A Half-Time History of Soccer

The First American Leagues

n Central America and Mexico, the Olmec, Maya, and Aztecs played games with balls made from the sap of rubber trees. These balls were bouncy, but heavy—a soccer-sized ball could weigh 10 pounds (4.5 kg). Players used their hips and bodies (but not hands or feet) to try to bounce the ball through a small stone hoop. The games were played as part of religious ceremonies. No one knows exactly what the rules were, but sometimes the losers were