Marko with his football. Art by Gary Andrews.
Football (known as soccer in the United States and several other countries) is a ball game played in almsot every country around the world. The sport is a relatively simple game on the outside of things, with two teams of varying numbers of players attempting to kick a spherical ball of leather into the opponent's "goal". The team with the highest number of "goals" by the end of the match is the winner.
Planet Earth is the birthplace of football and its influence has spread to Mobius in Sonic the Comic. There are several mentions of the sport in the main universe and in Sega Superstars comics:
- The whole concept of Marko's Magic Football is of young boy Marko and his magic football. The North Sterlington resident spends his whole story using this football in a variety of ways to combat the evil Colonel Brown and restore order to the world. The "magic" was described as a reaction to toxic green slime that was concocted in the Toy Tower.
- Tails is seen playing with an old-style football in Double Trouble, which he quickly manages to lose in the bushes.
- The residents of Castle Frank N. Stein go and watch the Slurp-A-Cheese Cup Final between Transylvania United and Black Forest Gateaux in Decap Attack story Funny Old Game. The heroes are avid fans of the "Garlics" and manage to turn a biased game in their favour with Head taking the place of the ball.
- Norris Wimple, at one point in his nerdy career, measured the sizes of footprints left by football players after giving up his hobby of Badnik spotting.
- Tekno the Canary created a video game for Sonic the Hedgehog that revolved around three human children using a football to fight Badniks.
- Football Lazy is an entire story dedicated to corrupt fooball manager Ronnie Dribble, who steals Sonic's powers and gives them to his team, Shinpadzio, in an attempt to lead his fat, lazy players to cup glory. The plan fails and Dribble is fired and arrested.