Ask Away Sunday: Week 28

1. What are five interesting facts about your three favorite sports?
Basketball
James Naismith is the man credited with inventing basketball in 1891

Peach baskets were used as the first “hoops” and the first backboards were made of wire 

Basketball became an official Olympic event in Berlin, Germany in 1936 

Until 1937, the referee tossed a jump ball after each basket 

On March 2, 1962, center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one game against New York

Football
The American game of football was invented after British rugby players introduced their sport to the Americans. This introduction occurred in 1868, when British soldiers living in Montreal showed players at an American University how to play rugby and the rules involved with that sport. It would be over thirty years later that the American version of rugby, football, became a fully developed sport. However, there are people that became involved in the evolution of the sport, and important dates that are interesting to learn about concerning football.

There is some argument over the exact date when pro football began. The first college game took place between Rutgers and Princeton in November of 1869. Years later, in November of 1892, the Allegheny Athletic Association football team beat the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In this later game, at least one of the players was paid for their performance, making it the first "professional" game.

The fields on which football is played have the nickname of “gridirons”. In 1906, there were attempts to make the game safer by changing the layout of the field. Lines were drawn on the field both vertically and horizontally so that the referee could keep an eye on the distance being covered when passes were made. These lines resembled a checkerboard pattern or gridirons, which led to the nickname. Eventually the lines were removed in 1910, yet the nickname proved to be so popular that even today, some people still call them gridirons.

Artificial turf (known as AstroTurf) was first used in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in 1965. By the 1970s, the use of artificial turf was widespread in football, baseball and soccer venues

One of America’s president was almost responsible for the demise of football. Theodore Roosevelt thought the sport was too violent, and after stories of severe injuries that players had incurred, Roosevelt threatened that he would ban the sport altogether. After much debate, Roosevelt decided that he would not fight against the sport if a set of safety regulations were enacted to help prevent players from being injured. Roosevelt’s requirement and other improvements led to the eventual establishment of American football that is played today.

Hockey

The modern game of hockey was invented in the mid-1850s by British soldiers based in Canada. 

The NHL was formed in 1917.

The original Stanley Cup was only seven inches high.

A goalie's chest protector is made of Kevlar, the same material used in bulletproof vest for police.

The puck is five ounces of solid vulcanized rubber, three inches in diameter and one inch thick. The puck is frozen before games to make it bounce resistant.