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.

Spacer Image History of Baseball

Baseball is America’s national pastime, but how much do Americans really know about the history of baseball? The game has been played in the United States for nearly two centuries, from its humble beginnings in the Northeast to the multi-million dollar professional sports franchise we know today. The history of baseball began when the English game of “rounders” was first played in America, where it was referred to as “townball,” “baseball,” or simply “base.” The first milestone in the history of baseball came about in the mid-nineteenth century.

Alexander Cartwright invented the game we know today as baseball in 1845. Cartwright’s New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club was the first organized ball team in the history of baseball. Though the Knickerbockers were strictly an amateur team from formation to disbandment, Cartwright developed the “Knickerbocker Rules” of baseball, which were later adopted as standard by the growing sports league. One of the most significant changes from rounders to Cartwright’s baseball was the ban on “plugging” a runner—which meant hitting him with the ball to get an out. Cartwright intended baseball to be a gentleman’s game.

The first recorded game in the history of baseball took place in 1846 between the Knickerbockers and the nine-man New York Baseball Club. Despite having invented the game, the Knickerbockers lost 23 to 1. Still, the Knickerbocker Rules were accepted and implemented. At first there were two sets of baseball rules, commonly called the New York rules (Knickerbocker) and the Massachusetts rules. However, the Massachusetts variations were eventually discarded.

1857 marked another turning point in the history of baseball when the first organized baseball league was formed. Along with fifteen other teams, the Knickerbockers formed the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) and established the first championship games. League membership grew to nearly 100 clubs by 1865, and in two short years there were more than 400 clubs enrolled in the NABBP. The most prominent member club of the NABBP was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who also held the distinction of being the first professional team, as they were the first with openly salaried players. At its inception, the NABBP was an amateur league.

Popularity among the American public marked the history of baseball almost since the beginning. By 1860, baseball was already being hailed as the national pastime, a tag that remains with the sport today. 1870 brought another hallmark in the history of baseball when a division developed between professional and amateur players, resulting in the formation of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The name was soon changed to the National League of Professional Base Ball Players as the amateur clubs drifted from the baseball scene, and this became the National League that operates today.

Beginning in 1900, the history of baseball entered a dark period known as the “dead ball era”. This period, which lasted until 1919, was characterized by low-scoring, pitcher-dominated games that offered little in the way of entertainment for stadium crowds. Adding to the troubles was the actual monetary cost of the baseball itself: three dollars, a hefty sum at the time that club owners were reluctant to pay. For this reason, a single baseball was typically used for an entire game, and by the end of the ninth the ball would end up misshapen and black with mud, grass and tobacco juice. “Dead ball” also referred to the condition of the baseball itself.

Despite its troubles, the sport of baseball continued to flourish. During the dead ball era, the history of baseball was fortified with the construction of new, large stadiums dedicated to the game. Famous fields built in the early 20th century included Fenway Park in Boston; Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field; Shibe Park in Philadelphia; and Chicago’s two baseball signatures, Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field. This era also featured some of the first legendary players in the history of baseball, including celebrated shortstop Honus Wagner and the irascible Ty Cobb. Legendary pitchers Cy Young, Walter “The Big Train” Johnson, and Grover Cleveland also hung their stars during the dead ball era.

What was responsible for the end of the dead ball era? There is little disagreement that a major turning point in the history of baseball came about in 1920 with a single rule, and a single player. The rule, enacted by the National League, outlawed tampering with the ball, which eliminated pitcher tricks such as spitballs, shine balls, and other methods of producing unnatural baseball flight. Discolored balls, which were harder for players to see, were also banned. This was strictly enforced following the death of Ray Chapman, who was struck in the temple by a wild pitch from Carl Mays and died the following day. The player who turned the tide of baseball was a star of the Boston Red Sox who was sold to the New York Yankees at the close of the 1919 season, by the name of George Herman Ruth: baseball’s own “Babe” Ruth.

Perhaps no single player has had such a major impact on the history of baseball as Babe Ruth. Red Sox manager Edward Barrow shocked the baseball world when he pulled Ruth from the pitcher’s mound to place him in the outfield. However, Barrow’s reasoning soon became apparent as Ruth’s hitting prowess proved his worth in the batting lineup: the Babe achieved an unmatched 29 runs during his last season with the Sox, a number that jumped to an unbelievable 54 in 1920 when he joined the Yankees. This penchant for power hitting became wildly popular with baseball crowds, and a shift in the game balance from pitching to hitting effectively closed out the dead ball era to usher in baseball’s golden years.

The history of baseball featured several further milestones. The Baseball Hall of Fame was instituted in 1936 with the election of five players: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and living legend Babe Ruth. 1947 saw the re-introduction of African-Americans to the national leagues, and in 1951 center fielder Willie Mays rocked the world of baseball with the infamous “shot heard round the world”. Also during the 1950’s, baseball’s first television appearance skyrocketed the sport’s popularity, giving baseball a momentous shove to the pariah status it enjoys today.

Spacer Image History of Baseball

Baseball is America’s national pastime, but how much do Americans really know about the history of baseball? The game has been played in the United States for nearly two centuries, from its humble beginnings in the Northeast to the multi-million dollar professional sports franchise we know today. The history of baseball began when the English game of “rounders” was first played in America, where it was referred to as “townball,” “baseball,” or simply “base.” The first milestone in the history of baseball came about in the mid-nineteenth century.

Alexander Cartwright invented the game we know today as baseball in 1845. Cartwright’s New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club was the first organized ball team in the history of baseball. Though the Knickerbockers were strictly an amateur team from formation to disbandment, Cartwright developed the “Knickerbocker Rules” of baseball, which were later adopted as standard by the growing sports league. One of the most significant changes from rounders to Cartwright’s baseball was the ban on “plugging” a runner—which meant hitting him with the ball to get an out. Cartwright intended baseball to be a gentleman’s game.

The first recorded game in the history of baseball took place in 1846 between the Knickerbockers and the nine-man New York Baseball Club. Despite having invented the game, the Knickerbockers lost 23 to 1. Still, the Knickerbocker Rules were accepted and implemented. At first there were two sets of baseball rules, commonly called the New York rules (Knickerbocker) and the Massachusetts rules. However, the Massachusetts variations were eventually discarded.

1857 marked another turning point in the history of baseball when the first organized baseball league was formed. Along with fifteen other teams, the Knickerbockers formed the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) and established the first championship games. League membership grew to nearly 100 clubs by 1865, and in two short years there were more than 400 clubs enrolled in the NABBP. The most prominent member club of the NABBP was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who also held the distinction of being the first professional team, as they were the first with openly salaried players. At its inception, the NABBP was an amateur league.

Popularity among the American public marked the history of baseball almost since the beginning. By 1860, baseball was already being hailed as the national pastime, a tag that remains with the sport today. 1870 brought another hallmark in the history of baseball when a division developed between professional and amateur players, resulting in the formation of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The name was soon changed to the National League of Professional Base Ball Players as the amateur clubs drifted from the baseball scene, and this became the National League that operates today.

Beginning in 1900, the history of baseball entered a dark period known as the “dead ball era”. This period, which lasted until 1919, was characterized by low-scoring, pitcher-dominated games that offered little in the way of entertainment for stadium crowds. Adding to the troubles was the actual monetary cost of the baseball itself: three dollars, a hefty sum at the time that club owners were reluctant to pay. For this reason, a single baseball was typically used for an entire game, and by the end of the ninth the ball would end up misshapen and black with mud, grass and tobacco juice. “Dead ball” also referred to the condition of the baseball itself.

Despite its troubles, the sport of baseball continued to flourish. During the dead ball era, the history of baseball was fortified with the construction of new, large stadiums dedicated to the game. Famous fields built in the early 20th century included Fenway Park in Boston; Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field; Shibe Park in Philadelphia; and Chicago’s two baseball signatures, Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field. This era also featured some of the first legendary players in the history of baseball, including celebrated shortstop Honus Wagner and the irascible Ty Cobb. Legendary pitchers Cy Young, Walter “The Big Train” Johnson, and Grover Cleveland also hung their stars during the dead ball era.

What was responsible for the end of the dead ball era? There is little disagreement that a major turning point in the history of baseball came about in 1920 with a single rule, and a single player. The rule, enacted by the National League, outlawed tampering with the ball, which eliminated pitcher tricks such as spitballs, shine balls, and other methods of producing unnatural baseball flight. Discolored balls, which were harder for players to see, were also banned. This was strictly enforced following the death of Ray Chapman, who was struck in the temple by a wild pitch from Carl Mays and died the following day. The player who turned the tide of baseball was a star of the Boston Red Sox who was sold to the New York Yankees at the close of the 1919 season, by the name of George Herman Ruth: baseball’s own “Babe” Ruth.

Perhaps no single player has had such a major impact on the history of baseball as Babe Ruth. Red Sox manager Edward Barrow shocked the baseball world when he pulled Ruth from the pitcher’s mound to place him in the outfield. However, Barrow’s reasoning soon became apparent as Ruth’s hitting prowess proved his worth in the batting lineup: the Babe achieved an unmatched 29 runs during his last season with the Sox, a number that jumped to an unbelievable 54 in 1920 when he joined the Yankees. This penchant for power hitting became wildly popular with baseball crowds, and a shift in the game balance from pitching to hitting effectively closed out the dead ball era to usher in baseball’s golden years.

The history of baseball featured several further milestones. The Baseball Hall of Fame was instituted in 1936 with the election of five players: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and living legend Babe Ruth. 1947 saw the re-introduction of African-Americans to the national leagues, and in 1951 center fielder Willie Mays rocked the world of baseball with the infamous “shot heard round the world”. Also during the 1950’s, baseball’s first television appearance skyrocketed the sport’s popularity, giving baseball a momentous shove to the pariah status it enjoys today.

History of BasketBall

The history of basketball finds it way back to the year 1891. It was a Canadian physical education instructor by the name of James Naismith who introduced the game of basketball to the world. He was born in Ontario and taught physical education at McGill University and Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. James Naismith, during his stint with Springfield College, a YMCA training school during that time, invented the indoor sport with able support and guidance from the American phys-ed specialist Luther Hasley.

The game commenced with 18 men at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Naismith was given a deadline of 14 days to create an indoor game that would provide “an athletic distraction” (in the words of Hasley) to the nasty and disorderly class. It was a tough call for Naismith, who had to exercise a lot of patience and infuse positive enthusiasm into the minds of his students to engage in an outdoor game that was to be played indoors in the best way possible. He recalled a game he used to play as a child and improvised on its concept.

Naismith was instrumental in laying down 13 rules for the basketball game. The rules stated that the ball should be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. He made it clear that a person could not run with the ball. The player should throw it from the place from which he caught the ball in the first place. Players had to refrain from using the fist when handling or batting the ball. He had termed shouldering, holding, tripping, pushing or striking in any way of an opponent as a foul in the first instance. If things of this nature happened the second time, the person who caused the infringement of the rule would be disqualified or would not be substituted at all. If any side made three consecutive fouls, it was to be counted as a goal for the opposing side.

Naismith also made it clear that if the ball went out of bounds, it had to be thrown into the field of play by the person touching it. This player had the right to hold the ball for only five seconds. If held longer, the chance to throw went to the opposing side. He gave special importance to the umpire who had to judge the player and report to the referee when players made three consecutive fouls. He defined the time period of the game as being comprised of two fifteen-minute halves with fifteen minutes breaks in between. Naismith concluded that the side making the most goals was to be termed as winner.
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The game caught the fancy of the YMCA class and the popularity of the game grew, though Naismith quietly shied away from taking any credit for his invention. He wanted the game to be enjoyed as a recreational activity, but he never imagined that the game would soon develop into a passionate and intensely competitive sport. Naismith’s moment of glory came, however, when he was invited by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to witness basketball become an Olympic sport at the 1936 games in Berlin. He passed away in 1939 and since then the game has grown in fame and prosperity the world over. In 1959, James Naismith entered the Basketball Hall of Fame (called the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame)

The first formal rules for the game were introduced in 1895. It was not until 1897 that teams of five players on each side became standard in the history of basketball. Iron hoops and a hammock style basket came into existence in 1893. A decade later, open-ended nets came into existence, which did away with the practice of manually retrieving the ball from the basket each time a goal was made. After the end of World War II, there was a need to infuse sports entertainment into the large sports arenas during the times not occupied by pro hockey and college basketball games. This gave rise to the history of basketball in its pure, professional championship format.

Walter Brown of Boston introduced professional basketball in the form of the Basketball Association of America in the summer of 1946. The esteemed members of the new league were New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Providence, Toronto, St. Louis, and Boston. The league played in big arenas in large cities but the players were not as talented as the ones in the National Basketball League, the recognized league operating chiefly in smaller cities in the Midwest. However, some people from the NBL joined the fray and the strength of B.A.A picked up as college stars and fresh young talent entered the league. The regular season started and the Washington Capitols were the clear winners in the Eastern Division, with the Philadelphia Warriors taking second place and the New York Knickerbockers grabbing the third and final playoff spot.

The Western Division had the Chicago Stags narrowly edging out the St.Louis Bombers with a one-gain tiebreaker at the end of the regular season. The Cleveland Rebels acquired the third playoff spot. The playoff system devised by the league pitted the first ranking teams, the second ranking teams and the third ranking teams against each other in the opening round. The games began with the Stags usurping the Caps in six games and Philadelphia outdoing St. Louis in a three-game showdown of second-place finishers, while New York defeated Cleveland in three games in the third bracket. The Warriors defeated the Knicks to move into the finals with the Stags.

The finals of the first championship of BAA (the present day NBA) opened in Philadelphia with Joe Fulks scoring 37 points, leading his Warriors to a victory against the Stags. Though the Stags won the fourth game, the Warriors won the overall title with an 83-80 victory with a 34-point contribution from Fulks. Howie Dallmar is credited with hitting the winning basket to break an 80-80 tie, with only a minute left before the finish of the game.

The history of Basketball has witnessed a lot of landmark events that have increased the popularity of the game to dizzying heights. It is almost a second religion to the sport-loving people in the US. No doubt, basketball is heralded as a sport that gives a healthy balance to the physical, mental and spiritual state. This is truly the game that keeps you on your toes!

History of Soccer

The history of Soccer or football takes it origins back over 3000 years. One cannot exactly point out as to when and where the game actually began. A lot of references agree that China is the birthplace of “kicking the ball”. Documentary evidence reveals that an organized activity resembling football transpired during the 2nd century BC in the reign of the Han Dynasty. The soldiers from the Chinese military used to play the game during their free time; kicking the ball into a small net. It is also reported that a field was set for playing the game of “ball-kicking” at Kyoto in Japan.

The resemblance of the current soccer-type game can be found in the game played by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The teams during those times consisted of up to 27 players. Britain is unarguably the place from which the modern soccer came into existence. In fact, the game caught the frenzy of the masses from the beginning of the 8th century. Football has always been termed as Soccer in Britain. Scotland and Britain together share the credit for being the co-founders of the organized sport.

Soccer is played with a lot of passion and enthusiasm in today’s age. However, in early days the game was played fiercely - almost akin to a war. Football was played in the name of honor, valor and manhood. It was used as a medium to settle scores with the enemies. It is reported that in medieval times, towns and hamlets played against rival towns and hamlets and indulged in punching, biting, kicking and cutting into the flesh of players during the course of the game. The only “goal” during those games was to move the ball to a pre-defined spot that was agreed upon before the game started. Players had to weather physical assaults and bodily harm, apart from playing the game, to reach that spot. The game was participated in by hordes of people and the game would last the entire day. Taking into account the violent dimensions of the game, there were many attempts made by authorities to ban Soccer. In 1331, King Edward III passed a law to suppress football. Scotland followed suit when King James 1, in 1424, sought to ban the game in his parliamentary speech. Queen Elizabeth 1 of England had reportedly passed a law by which the soccer players could be put in prison for a week and were thereafter ordered to observe penance in church. However, no law could stop the fervor of people toward the game. The game was too popular in Britain to be curbed.
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In 1815, the renowned English school, Eton College, laid down a code of conduct regarding football for other schools and universities to follow. This set of rules came to be known as Cambridge Rules, which were diligently followed by most of the educational institutions by 1848. Football was now divided into two separate games - those who followed the Cambridge rules and those who followed the rules laid down by the Rugby school. The Rugby school allowed shoving, tripping, shin kicking and using hands while handling the ball.
On October 26th, 1863, eleven clubs in London sent their body of eminent members for a federation meeting in the Freemason’s Tavern to streamline a single set of fundamental rules that would govern the matches played amongst them. The meeting was quite eventful, as it led to the creation of The Football Association. The Rugby school did not agree with the outcome and so there was a split on December 8th, 1863, where the Rugby Football and The Football Association parted ways. The Football Association laid down strict rules in 1869, which discouraged any kind of handling of the ball. This laid down the norm of the basic rule of Soccer that is the essence of the modern game.

On January 1st, 1878, Patrick Thistle, a leading Scottish football player, traveled to England for a match to be played against Darwen. Two prosperous mill owners, JC Ashton and Nathaniel Walsh, founded the Darwen club in 1871. One of Patrick’s best players, Fergus Sutler, wrote to the Darwen club secretary and stated that he wanted to settle in Lancashire and play for the club. His friend John Love, who was the goalkeeper for England, accompanied Fergus. Both joined the Darwen team and the club began to adopt the Scottish style of football which involved playing the game in the right and smooth manner with passes and proper positioning of the players rather than playing the game roughly and haphazardly. The new set of skills helped the team immensely and that became quite evident when Darwen drew a match in the 1879 FA cup against Old Etonians, veterans in the game. People began to appreciate the professional way in which the game was played by the Darwen club. Both Sutler and John became the first stars in the game of soccer.

The term “soccer” has an interesting piece of history attached to it. In the 1880s, the Oxford students developed a panache of using slang with an “er” added to the end of words they had purposely shortened. “Rugger”, for example, was slang for Rugby Football. The story goes that a student called Charles Wreford Brown was invited for a game of “Rugger”. His reply was, “No soccer!” He had actually abridged the word “Soc” from association, and added “er.” The term “soccer” was thus born, and Wreford Brown went on to play international football, or Soccer, for England.

In 1885, the professional way of playing the football was legalized by The Football Association, paving an eventful landmark in the history of Soccer. This move changed the way the game was played universally. Soccer became the greatest sport on the face of the planet. In 1888, William McGregor, a Scot, created the English Football League by asking 12 clubs to comply with a standard home and “away from home” fixture list. The director of Aston Villa club is credited with merging 12 clubs, namely:

Accrington (Old Reds)
Aston Villa
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Burnley
Derby County
Everton
Notts County
Preston North End
Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers

Soccer steadily grew in fame and sponsorship and today it is the universal game played across all continents. The history of Soccer has seen a lot of tests, triumphs and turbulent times. What has come up trumps is the unwavering spirit of the game. The world’s largest spectator sport drew a television audience of 28.8 billion viewers, raving and ranting for their favorites in the 2002 Fifa Cup. Soccer has come a long way since its inception, and now with the FIFA world cup kicking off in June 2006, the fever is still raging.

Spacer Image History of Sports

Sports are timeless activities; ones that humans have enjoyed since at least ancient times, as exemplified by the Greek Olympic Games. Indeed, ethnographic and archaeological evidence such as cave paintings and the accounts of early European explorers indicate sports may well go back to the very beginning of humankind. Many of the sports played and celebrated today, such as football, even have their roots in various kicking and running ball games played throughout medieval Europe. Sports such as golf and horse racing were also played among the European aristocratic classes, especially those of Britain.

History of sports

Of course ancient Olympics, medieval aristocrats, cave people, and hordes of peasants kicking a ball from one village to the next is, despite the genealogy, rather far removed from sports as we know them today. The development of modern sports is tied very much to the history of the industrial revolution and the creation of the first public schools, the latter of which sought to incorporate physical activity in the curriculum. The net result of this process was to cleanse (as in reduce violent elements) and codify various games such as soccer or rugby and of course later on, basketball and football, both of which were very much shaped on college campuses in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, at least in the United States.

History Illustrated Sports

It is clear that the history of sports as series of incredibly popular spectator events would not exist in its current shape without the likes of magazines like Sports Illustrated. Initially there was much resistance to the idea of a sports magazine. The prevailing views were that sports are beneath journalism and that there would be no audience, and therefore money, in such an undertaking. Of course, the history of Sports Illustrated demonstrates that such views were mistaken. These days Sports Illustrated is credited as one of three main factors for the explosion of popular sports, the other two being economic prosperity and sports broadcasting.

History of Basketball

Basketball is the only popular spectator sport that bears the distinction of being invented by a single person, as opposed to being the adaptation or evolution from or of another sport. Dr. James Naismith is a name inseparable from the history of basketball, a game he conceived as an indoor activity for energetic New England youth to wile away the winter months. January 20, 1892 was the date of the first official basketball game ever played. Naismith went on to coach his invention in Kansas for six years, and thus successfully helped spread the game, with the help of the YMCA, throughout college campuses. In 1946, the National Basketball Association was founded, organizing professional basketball teams for the first time in history.

Broadcasting History Sports

The history of sports broadcasting, namely television and radio, is a curious phenomenon in that each was, in part, the cause of the other’s success. Some of the first (and most popular) radio and television broadcasts were sports events. While broadcasting mediums helped popularize spectator sports, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, “with only 190,000 television sets in use in 1948, the attraction of sports to the networks in its early period was not advertising dollars…but as a means of boosting demand for television as a medium.” In time, of course, the number of televisions and television stations grew at an exponential rate, so that in 1979 ESPN was launched, reaching over 4 million homes by 1980.

History of Baseball

The earliest reference to baseball in the United States is from the bylaws of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1791, which forbid the game to be played within 80 yards of the town hall (for reasons not too difficult to imagine). It was not until 1845 that the New York Knickerbockers were founded. Although the amateur club was eventually disbanded, it does bear the honor of being the first team to play baseball under modern rules. In 1870 the game began a move toward professionalism, and in 1875 the National League (the same one that exists today) was established. The American League (originally called the Eastern League) was founded in 1893 to compete against the National League, which it did aggressively.

History of Golf

Golf is a sport with a history so rich it defies summation. What most assume to be golf’s antecedent, “chole”, was first recorded in 1354. The game was actually a hockey derivative played in Flanders. Eventually, in 1421, some Scotsmen fighting with the French in Flanders were introduced to the game, and then took it home to Scotland. Over the next two centuries the game spread throughout Great Britain. There are numerous records of kings, queens, and other royalty playing the game, as well as a number of decrees that granted the commoners the right to play in specific public spaces. In fact, Mary Queen of Scotts is the first female golfer on record.

History of Football

The name “football” is associated with a number of different games, such as soccer, rugby, and American football. There is also Gaelic football, Canadian football, and Australian football. Much of the history of football in the United States has to do with the transition from a kicking game to a running game, and the slow changes and codifications of rules systems and safety guidelines. American football really received its start in the 1820s as an inter-mural sport played by prestigious New England universities. Each university tended to adopt its own rule book, and it was in the course of playing other schools that the rules for American football as we know it were first written. In the early 1900s the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was established to codify rules and reform safety protocols. In 1920, football was officially made a professional sport with the founding of the National Football League (NFL).

The history of sports is rich in depth and detail. Sports that seem recent are, in many cases, not so different from sports activity from hundreds of years ago, only with more spectacle and glamour. For more information:

Introduction to Pakistan Sports Board

Pakistan Sports Board was established under the Ministry of Education through the Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance, 1962 as a corporate body for the purposes of promoting and developing uniform standards of competition in sports in Pakistan comparable to the standards prevailing internationally, and regulating and controlling sports in Pakistan on a national basis.

Subsequently, in July, 1977 with the creation of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the administrative control of the Pakistan Sports Board was transferred to it.

The Board has a General Body, with its Headquarters at Islamabad. The General Body consists of 35 members. It lays down the policy and 12 members Executive Committee implements this policy.

Pakistan Sports Board being the supreme body of sports monitors the activities/affairs of National Sports Federations affiliated to it and ensure proper utilization of annual and special grants given by the Board. The annual grants are released to the National Federations to meet their day to day expenses whereas special grants are meant for participation and holding of international sports events. These grants are allocated/approved by the Executive Committee of Pakistan Sports Board keeping in view the popularity of games, achievements of international level and activities of the Federations. At present, 40 National Sports Federations are affiliated with the Board. Each Federation is responsible for promotion and development of its respective game/sports.