American: Native Empire Chapter 167: Sports

After the cold winter passed, the flowers blood in March.

The school also started a new year.

Kim Ki-woo adopted most of the school system from the original history.

He divided the school year into two sesters, and gave the students a break during the sumr and winter vacations.

You should have various experiences when youre a student. Its not good to make them study too much.

Kim Ki-woo had experienced the hellish entrance exam in Korea.

Of course, he understood that Korea had a strong education fever due to its lack of natural resources and its need to produce outstanding talents to compete.

But that was not applicable to the Wakan Tanka Empire at all.

Wasnt this vast continent all under the territory of the Wakan Tanka Empire?

Therefore, Kim Ki-woo had implented an educational policy that encouraged various extracurricular activities in schools.

We are recruiting new mbers for the basketball club! Feel free to look around and go!

Lets learn an instrunt together! The seniors will teach you kindly!

As a result, every ti a new sester started, various clubs competed to recruit new mbers.

There were many different clubs in each school, ranging from arts and sports clubs to reading, invention, writing, and exercise clubs.

The teachers encouraged the students to join at least one club.

Among these clubs, the most popular field was undoubtedly sports.

Boys should play soccer!

Nah~ Basketball is much cooler than soccer, dont you think?

You dont know what youre talking about! Baseball is the best!

Teenagers, especially boys, really liked ball gas that they could run around and enjoy.

A long ti ago, Kim Ki-woo had introduced various ball gas to the empire for the leisure of its people, so by this ti, many ball gas had naturally settled in.

Among them, the most popular sport was soccer.

It only required a playground and a ball, and many people could play it at once.

At so point, soccers popularity soared rapidly.

The trigger was when the National High School Soccer Association was created.

Another match with Wind High School? I wish we could play with a different school.

Whats wrong with them? Theyre good.

Its different from being good and being bored! I can even count the dots on their managers face by now.

Not everyone was like that, but a lot of high school soccer clubs only played with nearby schools.

It was hard to coordinate matches with faraway schools.

Hmm. Is there no better way?

Like other clubs, there was a teacher in charge of the soccer club.

And as usual, they were teachers who liked soccer.

They wished that their soccer club could play with many other clubs.

Cold Floor was also a teacher in charge of a high school soccer club. He also had this problem and ca up with an idea.

Yeah. How about we get together with schools in the region and arrange matches in advance?

At first, he ant to set up a schedule of matches for each sester instead of arranging them on the spot.

Cold Floor gathered teachers in charge of soccer clubs in the region.

Most of these teachers also had the sa problem, so many teachers ca.

And he expressed his opinion at this eting.

Ho-ho. That sounds good.

As soon as he finished speaking, many teachers showed interest and agreed.

At that mont.

What about this?

A man who had been quietly listening to Cold Floors words in one corner, Blue Deer, opened his mouth.

Do you have a better idea?

If were going to set up matches in advance like Cold Floor said, how about introducing a competitive system as well?

Competition?

Yes. During the sester, each school plays against each other and gives the honor of being the best soccer club to the one with the most wins.

Ho-ho?

The teachers nodded as if they understood what Blue Deer ant.

But soon an objection ca out.

Hmm. Its a good idea, but Im worried. What is the purpose of school clubs? Isnt it to let students play together and establish proper character? But if a competitive system is created, it might have a negative impact on the mbers of soccer clubs with fewer wins.

That might be possible.

The blue deer retorted again.

Well, I dont think its right to judge without actually trying. On the contrary, the lower-ranked soccer club mbers might work harder to get more wins next ti. In the process, they might also strengthen their bonds with each other. Everything is just a possibility. Its only fair to try at least once and see how it goes.

After that, there were many opinions about the competitive system, or the regional league.

And in the end, they reached the conclusion that it was worth trying at least once.

The teachers t several tis and adjusted the league schedule. In this process, several rules were established.

There were so minor differences in the rules for each school, and they also needed clear rules for the league outside of soccer.

And soon after, the first sports league was officially held.

***

In fact, in the end, the soccer tournant that the teachers organized was their own league.

Hardly anyone knew about it.

The concept of a league was also unfamiliar.

So that year, until the middle of the league, it didnt get much attention.

But in the areas near the capital where the league was held, rumors spread quietly.

Theyre deciding the strongest soccer club?

Thats what they say. Lets go watch it together when we have ti. Our school is also participating.

Really?

Most of the imperial citizens live in the sa area where they grew up.

That ans they graduated from their local high school.

For them, the news of their alma maters participation in the tournant was quite interesting.

Lets go see it.

So the graduates started to watch their alma maters soccer gas, and as ti went by, more and more spectators gathered.

No! You cant shoot like that from there!

Good! Thats right!

Fight! You can do it!

As ti went by, the cheers and support of the spectators increased,

Ah If we had won this ti, we could have reclaid first place.

Phew. Luckily we avoided last place.

They beca more interested as they watched the rankings fluctuate constantly.

A soccer tournant This would make a great story, wouldnt it?

As things went on like this, so local newspapers reported on the soccer tournant.

And this led to more interest from the local residents.

And by the end of the sester, this interest reached its peak.

The teachers were greatly encouraged by this huge interest, and they introduced one system because of it.

It was a system that selected the top five teams with high wins, and had them play four gas in total: fifth place vs fourth place, then the winner vs third place, then second place, and finally first place.

The team that won first place in the end was the true champion.

The teachers collected money among themselves and even made an expensive trophy.

At the end of the sester, four gas were played.

And in this process, a drama was written.

Oh my God!

Hahaha! I cant believe our team won!

The team that barely made it to fifth place defeated teams from first to fourth place in a row and achieved the final victory.

The local residents, especially those who graduated from that school, were ecstatic about this dramatic win.

And this story spread throughout the empire and beca a big issue.

Thanks to this, residents of other regions learned about the existence of the soccer league.

***

The capital is the center of the empire.

So when the soccer tournant beca a big hit in the capital, similar things happened in other regions.

What cant we do compared to them? If were talking about soccer, were better than them, arent we?

Yes. Lets have a soccer tournant too.

Just like schools in the capital region tead up, schools in each region also tead up.

As a result, from next year on, nurous soccer leagues sprang up.

Oh! Schools in our region are also having a soccer tournant!

Its unfair for only capital residents to enjoy this fun spectacle!

Hehe. I heard our school is the best at soccer in our region.

Thats how a culture of cheering for ones alma mater in their spare ti erged in the empire.

The current stadium is too uncomfortable to watch.

And gradually, large-scale soccer stadiums were built in various places.

This led to an influx of more and more spectators.

Even if they didnt have a team to cheer for, many fans beca addicted to soccer itself and kept coming to watch.

I never expected this to happen.

He felt a chill on his whole body on the cold floor as he watched the soccer tournant that was getting hotter as ti passed.

He had only tried to help the soccer club mbers he was in charge of to play against more diverse opponents, but he didnt know that the stakes would get this big.

But on the other hand, he felt proud.

Thanks to his actions, soccer, which he loved so much, was receiving great attention.

He was very happy as a soccer player.

I hope this heat lasts longer than now.

With this thought in mind, he poured more passion into the soccer tournant than the school classes on the cold floor.

He wondered how he could make the tournant more successful.

And while he was having a eting, one suggestion was made.

After we started the soccer tournant for the first ti, various regions are also holding tournants like us, right?

Thats right.

Then how about this? The winning teams from each region gather and select the best team. It will surely get more attention. Its not a regional thing, but a national thing to decide the best team.

Oh! Thats a brilliant idea. If that happens

It will also be a pride fight between regions.

The cold floor nodded his head as he spat out his words.

The more he thought about it, the better it was.

Hmm. That would be great if that happens, but will the schools in other regions accept it?

Whats there not to accept? At least so regions will definitely accept it, and if that happens, other regions will join in too.

Thats right. If a national tournant is held, they will want to participate for the sake of publicity. If we can get so regions to join us, everything will be easier.

Then lets make a plan and propose it to each region.

The teachers, including the cold floor, imdiately put this into action.

They established an organization called the National High School Soccer Club Association and decided to hold a national tournant during the sumr vacation with the winning teams at the end of the sester.

And the cold floor beca the first president of the association and brought in groups from various regions into the association.

A national tournant It sounds like a lot of interest will be drawn if a national tournant is held.

Damn. We have no choice but to join the association.

Eventually, most of the regions gathered under the association in no ti.

And that sumr, the first national tournant was held.

Many winning teams from various regions ca up to the capital and competed for the best team in the nation.

Wow How many people are there?

The soccer stadium was literally crowded.

There was no room for feet in the stands, and countless people couldnt even enter the stadium.

It was originally built very large to accommodate many spectators, but it was still like this.

This lasted until the mont when the winner of the national tournant was born.

The spectators enjoyed the burning heat of soccer under the hot sun.

Thats how the long history of imperial sports began.