And to play you need literally need just a ball. This makes the sport universally accessible (maybe second to dance and martial arts). As a kid we used to play in the middle of the street, with shoes or school bags to mark the goal. In thaat context, owning a soccer ball made you some kind of royalty. (that was Brazil in the 90s btw)

But I think that kids nowadays are less interested in sports generally. Or at least I don't see kids playing in the streets nearly as much.