sports facts

Flag Football Facts

Flag football is not just a kids' game. Adults play it, too, in organized leagues across the United States. Flag football has several governing bodies to enforce its unique rules and sponsor annual national tournaments for a variety of teams.

Who Created the Game of Football?

Technically speaking, the game of football has no single creator, having evolved over time out of similar sports such as rugby and soccer. Numerous coaches and players have added to the modern incarnation over the years, as formal rules have been augmented by innovative strategies and tremendous play on the field.

NFL History

The league that became known as the National Football League began in 1920 as a collection of teams from the powerful Ohio League. Originally called the American Professional Football Conference and then the American Professional Football Association, the term National Football League did not come about until 1922.

Why Is a Baseball Field in the Shape of a Diamond?

The specifics of a baseball field have been hallowed by time and consecrated by tradition. The field has a unique mixture of regulation distances and individual variables that help lend the game its sense of charm.

Who Created the First Basketball?

James Naismith invented the game of basketball in December 1891, but not the basketball. That came later, but how much later is open to some question as several companies began making the leather sphere long before a man named George L.

Where Did Baseball Start?

Where the game of baseball actually started is hazy, since many cultures had some type of game played with a ball and a stick. The general belief is that baseball in the United States had its roots in an English sport called "rounders.

How Did Baseball Start?

Baseball, a sport billed as America's "national pastime," has relatively recent origins. Over the past several centuries, the game has changed from a form that was hardly recognizable to that which can be seen in nearly every town of the United States.

Why Did Baseball Start?

Like many sports, baseball has no clear-cut starting date. It evolved from a number of different games and underwent a considerable transformation before arriving at its modern form. And the reason it started? The answer is the same as any other game: people enjoyed playing it.

Who Was the First Team to Play Baseball?

Because baseball evolved out of a number of different pastimes and its history remained amorphous before the middle of the 19th century, it is uncertain who the first team to play baseball was. Certain baseball teams played a key role in the development of the sport, however.

Where Did Hockey Originate?

The game of hockey is fast paced and sometimes rough. The current rules and regulations governing professional and amateur hockey leagues prevent players from the excessive sports violence once associated with the game.

Super Bowl History Facts

The Super Bowl has come a long way from its infancy in the late 1960s. From its humble beginnings as a simple championship game between teams from rival professional football leagues, the Super Bowl has grown to become one of the most popular entertainment events each year.

When Was the First Game of Football Played?

Football evolved slowly out of other sports like rugby and soccer. Rules were codified and revised for decades--marked most notably by Yale's Walter Camp, who introduced most of the pertinent rules in the late 1800s--making it difficult to determine when exactly the first game of modern football was played.

When Did Football Start in America?

Like many other sports, American football evolved from earlier activities. It has no specific "start" date because other games bearing a close resemblance to it were played and refined for many years before it.

NBA Basketball Teams

The National Basketball Association consists of 30 teams that are aligned in six divisions of five clubs each that comprise two conferences: the Eastern and Western Conferences. NBA teams play an 82-game regular season schedule followed by a playoff format involving the eight teams with the best record in each conference, culminating with the championship finals in June.

How Are Baseball Bats Made?

Baseball bats begin as a piece of wood called a split, a piece of wood that is no more than 42 inches long weighing about 3 pounds. Bats can be made from oak, ash, and maple wood. A mill worker then shaves the rough edges off a split with an automatic lathe.

Facts About Wooden Baseball Bats

Nothing says summer like the "thwack!" of a solid wooden baseball bat making contact with the ball. While youths tend to use aluminum models, major leaguers are required to use wooden bats. Today, all wooden baseball bats have many of the same characteristics, but that wasn't always the case.

How to Determine Baseball Post-Season Play

Major League Baseball has gone from pitting the pennant winners in the American League and National League against each other in the World Series to a much more complex playoff format. Now that each league has been divided into three divisions, determining post-season play is more difficult.