埃琳·布萊克莫爾/文　黃可玥/譯

The Brits formalized the game known globally as football—but its roots date back to ancient China and Mesoamerica. 足球這項(xiàng)全球知名的運(yùn)動(dòng)，其比賽規(guī)則是由英國(guó)人正式確立下來(lái)的，但其根源可追溯至古代中國(guó)與中美洲。

Soccer is by far the world’s most popular sport， and for good reason—beloved by at least 265 million people worldwide， it’s easy to play in a random yard or field and instantly relate to the players racing across stadiums.

足球是全球最受歡迎的運(yùn)動(dòng)。人們隨意找個(gè)院子或空地就能踢，而且立馬能與在球場(chǎng)上飛奔的球員玩在一起。這個(gè)說(shuō)法有充分的依據(jù)——全世界至少有2.65億人深愛(ài)足球。

But if you’re looking for the earliest ancestor of all that running， kicking， and cooperating， be ready to turn back your watch， spin your globe—and make sure not to literally lose your head. Here’s what you need to know about soccer’s ancient origins and why it’s the world’s favorite sport today.

如果你想知道這項(xiàng)集奔跑、踢球、合作于一體的運(yùn)動(dòng)源于何處，準(zhǔn)備好回溯過(guò)去、跨越山?！f(wàn)別因暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向而“身首異處”。若想了解足球的古老起源，探索足球?yàn)楹问悄壳叭蜃钍苋讼矏?ài)的運(yùn)動(dòng)，請(qǐng)閱讀以下內(nèi)容。

Soccer’s ancient origins

足球的古老起源

The Chinese were the first to get their kicks1 by kicking balls into nets for sport2 in the third century B.C.， and the game known globally as football was formalized in England in the 19th century. But the predecessor of most modern ball games can be found in the Americas.

公元前3世紀(jì)，中國(guó)人最先以踢球入網(wǎng)為樂(lè)。直到19世紀(jì)，足球這項(xiàng)全球知名運(yùn)動(dòng)的比賽規(guī)則才在英格蘭正式確立下來(lái)。但是，絕大部分現(xiàn)代球類運(yùn)動(dòng)的前身都可以在美洲覓得蹤跡。

“The idea of the team sport was invented in Mesoamerica，” says Mary Miller， a professor of the history of art at Yale University who has studied extensive evidence of the sport.

耶魯大學(xué)的藝術(shù)史教授瑪麗·米勒研究過(guò)大量同足球有關(guān)的證據(jù)。她表示：“團(tuán)隊(duì)運(yùn)動(dòng)的概念起源于中美洲?！?/p>

In Mesoamerica， the vast historical region spanning from Mexico to Costa Rica， civilizations flourished well before Columbus “discovered” them， and many of these people played a sport that involved a heavy ball made from a substance derived from tree resin.

中美洲是從墨西哥到哥斯達(dá)黎加的遼闊歷史區(qū)域。早在哥倫布“發(fā)現(xiàn)”美洲前，這里的文明就已十分繁榮。許多當(dāng)?shù)厝硕紩?huì)參與一項(xiàng)球類運(yùn)動(dòng)。這種球很重，由樹(shù)脂提取物制作而成。

It’s unclear exactly where the game was invented， but it was popular across Mesoamerican cultures like the Teotihuacanos3， Aztecs4， and Maya5 beginning about 3，000 years ago. Its name varied—ullamaliztli in Aztec， pok-ta-pok or pitz in Maya. So did its rules， which included moves such as keeping the ball in play6 by bumping it with body parts or using racquets or bats.

雖然這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的發(fā)源地尚不明晰，但從大約3000年前開(kāi)始，它就風(fēng)行于中美洲的各個(gè)文明，特奧蒂瓦坎人、阿茲特克人與瑪雅人都是其愛(ài)好者。人們對(duì)它的稱呼各有不同——阿茲特克人稱其為ullamaliztli，瑪雅人則稱其為pok-ta-pok或pitz。這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)在各地的規(guī)則也不盡相同，比如為了把球控制在界內(nèi)，有的地方允許利用身體部位撞擊球，或使用球拍或球棒擊球。

Many of these games were played with 16-pound7 rubber balls， which still exist in the archaeological record. Other evidence of game play ranges from cer-amic vessels to more than 1，300 large stone courts that can be found across the region.

人們進(jìn)行這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)時(shí)大多使用重達(dá)16磅的橡膠球，這種球如今仍可在考古記錄中探得蹤影。其他同這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)相關(guān)的證據(jù)包括陶瓷器皿，以及遍布中美洲的1300多個(gè)大型石頭球場(chǎng)。

Aztec players bounced the ball back and forth between teams using only their hips and buttocks （feet or hands were off limits）. They tried to hit the back wall of their opponents’ courts with just one bounce， often sustaining life-threatening injuries when they were hit with the hard， heavy ball. If a player managed to get it into a high ring on the opposing team’s side， it was an automatic win—and a major honor for the winner.

阿茲特克球員僅用髖部和臀部（不準(zhǔn)使用腳或手）在隊(duì)伍間來(lái)回傳球。他們?cè)噲D只用一次傳接就擊中對(duì)手場(chǎng)地的后墻，但被又硬又重的球擊中時(shí)往往會(huì)受到致命傷害。如果一名球員成功將球打入對(duì)方場(chǎng)地內(nèi)高懸的圓環(huán)，其隊(duì)伍便自動(dòng)獲勝——這是贏家的一大榮耀。

Making sacrifices

獻(xiàn)祭

Though it was played as an everyday pickup sport， much like soccer or basketball， this ball game also held a sacred place in religion and warfare for Mesoamerican cultures. Aztec kings reportedly played it as a substitute for war， gaining ruling rights or diffusing diplomatic dramas with a game of ball. In Maya and Veracruz cultures8， the stakes were even higher： The losers of some ritual games were sacrificed.

雖然這種球類運(yùn)動(dòng)同今日的足球或籃球一樣，是日常臨時(shí)組織的休閑活動(dòng)，但它也曾在中美洲各個(gè)文明的宗教與戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中享有神圣地位。據(jù)說(shuō)，阿茲特克的國(guó)王們?cè)盟鎽?zhàn)爭(zhēng)，通過(guò)球賽爭(zhēng)得統(tǒng)治權(quán)或化解外交爭(zhēng)端。在瑪雅與韋拉克魯斯文明中，球賽的賭注甚至更大：某些儀式性比賽的落敗者會(huì)被獻(xiàn)祭。

The specifics are unclear， but some courts are decorated with panels depicting the gory sacrifice of losing players. Sacrifice and sport are closely related in a Maya creation myth， too： It shows a pair of ball-playing twins defeating the lords of the underworld on the court. They go on to become the sun and the moon.

獻(xiàn)祭的具體細(xì)節(jié)暫且不明，但某些球場(chǎng)的裝飾板上繪有敗方球員遭血腥獻(xiàn)祭的場(chǎng)景。在瑪雅創(chuàng)世神話中，獻(xiàn)祭也和運(yùn)動(dòng)緊密相關(guān)：一對(duì)球技出眾的雙生子在球場(chǎng)上打敗了冥界的諸位領(lǐng)主。他們后來(lái)成為太陽(yáng)與月亮。

Despite evidence that the losers sometimes got the literal axe9， says Miller， some 20th-century archaeologists refused to believe that anyone except the winners were killed. “They couldn’t believe that the Maya committed human sacrifice，” she said. “We now know that’s absolute hooey10， and so is the notion that any victorious player would be sacrificed.” In Maya mythology， the loser of the ball game is decapitated， and today’s scholars widely accept that losers， not winners， got the chop11.

米勒表示，盡管有證據(jù)表明敗方有時(shí)確實(shí)被砍掉了腦袋，但20世紀(jì)的某些考古學(xué)家拒絕相信除了贏家外的所有人都要被獻(xiàn)祭?！八麄儫o(wú)法相信瑪雅人會(huì)進(jìn)行人祭。”米勒說(shuō)，“我們現(xiàn)在清楚那肯定是無(wú)稽之談。此外，連贏家都會(huì)被獻(xiàn)祭的說(shuō)法也站不住腳?！爆斞派裨捴械那蛸惵鋽≌邥?huì)被斬首。現(xiàn)在的學(xué)者普遍認(rèn)為丟掉腦袋的是輸家而非贏家。

British schools invent a new incarnation

英國(guó)學(xué)校發(fā)明了新形式

Though other cultures like Native Americans and Indigenous Australians played similar games， the modern sport that some people know as soccer—and many others know as football—was birthed in British schools. Although they had played variations of the game informally for centuries， the sport became formalized in the 19th century.

盡管美洲原住民與澳大利亞原住民等其他文化中也有類似的運(yùn)動(dòng)，但有人稱之為英式足球、其他許多人稱之為足球的這項(xiàng)現(xiàn)代運(yùn)動(dòng)卻誕生于英國(guó)的學(xué)校。英國(guó)人在幾百年間一直不拘形式地進(jìn)行這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)，但直到19世紀(jì)這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)才正式定型。

In the mid-19th century， developments in transportation， labor， and technology gave people the leisure and means to travel to competitive matches on mown lawn fields. By the 1840s， a variety of British schools created their own standards of play， making it possible to hold tournaments among players who all knew the same rules.

19世紀(jì)中葉，交通、勞動(dòng)力與技術(shù)得到發(fā)展，人們因此既有空閑，也有能力前往修剪平整的草坪參與競(jìng)技比賽。到了19世紀(jì)40年代，英國(guó)的各種學(xué)校制定了各自的規(guī)則，于是熟知相同規(guī)則的球員之間可以舉辦聯(lián)賽。

Over time， two competing rule sets began dominating the sport. The Sheffield Football Club12 allowed teams a free kick13 if their competitor disobeyed the rules of play. Cambridge University forbade players to carry the ball in their hands.

隨著時(shí)間推移，兩套競(jìng)賽規(guī)則漸漸成為主流。謝菲爾德足球俱樂(lè)部允許球隊(duì)在對(duì)手違反比賽規(guī)則的情況下踢任意球，劍橋大學(xué)則禁止球員用手觸球。

As the sport’s popularity ballooned14， players banded together in the London Football Association. In 1877， Sheffield officially adopted the so-called “London Rules.” By then， some teams had begun to recruit widely， secretly paying working-class league members.

隨著這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)的快速普及，球員們聯(lián)合起來(lái)成立了倫敦足球協(xié)會(huì)。1877年，謝菲爾德足球俱樂(lè)部正式采用所謂的“倫敦規(guī)則”。當(dāng)時(shí)，一些球隊(duì)已經(jīng)開(kāi)始廣泛招募球員，暗中向參與聯(lián)賽的工人階層球員支付報(bào)酬。

Upper-class footballers wanted the sport to remain amateur. But in 1885， they finally agreed to allow professional players， enabling a further boom in the sport. By 1904， the sport was so popular it had gone international， and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association （FIFA） began that same year.

上流社會(huì)的球員希望足球保持業(yè)余的性質(zhì)。1885年，他們終于松口，允許職業(yè)球員參賽，足球這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)因此得以進(jìn)一步繁榮發(fā)展。到了1904年，足球已經(jīng)風(fēng)靡全球，國(guó)際足球聯(lián)合會(huì)也于同年成立。

Football today

當(dāng)今的足球

Soccer’s success skyrocketed from there. After the sport debuted in the 1908 Olympic Games and the first FIFA World Cup in 1930， professional soccer flourished. Today， FIFA remains the sport’s governing body， raking in15 $755.5 million in 2021 alone.

足球自此一飛沖天。1908年足球首次被列為奧運(yùn)會(huì)項(xiàng)目，1930年國(guó)際足聯(lián)世界杯首次舉行，職業(yè)足球由此開(kāi)始蓬勃發(fā)展。目前，國(guó)際足聯(lián)仍然是足球運(yùn)動(dòng)的管理機(jī)構(gòu)，僅2021年一年就輕松收入7.555億美元。

But the heart of the sport has always been on the field， where everyone from small children to seasoned16 pro athletes can enjoy the action. Soccer’s spirit， which Miller calls one of “intricate team thinking，” is alive and well17 both in modern incarnations of the ball game and the millions of amateur and pro players who run， weave， and kick their way down an official or makeshift soccer pitch every day.

但足球的核心永遠(yuǎn)在綠茵場(chǎng)上，不論是稚齡兒童，還是老道的職業(yè)球員，所有人都能在場(chǎng)上盡情享受足球的樂(lè)趣。米勒將足球精神稱作一種“錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的團(tuán)隊(duì)思維”，這種精神不僅在各種現(xiàn)代足球形式中長(zhǎng)盛不衰，也在數(shù)百萬(wàn)業(yè)余或職業(yè)球員中彰顯傳遞——在正式或臨時(shí)的足球場(chǎng)上，他們?nèi)諒?fù)一日地奔跑、過(guò)人，向目標(biāo)奮進(jìn)。

（譯者為“《英語(yǔ)世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)撸?/p>

1 kick極大的樂(lè)趣。? 2 sport樂(lè)趣；消遣。

3 Teotihuacano特奧蒂瓦坎人。特奧蒂瓦坎（Teotihuacan）是阿茲特克人到達(dá)今墨西哥中部之前，當(dāng)?shù)匾?guī)模最大、地位最高的城市。1987年，聯(lián)合國(guó)教科文組織將特奧蒂瓦坎古城（Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan）列入《世界遺產(chǎn)名錄》。? 4 Aztec阿茲特克人。15世紀(jì)到16世紀(jì)初，阿茲特克印第安人在今墨西哥的中部和南部建立帝國(guó)。? 5 Maya瑪雅人。瑪雅文明是約公元前2500年至15世紀(jì)中美洲的古代印第安人文明。? 6 be in play（球類運(yùn)動(dòng)）在非死球的區(qū)域；在可繼續(xù)比賽的區(qū)域。? 7 約7.26千克。

8 韋拉克魯斯文明，也叫墨西哥灣古典文明，是位于今墨西哥東部韋拉克魯斯州一帶的前哥倫布時(shí)期印第安人文明。

9 get the axe被斬首。? 10 hooey胡說(shuō)八道；廢話。? 11 get the chop被殺死。

12 謝菲爾德足球俱樂(lè)部是世界上最早成立并參與現(xiàn)代足球賽事的球隊(duì)，也是英國(guó)有記錄證明的最古老的足球俱樂(lè)部。? 13 free kick任意球。? 14 balloon（突然）膨脹；漲大。

15 rake in〈習(xí)語(yǔ)〉賺大錢（尤指輕易地）。? 16 seasoned富有經(jīng)驗(yàn)的；老道的。? 17 alive and well生機(jī)勃勃；長(zhǎng)盛不衰。