World War 2 Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics in Wartime

World War II significantly impacted the Olympics. The 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War II. The 1940 Winter Olympic Games were to have taken place in Sapporo, Japan. The 1944 Winter Olympics event was planned for Corina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The Winter Olympics event resumed in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, albeit on a small scale. While Winter Olympic information abounds about today’s games, fewer events were included in WWII era Olympic Games. The winter sports Olympics have grown with each year, with new events included, the events expanded, and the daring and skill increasing.

A Pre-WWII History of the Winter Olympics

The first Winter Olympics event was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France; however, it was originally designated as a winter sports event, and later retroactively dubbed the first Winter Olympic Games. The 1920 summer games in Antwerp had incorporated figure skating and ice hockey; however those were the sole winter sports Olympics featured. An array of skating, ice hockey events were included; however, alpine skiing would not be included until 1936. St. Moritz, Switzerland hosted the 1928 games, and skeleton (a luge event) debuted in the winter sports Olympics. The 1932 Winter Olympics event took place in Lake Placid, New York and 1936 in Garmisch and Partenkirchen, Germany. Weather has often impacted the Winter Olympics event, with overly warm temperatures often causing challenges for the athletes and sports. The games slowly expanded over the years.

Post-War Olympics

The first Winter Olympics event following the horrors of World War II again took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1948 Summer Olympics had taken place in London, England. Switzerland’s neutrality during the war had left the country relatively untouched, and thus able to host the winter sports Olympics. Twenty-eight countries competed; however, Germany and Japan were not invited due to their participation in the war. Other countries simply opted not to participate, or had shifted politically due to the war, including Latvia. Winter Olympics information sources, like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games report that the games expanded in 1948. Skeleton, a luge event, reappeared, and new alpine skiing events were offered. The competition sports included alpine skiing, bobsled, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic skiing, ski jumping, speed skating, and skeleton. Winter pentathlon and military patrol were demonstrated in this Winter Olympics event. Norway, Sweden and Switzerland took home the largest numbers of medals from these winter sports Olympics.

Spacer Image Early Years of the Summer Olympics

When were the first Summer Olympics?

The first official Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. They were set up by a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, in conscious homage to the ancient Olympic Games that were held in Olympia in Greece between 776 BC and 393 AD – an amazing period of a thousand years. In 1894, de Coubertin presented his idea at a congress in the Sorbonne in Paris. Early proposals for the site of the first modern Summer Olympic Games included Paris and London, but in the end it was unanimously agreed that Athens would be the most appropriate venue. They were opened on Easter Monday 1896 by the King of Greece, King George I.

A fuller account of the first games can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics.

What events were included?

The first Summer Olympics were a modest affair by today’s standards. Drawing heavily on the traditions of the ancient Olympics Games, they nonetheless included modern sports such as shooting and tennis. The centerpiece of the Summer Olympics was, and remains, athletics, but in addition there were medals awarded in cycling, gymnastics, fencing, wrestling, and weightlifting.

The athletics program at the first Summer Olympics also included the first-ever competitive running of the Marathon, which appropriately enough started at the Greek town of Marathon, and which was won by a Greek water carrier, Spyridon Louis. He remains a national hero in his home country.

Winter events such as skating were planned for the first Olympic games, and took place in early competitions. It was not for some years that the Summer and Winter Olympics were separated and the first Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games)

How did the early Olympics differ from nowadays?

The early Summer Olympics were a very different affair to today’s global circus. The first games, in Athens, lasted just over a week, and comprised some nine different disciplines such as athletics and weightlifting – a far cry from today’s twenty-eight sports. There was no Olympic village: until 1932, all athletes had to organize their own accommodations. In addition, women were not allowed to compete in the first Summer Olympics – as they had not in ancient times – and were only admitted to the games in 1900. In all, fourteen nations were represented, and the final medal table was topped by the USA. Some things have not changed…
(http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/table_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1896)

History of the Summer Olympics

The Beginnings of the Summer Olympic Games.

The Summer Olympic Games are not historically documented until 776 BC, but it is widely accepted that they had been in practice from as early as the 13th century BC. There are several Greek legends that speak of the beginnings of the Summer Olympic Games. One indicates that it was begun when Herakles won a race then asked that the race be run every four years. Another legend mentions King Iphitos who asked the Oracle of Delphi how to deal with a current war that was ravaging his country. The Oracle advised him to hold games in honor of the gods, which would require a truce. Whatever the origins of the Olympic tradition, it is obvious that it was originally of a religious nature.

The Olympics in Ancient Greece.

The history of the Summer Olympic begins in Olympia, where they were first held. The ceremonies held for the winners were similar to those we hold today but instead of medals they received palm branches to hold and red ribbons which were tied around their heads and hands as a sign of their victory. At the completion of the games there was another ceremony and they would be crowned with a wreath of olive branches. When the athletes returned home they were often awarded large sums of money and fame, just like our present day Olympic athletes.

The Sports of Ancient Olympic Games.

The ancient Olympic Games had their roots in only one competition, a foot race called the stadion or stade. It was the distance of one stade, or sprinting from one end of the stadium to the other which measured about 200 meters. The earliest known documents that mention the Olympic Games are from 776 BC, and Coroibus of Elis is listed as the winner of the race. The events included the stade, the diaulos, which was similar to the 400 meter race and the Pentathlon. The Pentathlon was another ancient sport and included the stade, the diaulos and a long race called the dolichos which was from 1400 meters to 4800 meters. There was also a race called the Hoplitodromos and entailed running about a mile in armor weighing from 50 to 60 pounds. This was particularly grueling and was a display of military strength, speed and stamina. Also included were boxing and wrestling, as well as the equestrian sports of riding and chariot racing.

The Athletes of Ancient Olympic Games.

The athletes that participated in the ancient Olympic Games were of the highest quality and prestige. They performed nude as the body was viewed as a thing of great beauty. Only Greek speaking men were allowed to compete in the ancient Games, however these men came from all the different areas in Greek city-states and colonies. The athletes had to qualify and meet the requirements of the Games. Women were not only excluded from participating in the games, but they were not allowed to observe them, as this was considered a sacred activity only for men.

The ancient Greeks had established a long and valuable tradition in their Olympic Games. They were celebrated every four years during August and September. They held the Games until the forth century BC when the Roman Emperor Theodosius, abolished them due to their pagan roots.

The Beginning of the Modern Games.

The modern Olympic Games have much in common with those of ancient Greece. They were reestablished by a French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who urged the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894. The committee originally scheduled the first modern Summer Olympic Games for the year 1900, but later pushed that date back to 1896. They were held in Athens Greece during the first week of April. The games included 14 countries and had over 200 participants, but most of them were Greek. Women were not allowed to compete in the 1896 Summer Olympic Games and did not make an appearance until the year 1900, when they competed in lawn tennis and golf.

The1936 Summer Olympics were held in Germany, amidst the Nazi regime of pre-World War II. We see the beauty and spirit of the 1936 Summer Olympics in the amazing victory of Jesse Owens who won four gold medals all while dealing with the immense pressure of racism and hate. Hitler was looking forward to showcasing his supposedly superior German Arian athletes but Jesse Owens proved him wrong by winning a gold medal in the 100 meters, 200 meters, the long jump and the four person 100 meter relay. The 1936 Summer Olympics was truly a memorable and important step in the right direction towards racial equality and justice.

The 1996 Summer Olympics repeated the feelings from the 1972 Winter Olympics when a terrorist group kidnapped 7 Israeli athletes. The 1996 Summer Olympics are remembered most for the terrorist attack that killed one and injured over a hundred more, but the games continued. There was a large turn out with 196 countries competing. The 1996 Summer Olympic Games heralded two new sports, softball, and soccer, and the US women won the gold medal in both new sports. Michael Johnson won double gold medals in the 200 meter and the 400 meter as did a French woman Marie Jose Perac.

The 2000 Summer Olympics show another record turnout and bridging of hostility for the Games. 199 nations gathered to celebrate, and North Korea and South Korea united to enter the field under the same flag and uniform. Ian Thorpe of Australia broke his own world record in the 400 meter freestyle and managed to take four medals, three of which were gold. The 2000 Summer Olympics show the US softball team defending its previous win with a new medal and Michael Johnson wins the gold in the 400 meter. The 2000 Summer Olympics also marked the turning of a new century the first Olympic Games to be celebrated in the 21 century.

The Olympic Games just as before, continue to evolve and change with more sports being added and more people being eligible. The History of the Olympic Games spans thousands of years, and continues today to bridge the gap between countries. All differences between people can be put aside for the glory of the games.

For More Information check these factual sites.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/index.html

http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Olympic_Games

http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/index_uk.asp

The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Greatest Game Ever Played

What was the Greatest Game Ever Played? – Many have asked and it took place forty-nine years ago on December 28, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" took place. The 1958 Championship Game NFL between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. The location was Yankee Stadium in New York City. What made this game the greatest game ever played was when the Colts fullback, Alan Ameche, found a hole in the defense and scored a one-yard touchdown with 6:45 minutes left in overtime. That day, he took the Championship Game NFL into a new era, and many would never forget it.

Today's younger sports fans at, no surprise can find it difficult that forty-nine years ago the sports scenario was completely different then. The ever-present highlight, quick replay, and radio talk shows didn’t exist along with the X-Games didn't exist. Back then America was all about baseball.


Why the 1958 Championship NFL Game is So Named

The reason that this 1958 Championship NFL Game was so great was because of when it took place during the year. It was late winter and nationally aired, not only that but it was based in New York City. The Championship Game, NFL, was also the first game to go into sudden death overtime in history. New York’s media and advertising companies had a field day with this event. Back then, New York was the center of advertising throughout the entire USA, however, the TV industry was still in its fledgling stage.

With the Championship Game NFL not only took off but so did the ratings. Networks then knew that forever will they have to keep airing any major sports event thanks to the “Greatest Football Game Ever Played.” Not only did the ratings shoot through the roof, but many people learned that they could sit in the comfort of their own home and watch a major event as it happened, needless to say the many sports enthusiasts had their jaws on the floor due to the intensity of the Championship Game NFL had so diligently brought to them.


What Made this Football Game so Great?

Besides the sheer luck of when it was aired, the “greatest football game ever played” was full of many names that made the game itself more intense and “must watch event”. Names like Huff, Katcavage, and Unitas, gave that “WOW” effect when the announcer would yell out another touch down, especially when sudden death overtime took place.
For more information on the Greatest Football Game Ever Played visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Championship_Game,_1958

Spacer Image The First Super Bowl

Where was the first Super Bowl?

Super bowl location history is often fascinating for those individuals interested in super bowl and football trivia. In terms of first super bowl history facts, the very first super bowl game was played in the month of January on the 15th of the month. What year was the first Superbowl played? The very first Superbowl was played in the year of ‘67. The first super bowl played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and was then named the AFL-NFL World Championship.

What other fun first super bowl history facts will football trivia fans appreciate? Amazingly, the very first super bowl tickets were relatively inexpensive by today’s standards: tickets for the first Superbowl game ranged from six to twelve dollars. Today, the tickets are far more than that – running right around six to seven hundred dollars!

Who started the Super Bowl?

The Superbowl was started when the National Football League and the American Football League decided to compete against each other. Now the NFL runs the Super bowl. Each year the two best football teams compete to win the Super bowl title. Every member of the winning team gets a Superbowl ring. A trophy is also given to the winning team.

Super Bowl Team History

In terms of Super Bowl Team History, the two teams that played in the very first Superbowl were the NFL Green Bay Packers against the AFL Kansas City Chiefs. The Green Bay Packers won the game and the final score for the first Superbowl played was an astounding 35 to 10. Since that time, the Packers have gone on to win a total of three Super Bowls, the first, the second and the thirty-first respectively.

Other Super Bowl Facts

Several teams have yet to make it to the Super bowl. The existing NFL teams that have not yet made it to the Super Bowl include the Arizona Cardinals, the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, there are a number of NFL teams that have actually made it to the Super Bowl but that have not managed to win a Super Bowl game to date. Such teams include the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills, the Carolina Panthers, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Minnesota Vikings, the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Diego Chargers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Tennessee Titans.

For more fascinating and fun Super Bowl facts visit BestLinesSports International at:
http://www.bestlinesports.com/Super_Bowl_Facts.asp

Spacer Image The History of College Football

Football History

Modern day football grew out of a combination of a sport resembling rugby, played at the time in Canada, and an earlier version of soccer. As colleges formed teams and had to come up with a standard of rules everyone could follow, American football was born.

The first meeting to establish these rules occurred on October 18th, 1873 in New York City when members of Yale, Columbia, Rutgers and Princeton met. But the evolution of the game of football as we understand it today grew out of a competition between Harvard University and McGill University where the two styles of sport each team had been playing were fused. Harvard adopted these rules and spread them in America.

Also it is important to note that Walter Camp, often referred to as the “Father of American Football” was responsible for declaring many of the specific rules of football. He also selected the earliest College Football All-American Team.

First College Football Games

The first technical game of college football was played in New Brunswick, New Jersey on November 6, 1869. The game was played between Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University. This game was much closer to soccer than modern day football, however. The first game of college football played the way it is recognized today was played between Harvard and Yale in 1875 following the Harvard, McGill game.

Popularity of Early College Football

During the early days of college football the game became popular with athletes as well as spectators. The games were reported on in local and national papers and rivalries began to spring up. Some of the earliest rivalries include Army – Navy, which began in 1890, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, which began in 1895, Boston College and Holy Cross, beginning in 1896, Harvard and Yale (the oldest) dating from 1875, and Auburn and Alabama, beginning in 1893 and remaining the fiercest of rivalries in college football history.

History of Bowl Games

Championship college football history began when the Tournament of Roses Association sponsored a game between Michigan and Stanford in 1902. The outcome of that game was 49-0 Michigan. The association began holding a contest every year based on that game, and eventually the contest was played in the newly completed Rose Bowl Stadium, where the name came from. By 1940 five other bowl games had been created: the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Sun Bowl and the Cotton Bowl.

Spacer Image History of Football: The Early Years

“Football” before the 19th century referred to any number of ball games played on foot. The rules of these games differed from one another, some allowing the use of hands “running games”, others forbidding it “kicking games”. One legend has it that the football game rugby, American football’s ancestor, was invented when an Englishman grew tired of the no hands restriction, picked the ball up, and ran. Out of an interest to enforce the rules of the game the other players tackled the fellow. So much fun was this diversion that running football games were born. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but what is known is that football does have its origins in the games played by pre-colonial European peasants.

The first vestiges of what would become American football are found in the 19th century in the games played by students at the elite schools and universities of the United States. A particularly violent running game was played at Princeton University circa 1820, and around this time a kicking game was also being played by students of Dartmouth College. Rules for the Dartmouth game, known as “Old Division Football”, were published in 1871. The first running game to codify its rules was the popular English sport, rugby, and it did so in 1845.

While there is some degree of debate over what constitutes the first American football team, most sports historians point to the Oneida Football Club, a Boston club founded in 1861. Nobody knows what rules this club used; whether they played a running, kicking, or hybrid version of the game. It is also known that rugby was taking off in Canada around this time. The Montreal Football club formed in 1868 and is said to have played a variant of English rugby. This became the root of Canadian football, which is important here for it later had a large influence on American football’s development.

It is not clear what the rules and regulations most of these early football games followed. However, the infamous Rutgers v. Princeton game in 1869 opens a window to the past. The game was played by two teams of 25 people each. Each team was composed of 11 “fielders”, 12 “bulldogs”, and two “peanutters” whose job was to hang out near the opposing team’s goal so as to score from unguarded positions. This fact suggests there was no such thing as an “offside” rule at this time. American football at this point closely resembled soccer in the sense that a team scored goals instead of touchdowns and throwing or running with the ball was not allowed.

While the NFL states that this early game was indeed based on soccer and not rugby, it did begin intercollegiate football games. Four years later, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers codified the first ever set of intercollegiate rules for football. However, these rules forbade players from throwing the ball or running with it. It was soccer.

It is Harvard we have to thank for American football. Harvard representatives knew in advance that the four schools above planned on codifying rules forbidding aggressive physical contact and the carrying of the ball, so they refused to attend. Harvard’s obstinacy on behalf of rugby led shortly thereafter to the McGill v. Harvard match of 1874 and the Harvard v. Yale game of 1875. Due to the popularity of these matches other US universities began to field rugby teams. Finally, in 1876 a meeting was held between Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, and Yale where England’s Rugby Union rules were adopted by all four schools, but with two key changes. No longer would the scoring of a touch down be nullified if the opposing team kicked a field goal.

Walter Camp is widely considered the father of modern American football. Between 1880 and 1883 this coach of the Yale football team came up with several major adjustments to the game: an eleven player team, a smaller field, and the scrimmage –a player handing the ball backward to begin the play. An even more important alteration, if the offensive team failed to gain five yards after three downs they were forced to surrender the ball. Camp also established the norm of a seven-man line, a quarterback, two halfbacks, and a fullback. Thanks to Walter Camp, football as we know it finally took shape.

Football soon became popular among the general public, which in 1892 led to the sport becoming a source of income for outstanding players. On November 12, 1892 William Heffelinger, a Yale All-American guard, became the first professional football player. A Pittsburgh club paid him $500 to play against another Pittsburgh team. Three years later, the first all professional game was played in Pennsylvania between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Atheltic Club.

Over the next decade American football developed a reputation as a high injury and high mortality sport. Eighteen players were killed in 1905 alone. This was in part due to lack of protective gear and the use of interlocking defensive formations, as well as a tendency for teammates to drag ball-carrying players forward to gain extra yards. The year 1905 began a period of reform through which was developed a neutral zone between scrimmage lines. Furthermore, it was mandatory that six players from each team were positioned at this neutral zone. The forward pass, a distinct break from rugby and a signature of American football, was also legalized at this time.

However, these changes were not enough. In 1908 33 more players were killed on the field. Between 1910 and 12 interlocking formations were finally banned and more protective padding introduced, both these measures helped reduce the death and injury toll. Other changes made at this time included the addition of a fourth down, and the six point touchdown.

It was not until 1920 that the first professional football league was established. Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe was elected president of the American Professional Football Association and its 11 teams all located in the Midwest. This body changed its name to the familiar National Football League (NFL) in 1921, the same year the league started to release official rankings. The early NFL was loose knit. Teams often came and went, and college football was still the dominant form of the game. However, as college football stars like Benny Friedman and Red Grange joined the professional game, pro football gained in popularity. An annual championship game was begun in 1933 and by 1934 almost every small town football team had moved to the city.

Professional football came to compete with college football for a fan base around the end of the Second World War. Games were higher scoring and faster paced, thanks to the development of the “T formation”, and the first West Coast team was established when the Cleveland Rams moved to LA. By 1950 professional football became one of America’s major sports. Television gave sports fans the opportunity to cheer for and against star players such as Paul Hornung, Johnny Unitas, and Bobby Layne. Surging popularity enabled football to expand into two leagues, but this experiment was short lived. In 1970 the AFL and NFL merged and formed two “conferences”, the American Football Conference, and the National Football Conference. Another result of this merger was the now wildly popular Super Bowl –most years rated the most watched television program in America. The year 1970 also founded another important American football institution, Monday Night Football.

Both college and professional football remain popular to this day, watched nation-wide by fans on Saturdays and Sundays respectively. Thanks to careful rule changes and additions over the years the game is now more fast-paced and less injurious to players than at any other point in its history. So popular, in fact, is American football among spectators that the game has spread across the globe to Mexico, Europe, and even Japan, where it continues to flourish and evolve.