American: Native Empire

After the cold winter passed, the flowers bloomed 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 semesters, and gave the students a break during the summer and winter vacations.

“You should have various experiences when you’re a student. It’s 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. 

Wasn’t this vast continent all under the territory of the Wakan Tanka Empire?

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

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

“Let’s learn an instrument together! The seniors will teach you kindly!”

As a result, every time a new semester started, various clubs competed to recruit new members. 

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, don’t you think?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! Baseball is the best!”

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

A long time ago, Kim Ki-woo had introduced various ball games to the empire for the leisure of its people, so by this time, many ball games 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 some point, soccer’s 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.”

“What’s wrong with them? They’re good.”

“It’s different from being good and being bored! I can even count the dots on their manager’s 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 came up with an idea.

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

At first, he meant to set up a schedule of matches for each semester 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 same problem, so many teachers came.

And he expressed his opinion at this meeting.

“Ho-ho. That sounds good.”

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

At that moment.

“What about this?”

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

“Do you have a better idea?”

“If we’re going to set up matches in advance like Cold Floor said, how about introducing a competitive system as well?”

“Competition?”

“Yes. During the semester, 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 meant.

But soon an objection came out.

“Hmm. It’s a good idea, but I’m worried. What is the purpose of school clubs? Isn’t 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 members of soccer clubs with fewer wins.”

“That might be possible.”

The blue deer retorted again.

“Well, I don’t think it’s right to judge without actually trying. On the contrary, the lower-ranked soccer club members might work harder to get more wins next time. In the process, they might also strengthen their bonds with each other. Everything is just a possibility. It’s 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 met several times and adjusted the league schedule. In this process, several rules were established.

There were some 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 tournament 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 didn’t get much attention. 

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

“They’re deciding the strongest soccer club?”

“That’s what they say. Let’s go watch it together when we have time. Our school is also participating.”

“Really?”

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

That means they graduated from their local high school.

For them, the news of their alma mater’s participation in the tournament was quite interesting.

“Let’s go see it.”

So the graduates started to watch their alma mater’s soccer games, and as time went by, more and more spectators gathered.

“No! You can’t shoot like that from there!”

“Good! That’s right!”

“Fight! You can do it!”

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

“Ah… If we had won this time, we could have reclaimed first place.”

“Phew. Luckily we avoided last place.”

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

“A soccer tournament… This would make a great story, wouldn’t it?”

As things went on like this, some local newspapers reported on the soccer tournament. 

And this led to more interest from the local residents.

And by the end of the semester, 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 games 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 semester, four games were played. 

And in this process, a drama was written.

“Oh my God…!”

“Hahaha! I can’t 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 became 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 tournament became a big hit in the capital, similar things happened in other regions.

“What can’t we do compared to them? If we’re talking about soccer, we’re better than them, aren’t we?”

“Yes. Let’s have a soccer tournament too.”

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

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

“Oh! Schools in our region are also having a soccer tournament!”

“It’s unfair for only capital residents to enjoy this fun spectacle!”

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

That’s how a culture of cheering for one’s alma mater in their spare time emerged 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 didn’t have a team to cheer for, many fans became 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 tournament that was getting hotter as time passed.

He had only tried to help the soccer club members he was in charge of to play against more diverse opponents, but he didn’t 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 tournament than the school classes on the cold floor. 

He wondered how he could make the tournament more successful.

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

“After we started the soccer tournament for the first time, various regions are also holding tournaments like us, right?”

“That’s right.”

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

“Oh! That’s 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?”

“What’s there not to accept? At least some regions will definitely accept it, and if that happens, other regions will join in too.”

“That’s right. If a national tournament is held, they will want to participate for the sake of publicity. If we can get some regions to join us, everything will be easier.”

“Then let’s make a plan and propose it to each region.”

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

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

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

“A national tournament… It sounds like a lot of interest will be drawn if a national tournament is held.”

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

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

And that summer, the first national tournament was held.

Many winning teams from various regions came 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 couldn’t even enter the stadium.

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

This lasted until the moment when the winner of the national tournament was born. 

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

That’s how the long history of imperial sports began.