders in the sport. On the other hand, U.S. women's soccer is much more popular than that on the men's side. In fact, the last Women’s World Cup finals had over 23 million views across the U.S. This was the most-watched soccer game for both men’s and women’s in history. So, holding the argument that women are just as equal to men in soccer especially in the U.S. is a valid point. So why are we so off on paying women? If they are playing under equivalent working conditions, what’s stopping women from having more money. This argument has now been ongoing for decades, but when will we start to see changes in the current professional field of soccer? To continue, just to compare some numbers. In research constructed by a business insider, they compared the annual pay based on 20 games between both men and women. If a men’s soccer team lost all 20 games, they are expected to bring in at least $100,000 in pay, whereas if the women’s team lost all 20 games, they bring in approximately $72,000. In addition, if each team were to win 10 games both on the Men's and the Women's side, the men’s team would get a payout of up to $181, 660, whereas the Women would get up to $85,500. This is almost a $100,000 in pay difference for achieving the exact same number of wins. Lastly, if each team were to hypothetically win all 20 games, the men’s team payout would be up to $263,320, whereas, the women would get $99,000 if they accomplished the same. This is almost a $180,000 difference in pay according to a business insider. This means that even if the women’s team went 20-0 and the men’s team went 10-10, the men would still get paid almost twice as much as that of the women’s team. This is why many professional women soccer athletes are infuriated with the current pay and inequality in between the two and demand equal compensation. Another huge compensation gap is the world cup bonuses. This is one of the most surprising numbers between the two and the difference is unimaginable. For instance, if a men's team finished third in the world cup, they would receive $52.083 in bonuses, whereas if a women's team finished in the same place, they would receive less than half of that at about $20,000. An even more remarkable number is if the men’s team finished in second, they would be compensated for $260,417 according to business insider, whereas the women would receive just about $32,500 in bonuses. This is almost $230,000 more than that of women. The only difference between the two would be their gender. Lastly, a first-place finisher in the world cup would get over $390, 625 on the men’s side, whereas the women’s team would only get $75,000. Compared to the men, this is almost an offensive offer by FIFA when it comes to compensating their players for their work. This is not only an embarrassment for FIFA as an organization but for the sport and what they represent as a whole for the women’s teams. 

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How to Write About Sports for Your College Application Essay

Yes – you can write about sports, choosing a topic, preventing the “groan” – let them get to know you, finding nemo and finding your story, personal development is key, what makes your story stand out, let’s recap: writing your college application essay.

______________________________________________ Cara Kalf is a writer, editor and teacher who coaches high-schoolers to write their best college application essays and get ready for the top-tier schools they plan to attend. For more advice on writing, admissions, and academic success, check out carakalf.com.

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12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay

College admission committees sift through thousands of college essays each year. Here’s how to make yours stand out.

Pamela Reynolds

When it comes to deciding who they will admit into their programs, colleges consider many criteria, including high school grades, extracurricular activities, and ACT and SAT scores. But in recent years, more colleges are no longer considering test scores.

Instead, many (including Harvard through 2026) are opting for “test-blind” admission policies that give more weight to other elements in a college application. This policy change is seen as fairer to students who don’t have the means or access to testing, or who suffer from test anxiety.

So, what does this mean for you?

Simply that your college essay, traditionally a requirement of any college application, is more important than ever.

A college essay is your unique opportunity to introduce yourself to admissions committees who must comb through thousands of applications each year. It is your chance to stand out as someone worthy of a seat in that classroom.

A well-written and thoughtful essay—reflecting who you are and what you believe—can go a long way to separating your application from the slew of forgettable ones that admissions officers read. Indeed, officers may rely on them even more now that many colleges are not considering test scores.

Below we’ll discuss a few strategies you can use to help your essay stand out from the pack. We’ll touch on how to start your essay, what you should write for your college essay, and elements that make for a great college essay.

Be Authentic

More than any other consideration, you should choose a topic or point of view that is consistent with who you truly are.

Readers can sense when writers are inauthentic.

Inauthenticity could mean the use of overly flowery language that no one would ever use in conversation, or it could mean choosing an inconsequential topic that reveals very little about who you are.

Use your own voice, sense of humor, and a natural way of speaking.

Whatever subject you choose, make sure it’s something that’s genuinely important to you and not a subject you’ve chosen just to impress. You can write about a specific experience, hobby, or personality quirk that illustrates your strengths, but also feel free to write about your weaknesses.

Honesty about traits, situations, or a childhood background that you are working to improve may resonate with the reader more strongly than a glib victory speech.

Grab the Reader From the Start

You’ll be competing with so many other applicants for an admission officer’s attention.

Therefore, start your essay with an opening sentence or paragraph that immediately seizes the imagination. This might be a bold statement, a thoughtful quote, a question you pose, or a descriptive scene.

Starting your essay in a powerful way with a clear thesis statement can often help you along in the writing process. If your task is to tell a good story, a bold beginning can be a natural prelude to getting there, serving as a roadmap, engaging the reader from the start, and presenting the purpose of your writing.

Focus on Deeper Themes

Some essay writers think they will impress committees by loading an essay with facts, figures, and descriptions of activities, like wins in sports or descriptions of volunteer work. But that’s not the point.

College admissions officers are interested in learning more about who you are as a person and what makes you tick.

They want to know what has brought you to this stage in life. They want to read about realizations you may have come to through adversity as well as your successes, not just about how many games you won while on the soccer team or how many people you served at a soup kitchen.

Let the reader know how winning the soccer game helped you develop as a person, friend, family member, or leader. Make a connection with your soup kitchen volunteerism and how it may have inspired your educational journey and future aspirations. What did you discover about yourself?

Show Don’t Tell

As you expand on whatever theme you’ve decided to explore in your essay, remember to show, don’t tell.

The most engaging writing “shows” by setting scenes and providing anecdotes, rather than just providing a list of accomplishments and activities.

Reciting a list of activities is also boring. An admissions officer will want to know about the arc of your emotional journey too.

Try Doing Something Different

If you want your essay to stand out, think about approaching your subject from an entirely new perspective. While many students might choose to write about their wins, for instance, what if you wrote an essay about what you learned from all your losses?

If you are an especially talented writer, you might play with the element of surprise by crafting an essay that leaves the response to a question to the very last sentence.

You may want to stay away from well-worn themes entirely, like a sports-related obstacle or success, volunteer stories, immigration stories, moving, a summary of personal achievements or overcoming obstacles.

However, such themes are popular for a reason. They represent the totality of most people’s lives coming out of high school. Therefore, it may be less important to stay away from these topics than to take a fresh approach.

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Write With the Reader in Mind

Writing for the reader means building a clear and logical argument in which one thought flows naturally from another.

Use transitions between paragraphs.

Think about any information you may have left out that the reader may need to know. Are there ideas you have included that do not help illustrate your theme?

Be sure you can answer questions such as: Does what you have written make sense? Is the essay organized? Does the opening grab the reader? Is there a strong ending? Have you given enough background information? Is it wordy?

Write Several Drafts

Set your essay aside for a few days and come back to it after you’ve had some time to forget what you’ve written. Often, you’ll discover you have a whole new perspective that enhances your ability to make revisions.

Start writing months before your essay is due to give yourself enough time to write multiple drafts. A good time to start could be as early as the summer before your senior year when homework and extracurricular activities take up less time.

Read It Aloud

Writer’s tip : Reading your essay aloud can instantly uncover passages that sound clumsy, long-winded, or false.

Don’t Repeat

If you’ve mentioned an activity, story, or anecdote in some other part of your application, don’t repeat it again in your essay.

Your essay should tell college admissions officers something new. Whatever you write in your essay should be in philosophical alignment with the rest of your application.

Also, be sure you’ve answered whatever question or prompt may have been posed to you at the outset.

Ask Others to Read Your Essay

Be sure the people you ask to read your essay represent different demographic groups—a teacher, a parent, even a younger sister or brother.

Ask each reader what they took from the essay and listen closely to what they have to say. If anyone expresses confusion, revise until the confusion is cleared up.

Pay Attention to Form

Although there are often no strict word limits for college essays, most essays are shorter rather than longer. Common App, which students can use to submit to multiple colleges, suggests that essays stay at about 650 words.

“While we won’t as a rule stop reading after 650 words, we cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention for as long as you’d hoped it would,” the Common App website states.

In reviewing other technical aspects of your essay, be sure that the font is readable, that the margins are properly spaced, that any dialogue is set off properly, and that there is enough spacing at the top. Your essay should look clean and inviting to readers.

End Your Essay With a “Kicker”

In journalism, a kicker is the last punchy line, paragraph, or section that brings everything together.

It provides a lasting impression that leaves the reader satisfied and impressed by the points you have artfully woven throughout your piece.

So, here’s our kicker: Be concise and coherent, engage in honest self-reflection, and include vivid details and anecdotes that deftly illustrate your point.

While writing a fantastic essay may not guarantee you get selected, it can tip the balance in your favor if admissions officers are considering a candidate with a similar GPA and background.

Write, revise, revise again, and good luck!

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How and When to Talk About a Sports Injury in Your College Essay

You’ve come up with the perfect essay topic: that sports injury that changed your life. Not only is it a compelling story, but it can also serve as a great metaphor for a larger life experience.

Unfortunately, many other students have the same idea. Sports injuries—and sports in general—are hugely popular topics for college essays. Students often feel compelled to discuss a single moment or event that changed or influenced their lives in these essays, and because so many high schoolers participate in athletics, quite a few have had similar experiences that fit this bill. As young people, college applicants generally have less life experience, so they may not have experienced many other events that affected them on a grand scale.

A sports injury can evoke a lot of emotions—pain and disappointment, to name a few. Recovering from your injury, and describing that recovery, can demonstrate determination, hard work, bravery, perseverance in the face of obstacles, and many other admirable qualities. It’s a natural topic to choose.

But because so many applicants have the same idea, you may not stand out to the admissions committee if you choose to write about a sports injury—and standing out in a large pool of applicants is essential.

Why Should You Generally Avoid Sports Injuries in Essays?

It may seem counterintuitive, but your essay isn’t just a space to talk about yourself. It’s also a tool you use to present yourself to admissions committees, so you need to think strategically. You’re competing against a vast pool of candidates for admission, and many of them have stellar grades and test scores. You need to find a way to stand out . While some other parts of your application are dedicated to your stats, your essay is a place to let your personality shine.

Clichés are not going to help your case. If you use one in your essay, it puts a damper on the whole work. It’s not going to be compelling or engaging if admissions officers have read similar stories many times before.

Creativity and originality are essential for admissions committees; they want to attract students who think innovatively and will develop new ideas, not students who just dutifully follow directions. Think about it: colleges want students who will be leaders in society and ultimately make them look good. Check out Ten Skills to Highlight in Your College Applications to learn more about characteristics colleges are looking for in applicants.

Realistically, most high school athletes won’t go on to play professionally . That’s why you need to hone some skills outside of sports. ( Extracurricular Activities for Student Athletes has some ideas to help you.) It’s also why you should try to discuss topics that are more relevant to your future career or intended major.

That doesn’t mean you must avoid discussing your injury altogether. It’s fine to mention it in your essay or other parts of your application—in fact, you may need to do so to provide context or explain a change of direction—but generally, you shouldn’t use it as your main essay topic.

What if You Really, Really Want to Use this Topic?

If you feel like it’s imperative to highlight your sports injury in your essay, you MUST be creative! Using a topic that’s a bit of a cliché is a huge risk, so you’d better make sure you have something unique to say about it. You also need to be specific. An essay about a general-sounding situation filled with platitudes about life lessons you’ve learned won’t be compelling.

You’re more likely to stand out if your situation is unusual in some way. For instance, if you play a lesser-known or less popular sport such as fencing, you have a better chance of standing out. You may also have a unique spin if you were truly a world-class competitor—we’re talking national teams or Olympic-level here.

Make sure your personality really comes through, and make your essay as personal as possible. Incorporate other topics that are important to you and show who you truly are. For instance, you might discuss how the sport you played is a significant part of your family or cultural history, or how a person you met while playing that sport is important to you.

Your essay must be thoughtful, and you’ll need to demonstrate a deeper interpretation of what this injury meant to you and your life. Don’t just make it a play-by-play account of what happened.

You should also avoid topics that are too controversial. For example, don’t use your injury to wax poetic on your political position , and leave out excessively graphic or gory descriptions of your injury. In other words, don’t make the admissions committee cringe. (That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be descriptive, though!) Also avoid playing the blame game. If you think your injury was someone else’s fault, such as a player on the opposing team, your essay is not a place to point fingers. If you do, you’ll risk coming off as immature and unwilling to accept responsibility for yourself.

Your essay should fit in with the overall picture you paint with your application; colleges want to see a cohesive representation of you and your passions, rather than a disparate jumble of facts. As always, you should demonstrate strong skills in written communication. Proofread, check for typos, ask others to read your essay , and otherwise take time to perfect it well before you hit submit.

For More Information

Your essay is an important piece of your college application. It’s a place where you can really convey your personality and passions to admissions committees. Make at as unique as possible, so you can really stand out. Even if you’re not a natural writer, there are still ways to craft a stellar essay. For more help, check out the posts below.

How to Develop a Personalized Metaphor for Your Applications

How to Come Up With an Idea for a Personal Statement

Where to Begin? 3 Personal Essay Brainstorming Exercises

What If I Don’t Have Anything Interesting To Write About In My College Essay?

How to Get the Perfect Hook for Your College Essay

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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College Essay Myths Debunked: Yes, You Can Write About Sports

The notion that all students who play sports write college essays about their athletic pursuits is simply inaccurate. Last year one our our students, a star football player, wrote about his aptitude for solving puzzles. Another student on the school rowing team wrote about her family’s immigration story. Athletes are not just athletes — they are complex humans with varied talents and experiences, many of which are worth exploring in essay form. Still, it is impractical to think that students who devote thirty hours or more of their lives each week to a sport, won’t feel compelled to write about their passion for soccer or aptitude for tennis or cheerleading. And rightfully so. Sports teach valuable skills like leadership, teamwork and discipline. They foster bonds of friendship that often last decades or longer. A working knowledge of sports can even be a lifelong conversation starter among strangers.

Students do not have to shy away from detailing these experiences and what they learned from them — they just have to shift the lens, add another layer, or approach these topics from creative perspectives to make them both original and reflective of a greater range of interests and talents. For example, maybe your experience diving for the ball as a volleyball player allowed you to take a risk in applying for the job of your dreams. Perhaps the qualities needed to be a good basketball player and also the skills needed to command a boardroom. Students might want to steer away from major tropes like getting injured before a big game or scoring the winning goal — though if those stories are treated with sincerity and an innovative perspective, they can make for effective essays as well. The test of whether or not you have achieved the level of creativity necessary to set a sports essay apart from all the rest is this: Could any other basketball player have written your essay? If another lacrosse player put her name on your application, would the details still be mostly accurate? If the answer is yes, find another way in; add another twist; push towards a more compelling and creative conclusion. So, yes, you can write a sports essay — it just has to be a sports essay unlike any other.

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Sample Short Answer on Soccer

Gwen Writes About Soccer For The Short Answer, But Her Response Has Problems

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College applications often include a short essay that asks you to elaborate on your most meaningful extracurricular activity or work experience. The Common Application used to require a short answer response of 150 words or fewer, and today many schools have retained the short answer in the supplemental essay section. The question will often ask something straight-forward like this: "Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences."

Features of a Weak Short Answer

• The short answer repeats similar ideas in slightly different words.
• The essay employs vague language.
• The response is filled with clichés and predictable language.
• The response doesn't explain why the activity is important to the author.

"Short" should not be confused with "unimportant." When a college has holistic admissions , every piece of the application is important since the admissions folks want to get to know you as a whole person. The short answer needs to convey your passion for something you do, and it should also explain why the activity is important to you.

In this sample short answer response, Gwen writes about her passion for soccer, but she makes many common mistakes in the process.

Sample Short Answer Response by Gwen

Simply put, I love soccer. I love being part of a team of girls who go out there and give their all, heart and soul, in every game. We truly are a family in our team. I love being a part of that family and taking a leadership role, both on and off the field. Soccer has also helped me be a better leader in student organizations and class work, where I take a proactive role. Whether it is a good defensive block or scoring the winning goal, soccer is an empowering part of my life, and I would not be the person I am today without it.

Critique of Gwen's Short Answer Response

Gwen's short answer response is not terrible—the language is easy to read and Gwen's love of soccer comes across forcefully.

However, Gwen's response does have several problems:

• The language is repetitive. Gwen says "I love" three times, and she repeats the ideas of family and leadership twice.
• The languge is vague. What does Gwen mean when she says she takes "a proactive role"? What is her "leadership role"? What exactly does she mean when she says soccer made her "the person I am today"?
• Some language is cliché. Phrases like "heart and soul" and "scoring the winning goal" appear in far too many essays about sports.
• The response is short and doesn't say much. The typical 150-word limit isn't much space in which to elaborate on an activity, yet Gwen's response is just 540 characters/108 words (and, as noted, those words are repetitive and vague). Gwen hasn't used the short answer to her advantage.

Gwen does sound like a perfectly pleasant and enthusiastic student who works well with a team, but her response could be so much stronger. We finish her short answer response without a clear sense of the type of leader she is or what leadership roles she has assumed. There's nothing concrete here to illustrate how soccer has made her a stronger person and better student.

A Final Word on Short Answer Responses

To see what a stronger short answer response looks like, be sure to check out Christie's essay on running and Joel's response on his job at Burger King . Christie's response shows how an athletic activity can be presented more effectively than Gwen does, and Joel shows how a relatively unenjoyable activity—a fast food job—can still prove meaningful and valuable.

Don't be misled by the word "short." You should put plenty of time and care into this type of little essay. Work to follow the guidelines for a winning short answer , and be sure to steer clear of common short answer mistakes .

• Sample Short Answer Essay on Running
• Short Answer Response on Working at Burger King
• Common Application Short Answer Essay on Entrepreneurship
• Sample College Application Short Answer Essay
• How Long Should Your Common Application Short Answer Essay Be?
• Common Application Short Answer Tips
• College Application Essay - The Job I Should Have Quit
• Sample Application Essay - Porkopolis
• "Handiwork" - Sample Common Application Essay for Option #1
• Short Answer Mistakes
• Tips for the 8 University of California Personal Insight Questions
• Striking Out: Sample Common Application Essay
• "My Dads" - Sample Common Application Essay for Option #1
• Sample Weak Supplemental Essay for Duke University
• Sample Common Application Essay for Option #5
• Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place

Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

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Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

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Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

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College soccer 101: A beginner's guide to rules and terminology for the men's and women's games

With the fall sports season underway, The Chronicle is here with a breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is information on both men's and women's soccer.

"The Beautiful Game" is broken up into two 45-minute halves and played with teams of 11. Each team must score on its opponent’s goal without using arms or hands (with the exception of a goalkeeper in front of each net). Typical soccer matches are low-scoring yet fast-paced and feature various tactics to attempt to get the ball into an opponent's net.

Terminology

Dribbling : A skill where a player moves the ball upfield using controlled touches to keep possession while advancing past defenders.

Tackle : When a defensive player attempts to dispossess an opposing player by challenging for the ball. There are sliding tackles and standing tackles.

Header : When a player strikes the ball using their head, usually to direct a pass, clear the ball or attempt to score.

Set piece : A planned offensive or defensive play during a restart of play, such as a free kick, corner kick or throw-in.

Nutmeg : A move where a player passes the ball between an opponent's legs and retrieves it on the other side.

Through ball : A pass made between or behind defenders intended for a forward-running teammate to chase.

Cross: A pass from the side of the field into the area in front of the goal, often for a scoring opportunity.

Possession : The act of maintaining control of the ball during play. Teams with high possession stats are often able to manage the game better than teams without.

Bicycle kick: When a player jumps into the air, flips backward and kicks the ball overhead while in midair, sending it behind them.

Formation: The arrangement of the players on the field. Some common formations are 4-4-2, with four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards; 4-3-3, with a back four, three midfielders and three forwards; and 4-2-3-1, with four defenders, two defensive midfielders, three attacking midfielders that also run the wings and a single striker.

There are 11 players on the field per team at any given time. The players are generally organized in four different categories depending on their role: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards. These positions can also be referred to numerically.

Goalkeeper (1): This is the only player allowed to use their hands, and they can do so only within the penalty box. Their primary job is to stop the opposing team from scoring by blocking shots on goal. The keeper is considered the last line of defense and a key communicator in organizing the defense, as well as the starting point for a team’s attack.

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• Center back (4,5): Positioned centrally in the defensive line, center backs aim to block opposing attackers and clear the ball from the defensive third of the field.
• Full back (2,3): On the left and right sides of the center backs, full backs help defend against wide attacks and often assist in building offensive plays down the wings.

Midfielders:

• Central midfielder (6, 8, 10): This is a versatile role. Center mids help with both defense and attack, distributing passes and controlling the tempo of the game. 
• Defensive midfielder (6): Playing just ahead of the defense, their role is to break up opposition attacks and distribute the ball for teammates to start their own team’s offense.
• Attacking midfielder (8,10): Positioned just behind the forwards, attacking mids create scoring opportunities by delivering key passes or taking shots on goal themselves. They also track back on defense for support.
• Striker (9): As the player closest to the opponent’s goal, strikers — also called center forwards in some systems — are the primary goal scorers. They utilize their strong finishing abilities and often play off the defenders to slip the ball in the back of the net.
• Wide forward (7,11): Wide forwards, or wingers, play on either side of the striker, and are typically very fast and skilled dribblers. They advance the ball up the sidelines and deliver crosses into the box for strikers. They can also cut in to take shots on goal.

Rules and penalties

Free kick: A free kick is awarded to a team when some foul is performed by its opponent. The referee will place the ball at the spot the violation occurred, and the kicking team has the opportunity to freely kick the ball from that position without any defenders within 10 yards of the ball. 

Direct free kick: A direct free kick is a type of free kick where the kicking team is able to score a goal directly from the kick with no player touching the ball between the kick and when it passes the goal line. Direct free kicks are awarded for any physical contact that is ruled a foul.

Indirect free kick: An indirect free kick is a free kick where some non-kicking player from either team must touch the ball before it enters the goal for the goal to count. In other words, if an indirect free kick is shot into the net with no players touching the ball between the kick and when it crosses the goal line, the non-kicking team gains possession of the ball and no goal is awarded. 

Penalty kick: During a penalty kick — given when an attacking player is fouled inside the penalty box — a referee places the ball on a dot in the center of the box 12 yards from the goal line. A player on the team awarded a penalty kick gets a free shot on net against the violating team's goalkeeper.

Corner kick: A corner kick is awarded when a ball passes out of bounds across a team’s end line, last touched by the defending team. During a corner kick, the attacking team gets the opportunity to freely kick the ball from the corner of the field next to the corresponding corner flag.

Goal kick: A goal kick is awarded when a ball passes out of bounds across a team’s end line with the ball last touched by the attacking team. During a goal kick, a player from the defending team may freely kick the ball from  within the six-yard box in front of their own net.

Throw-in: A throw-in is awarded when a ball goes out of bounds on the sideline. The team who did not last touch the ball before it exited play is able to freely throw the ball from the point where the ball exited. During a throw-in, the thrower is required to throw the ball with both feet touching the ground and with both hands on the ball as it is thrown directly over their head.

Offside: An offside occurs when a ball is passed to a player who is behind the defending team’s last defender when the pass was kicked. In other words, if a player is standing closer to their opponent’s end line than every player on the opposing team (not including the goalkeeper), it is illegal to pass the ball to them. Exceptions to offside include when a player is standing within their own half when the ball is played and when the pass is a throw-in. Attacking players can always pass the ball backwards without threat of offside, and players can be deemed offsides if they receive the ball in an offside position after a teammate’s shot is saved.

Handball: A handball is a violation which occurs when a player touches the ball with any part of their arm or hand while the ball is in play. Exceptions to handballs include goalkeepers within their 18-yard box who are allowed to touch the ball with any part of their body. A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team at the spot of the violation when the handball occurs outside of a team’s own penalty box. Any handball by a team within its own penalty box results in a penalty kick. 

Substitutions: A substitution occurs when a player on a team’s bench comes into the game for some player on the field. In college soccer, a team is only allowed to sub at six specific points in the game, but the team can sub up to all 11 of their players during this moment. Additionally, a player who is subbed out of the game is not allowed to reenter the game during the half in which they were subbed out. The only time that a subbed-out player may reenter the game is when they are subbed out in the first half and reenter in the second half.

Cards: Cards are given to players or coaches who commit serious violations during the match. Yellow cards are the less severe of the two types of cards and are given when a player or coach commits some moderate violation such as a hard foul or arguing excessively with the referee. A red card is a more extreme violation awarded to players and coaches and results in that player or coach being ejected from the game. The accumulation of two yellow cards by the same person will also result in a red card being given out. If a player is ejected from the game due to a red card, their team may not substitute another player to take their place and must play the remainder of the game with one fewer player on the field.

Season format

Men’s soccer:

As of the 2024 season, there are 212 Division I men’s soccer teams. Fifteen schools make up the ACC, with the new additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU. In the regular season, Duke plays 16 matches: eight conference and eight non-conference.

ACC tournament: Each team gets a shot in the conference tournament, with all 15 schools securing automatic bids. The top-seeded squad gets a first round bye, and the tournament proceeds in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with the first round, then quarters, semis, and a championship match. This final is slated for Nov. 17 at WakeMed Soccer Park. 

NCAA tournament: Out of the 212 member schools, 48 will fight for a chance at the Men’s College Cup in December. Twenty-two are automatic bids, the rest are at-large. Sixteen of these schools will receive a first round bye based on seeding. The tournament will proceed in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with a first, second and third round, quarterfinals, and ultimately the College Cup consisting of both the semis and the finals. The semifinals and championship match are set for Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively. 

Women’s soccer:

As of the 2024 season, there are 347 Division I women’s soccer teams. Seventeen schools make up the ACC, with the new additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU. In the regular season, Duke plays 17 matches: ten conference and eight non-conference.

ACC tournament: In stark contrast to the men’s soccer format, only the best six squads in the conference qualify for tournament play. The top two teams get a first round bye, and the tournament proceeds in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with the first round, semis and a championship match. The championship will be played on Nov. 10 at WakeMed Soccer Park. 

NCAA tournament: Out of the 347 member schools, the Women’s College Cup fields 64 teams. Thirty-one are automatic bids, the rest are at-large. There are no first round byes. The tournament will proceed in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with a first, second and third round, quarterfinals, and ultimately the College Cup consisting of both the semis and the finals. The semifinals and championship match are set for Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, respectively. 

Coaching staff and recent trends

Duke is led by head coach John Kerr, who entered his 16th year in 2024. During his tenure, he has kept the Devils solidly over the .500 line, boasting a respectable 149-103-37 record in 15 seasons. Recently, Duke has seen fairly consistent regular-season success but markedly less postseason success. Following 2021’s run to the ACC championship, the Blue Devils have failed to reach the same peaks. They’ve ducked out to Clemson in both ACC quarterfinals matchups since 2021, and haven’t made it past the national quarterfinals in that span. However, this year’s roster boasts talented returners like Ulfur Bjornsson and Kamran Acito, coupled with proven transfers such as Wessel Speel and Adam Luckhurst. The potential is certainly there for a deep run this season. 

Head coach Robbie Church — who enters his final season with Duke — has been at the helm of the program since 2001, transforming the program into the powerhouse it is considered to be today. He has led the Blue Devils to a 293-147-66 record in his 23 years as head coach, heading several deep tournament runs. The squad saw great success in 2021 and 2022, reaching the NCAA quarterfinals in both years and securing top-10 national seeding. Last year was an uncharacteristic struggle for Duke, though, as a 2-5-3 conference record saw it excluded from both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The Blue Devils will hope to return to their winning ways this season, and certainly are capable of making waves in the postseason with a veteran and talented roster. 

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• climate change

How We Can Move Away From the Climate Brink

I t will take momentous shifts to ensure a reasonably safe climate future. How can we find the wherewithal and endurance to transform our energy, food, and transportation systems; our buildings, infrastructure, and manufacturing; our economies, governments, and cultures, if we can’t envision the outcome of our efforts? Before we fully commit our brains and brawn, before we go all-in, it’s reasonable to want some indication of what success looks like—some sense of what all this change will mean for our lives. 

I get it. For decades, what scientists, writers, filmmakers, and artists have projected for us is the apocalypse, in great detail. We can easily picture the climate-change-fueled fires, floods, droughts, and storms, and the immense suffering, all of which are now well underway. But when it comes to better outcomes, we’ve largely been left hanging. That is a problem. 

Because what if we get it right? I ask this question because I, too, need to know what it all adds up to. Because my imagination often fails me and I find myself grasping for a futurism that doesn’t feel naive. 

Humans have evolved to not leap into a void—that’s dangerous! So we need something firm to aim for. Something with love and joy in it. And we need the gumption that emerges from an effervescent sense of possibility.

If we get it right, the world is a lot more green, more full of life. Damaged ecosystems are on the mend. Cycles of water, carbon, and nitrogen are rebalanced. Beavers are admired for helping landscapes absorb water and diminish wildfires. Insects, a precious foundation of our food web, are rebuilding their numbers and doing their many jobs. Soils are accumulating instead of eroding; full of roots and bugs and microbes, they can resist droughts and deluges. We are fostering intact forests, plains, and watersheds—working at landscape scale, regardless of geopolitical borders. Half of nature, of each ecosystem, is protected from plunder in perpetuity.

The success of the Land Back movement means Indigenous peoples are once again stewarding their ancestral lands, often in collaboration with local and national governments. The spewing of pollution and poisons, the proliferation of extinctions have ended. Regenerative organic farms are thriving; subsidies for toxic megafarms are done. We have replaced tenuous monocultures with resilient polycultures. Composting and mulching and cover crops are the new/old convention. Lawns are a thing of the past and golf courses are rewilded, replaced with Climate Victory Gardens and diverse native flora. Pollinators buzz. Life is luscious.

Read more: Be Tenacious on Behalf of Life on Earth

If we get it right , the combustion phase of humanity is over. We no longer burn things to make energy (except some hydrogen); we have electrified. Gen Z brought down the fossil fuel industry, ruthlessly calling out oil and gas corporations, mocking the destructive absurdity of their ways, and refusing, en masse, to work for them. The air is cleaner. The water is cleaner. Asthma and cancer are more rare again. Communities of color are no longer overburdened with pollution.

There are no more oil spills. Turning forests into “biomass” pellets for energy is an absurd “remember when. . . .” Renewable energy projects can no longer be blocked by wealthy property owners. Wind farms and solar arrays and transmission infrastructure are aesthetically pleasing additions to our landscape. Even though energy is renewable, we conserve it—to minimize both the amount of metals mined and the amount of nature that is disrupted with panels and turbines. Batteries and solar panels are recycled and newly mined materials are justly sourced. We have figured out fusion.

If we get it right, we have re-localized and we eat well . We no longer eat Washington State apples in New York State and New York apples in Washington. Our food is fresh and flavorful, ample and accessible to all. We don’t fight the seasons, but rather enjoy what the time and place offer. Our regionalized supply chains are more resilient to global shocks. We look back in horror at the age of shipping bottles of water from Fiji and France to stores all over the world. (But fear not, we are hydrated!)

We’ve grown beyond “reduce, reuse, recycle” and now think first of refuse, repair, and repurpose. Every neighborhood has a repair shop. We value materials, from food scraps to metals to fabrics. Biodegradable is the norm, and composting is ubiquitous. Landfills aren’t needed. Trash is out and circularity is in. Homemaking (preparing food, mending things, caretaking, and so on) is esteemed. Many people have moved nearby to their loved ones, relocating to more climate-safe places, regathering diasporas. Living is intergenerational, people with disabilities are cared for, and elders are cherished.

If we get it right, our homes are comfortable. Green roofs support biodiversity and keep us cool in heat waves. Heat pumps and solar panels and induction stoves are the norm. We shake our heads remembering how we once spewed fossil gas into our kitchens, ruining indoor air quality to cook. Buildings are all well-insulated, and are not overheated in winter and overcooled in summer. Construction materials are more locally and regionally sourced. We have found replacements for high-energy concrete and steel. Instead of demolishing, we retrofit or deconstruct—materials are salvaged for reuse, like taking LEGOs apart for the next project. We’ve got good insulation dialed. Energy bills are much lower; energy conservation is much higher. The future is not drafty.

If we get it right, there is no traffic in cities, because there are so few cars in cities. Thanks to extensive, elegant, and free public transit systems, and with much of what we need within walking or biking distance, personal vehicles are rarely needed. Many parking lots have been removed, replaced by community gardens, gathering places, and bicycle parking. Glorious systems of bike lanes have many people pedaling. Electric hydrofoil ferries are common. Maybe trolleys are a thing again. 

From semi-trucks to vintage sports cars, we figured out vehicle conversion, conserving their metal husks as we move beyond combustion engines. Wildlife corridors bridge roadways and railways. High-speed trains are the preferred mode for long journeys. Travelers arrive with a sense of place, having traversed ecosystems at eye level, at a pace that allows for digesting the geography. Air travel is both pollution-free and less common—our ample vacation days (and airships!) make it easy to abandon planes. Locomotion happens with fewer decibels. Stealthily silent electric motorcycles are the midlife-crisis transport of choice. There is a sailboat renaissance.

Read More: These Black Icons Have a Novel Idea to Save the Ocean

If we get it right, coastlines are greener too. Mangroves and wetlands and seagrasses and dune grasses have been replanted. So have oyster reefs—billions of oysters are thriving in harbors and bays, filtering seawater and lessening wave impacts. These salty ecosystems are soaking up carbon and protecting us from storms. Where this green infrastructure alone is not enough, we supplement with gray infrastructure (seawalls and such), but sparingly because we have helped coastal communities move in and up, out of harm’s way. 

We show respect for the rising seas and have ceased trying to hold back the entire ocean, ceased the foolhardy rebuilding after each storm. Flood insurance premiums accurately reflect risks. No new buildings are constructed in flood zones. Coastlines are for working waterfronts and recreation. When coastal parks flood, there’s a delayed soccer game, not destroyed homes. Hurricanes are less deadly, even though our changed climate means they are more intense. And on a clear day, if you squint at the horizon, miles in the distance you just might glimpse offshore wind turbines. Woosh.

If we get it right , the tyranny of the minority is over; the climate-concerned majority rules. Our democracies are robust and truly representative. Every vote is equal and counted and easily cast. Politicians have been wrested from the stranglehold of the fossil fuel industry and big ag. They caught up with popular opinion that we must do more, and faster, on climate. Subsidies for fossil fuels are long gone. The filibuster has been abolished. 

Climate-science deniers are unelectable, perceived as laughably unfit for office. Because some places are no longer habitable (too hot, too stormy, too wet, too dry), policies reflect the humanitarian necessity for people to migrate. Governments ensure that people have all the basics covered (food, housing, education, healthcare, childcare, and eldercare), so that we can roll with the climate punches. 

In tandem with investing in community services, incarceration has plummeted, freeing time, labor, budgets, and human potential. Ditto for hyper-militarization, with all its high-cost energy-intensiveness. There are no more petrostates enabling petro-dictators—decentralizing energy production decentralized political power. The gulf in pay between executives and workers has narrowed—all jobs pay a thriving wage. As both climate and technological change remade our world, we instituted a universal basic income.

If we get it right, there are fewer desk jobs. We are out in the world, remaking society together and (re)figuring out how to live within nature instead of on top of it. Through climate corps programs, governments around the world employ hundreds of millions for efforts like managing fire risks, deploying clean energy, and restoring coastal wetlands. Access to healthcare is universal, not tied to a job, freeing people to relocate away from areas prone to extreme weather and toward necessary and meaningful work. Green jobs are the status quo. The trades—like carpentry, plumbing, electrical, welding—are revered. Our biceps are buff. Vocational training is easily accessible, enabling people to build skills for the shifting job market and economy. A single income can support a family, allowing time for the work of adapting to all the changes that are already here and those that are rushing toward us. Everyone has a role to play, contributing to a society powered by wind and sun and waves, and an ever-accelerating resurgence of nature. Electricians do very well on dating apps.

If we get it right, the pace of life is more humane. Time that had been spent dealing with health- and flood-insurance paperwork, advocating for renewable energy, being stuck in traffic, and otherwise butting up against outdated and broken systems, is now used to grow food, prepare for extreme weather events, and care for each other. All streets, not just those in wealthier areas, are lined with trees (including fruit and nut trees), providing shade and beauty and photosynthesis (and snacks). Rain gardens and bioswales line streets, ready to absorb and divert storm waters.

We linger outside, in parks and on sidewalks, with friends and neighbors. We have time to make meals at home or consume them at a cafe. “To-go” is uncommon, instead we meet eyes as we chew. We know plastic recycling is mostly bullshit and have abandoned disposables—instead we (gasp!) wash the dishes. No longer frenzied with meaningless to-dos, we find ease amidst the generational work of making our planet livable. As we spend more time outside, our appreciation for nature grows with immersion, inspiring ever more creative adaptations to our changed climate. Biophilia and biomimicry flourish in a virtuous cycle with the thriving of biodiversity. We are unrushed, chill even.

If we get it right, culture has caught up with our climate reality. Hollywood and celebrities are all-in—climate is the context, the cachet is in solutions, and implementation is sexy. The obsession with endless economic growth is considered wildly out of touch. Corporations are beholden to the limits of nature, not to maximizing quarterly profits for shareholders. Our healthy retirement accounts invest in the just transition, not fossil fuel extraction. The big money is in zeroing out and drawing down carbon pollution.

Mainstream media brims with actionable climate information. Social media is greener, too—an enticing scroll of ecological and electrification projects, luring more and more people into this important work. We share snazzy retrofitting hacks and extreme weather prep tips. We help our neighbors. Influencers get canceled for hawking shit we don’t need. Consumerism is so uncool. A victorious campaign for clothing durability requirements ended fast fashion. Fabrics are no longer made from fossil fuels. Artificial intelligence is reined in, and its computing power helps to optimize energy efficiency, maintain electricity grids, and generally advance climate solutions—and to free us from administrative tasks. Design is planet-centric, not human-centered.

If we get it right, even with all these changes, the world and our homes are still familiar. It’s the invisible systems that undergird our lives—our energy, food, and transit systems; our methods of engineering, manufacturing, and building; and the policies that organize it all—that have been overhauled. Re-greening the world and re-rooting in communities feels good. There is more collaboration, more knowing and being known, more sweetness. We lean into trial and error, into replication more than scaling. The world is a mashup of traditional and high-tech, old ways made new. The extractive, fossil-fuel economy is out; the renewable, regenerative economy is in. 

Humanity has backed off, made more room for other species, learned to share this magnificent planet. Our surroundings are verdant. Spring is not silent; it’s cacophonous. We are putting the pieces back together, adapting to the climate-changed world with eyes and hearts open wide. 

We embrace possibility, continually moving away from the brink and toward answers to the grand question: What if we get it right?

Excerpted from WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? copyright © 2024 by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Used by permission of One World, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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