100+ Facts about Sports & Random Fun Facts about all kinds of Sports

• The Thrill of Risk-Taking: the danger in extreme sports releases adrenaline, giving the athlete a 'high' so to speak, it also brings some social status.
• Accomplishment and Respect: trying to complete an event brings feelings of competition and completing it earns respect as many live off the excitement of watching others perform things that they couldn't possibly see themselves doing.

Sports is a big deal across the world, with die-hard fans who are extremely emotional towards their home teams. It is hard to pinpoint the motivations of a sports fan, and why a win or a loss of a team matters so much.

Sportswriters have to be careful to navigate the complex emotional landscape, writing about sports in a way politics is written about: Avoiding verbal minefields.

Sports psychologists have a list of why people love sports:

• Sports carry self-esteem benefits.
• Commercial reasons (money bets etc.).
• Peer pressure of being part of their group.
• Sports are exciting.
• Sports is an aesthetically pleasing activity.
• A venue for emotional expression.
• Sports is an escape from real-world problems.
• Sports provide a sense of connectedness and belonging.

• Talent-Luck Theory: Sports appeals to a lot of people due to its ability to balance skill with randomness.
• Mirror Neurons: Many fans are able to feel what the player is feeling, and experience the excitement first-hand in his mind, with no barrier between the self and the outside world.

Sports fans are like us only, having a common set of values, beliefs, and life experiences. 

Sports is like a thrilling emotional roller coaster ride for them, a movie to which they have surrendered themselves.

To Non-sports fans, caring about sports seems pointless.

• To them, there's a bunch of strangers getting paid to play games against each other.
• There are no real-world consequences. Some teams lose almost every season, and when they eventually win after hours and hours of dedication, there is no major change in the spectators' life.
• For a while, the spectators will stand on the street and yell things. They will buy a t-shirt and spend a few days reading articles about the great victory; then they get back with their regular life.

Sports fans are sports fans because it’s entertaining.

• The high drama. Because so many people are involved, it creates drama, which makes it a big hit.
• It’s fun to watch greatness. People have a fascination with greatness. Sport is a place to watch the top .001% against each other while you who rank much lower can sit on a couch and judge them.
• It taps into our creepy side. Part of people wants to sit in the ancient Roman Coliseum and watch people fight to the end, destroying their dreams in front of 20,000,00 people.
• It’s aesthetically pleasing. This is a huge appeal of many of the Olympic sports.

• On a micro level, sports connects family and friends. Sports are a talking point that can add a level of closeness to friends or family that would otherwise not be there.
• On a macro level, it gives the greater community another thing to bond over. Sports create an "us versus them" feeling, which allows people to be part of the collective "us."
• Sports can give two people that find each other awkward, something to talk about.

• The sports world is fascinated with the drama of famous athletes away from the sports field.
• Sports provide an escape from life when you're sick of your own issues.
• Sport allows spectators to capture a little sliver of feeling the glory.

A thirteen-nation tournament took place in July 1930, in a series of 18 matches to form the first-ever International Football World Cup. This happened in Uruguay, and the home team were also crowned the first World Cup Champions.

This was at a time when an economic depression took place in Europe, causing hesitation among many part-time or amateur players to travel to play the Cup.

A country in South America, Uruguay, host and winners of the first world cup were a great economy before the 1930s depression era. They had won the Paris Olympics 1924 and also the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928.

Superstition is also prevalent within sport. It has been shown to reduce tension and provide a sense of control over unpredictable factors.

Personalized actions and behaviors include wearing lucky clothes, kit, and charms.

• According to the Meriam Webster dictionary, scratch meant to compete without a head start or some other advantage given to less skilled athletes in order to level the playing field.
• In the 18th century, sports like running and cricket used "scratch" to the line that has been literally scratched from the ground.
• While in the 20th century, golf and bowling still stick to the dictionary definition of the word.

Around 3.5 billion people watch the Tour each year during the weeks of coverage.

The winner of the final individual general classification (GC) receives 500,000 Euros. Winners usually share their prize money with their teammates. In addition, there are prices for the second GC and third GC. There is also prize money for stage winners, winners of the points classification and mountains classification, intermediate sprints, and certain climbs.

• The Championships is one of the oldest sporting events in the world, it was first held in 1877.
• The first match was played on the ground situated near Worple Road.
• The tournament was played at the All England Law Tennis and Croquet Club.
• The first tournament had only one event which was the gentlemen's singles. From 1877 to 1922, Wimbledon title defenders only had to participate in the finals.
• There are 6,000 staff members that make the Championships run smoothly.
• An approximate of 61,700 pounds of strawberries and more than 10,000 liters of fresh cream are consumed during the tournament.

The youngest female player ever to win Wimbledon was Charlotte Dod, aged 15. She won the singles crown for a total of five times 1887-88 and 1891 and 93.

While for the youngest boy to win Wimbledon, it took about a century for it to happen. In 1985, Becker, aged 17, was the first German and the first unseeded player to win.

• The shortest person to play Wimbledon was Cynthia Gem Hoahing at 4'9". She beat Gussy Moran who was a whopping 6 foot.
• The dress code calls for players to wear predominantly white and women are not allowed to wear tops that show too much cleaveg on court.
• Maria Sharapova is the record holder for the court's loudest grunts at 101.2 decibels.
• The ladies' singles and men's doubles events were added 1884, while the ladies' doubles and mixed doubles were added in 1913.

• The longest match in competitive tennis history lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes over a span of three days. This match was between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, but Isner triumphed the set, 70-68.
• The Isner-Mahut match required 183 games, including 138 in the final set. There is a plaque that commemorates this event.
• The Duke of York also played as a competitor in men's doubles in 1926 with Sir Louis Greg but they were beaten by Arthur Gore and Herbert Barrett.
• On most mornings of the tournament, they release 2 hawks, Rufus and Pollux, to scare off pigeons.

In the 8th century B.C., the first Olympic Games took place in Olympia, Greece. They were held every four years for 12 centuries and lasted five or six months. The athletes competed naked.

But in the 4th century A.D, Emperor Theodosius I banned all pagan festivals, and the Olympics came to an end.

• The first modern Olympics were held in 1896 in Greece. The official languages of the games are English and French, complemented by the host country's official language.
• In 1900, women were allowed to compete in the Olympics. The 2012 London Games were the first Olympics in which all participating countries sent female athletes.
• From 1924 - 1992, the Winter and Summer Olympics took place in the same year. Now they alternate every two years.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the co-founder of the modern Olympic Games, designed the Olympic symbol. The five rings represent the five inhabited continents of the world.

The six colours - blue, yellow, black, green, red, and white background - were chosen because each country's national flag contains at least one of them.

The Olympic torch is lit in the way of the ancient ceremony and the temple of Hera, Greece. Actresses wear costumes of Greek priestesses and use a parabolic mirror and sun rays to light the torch. Then the torch is usually carried by runners to the host city.

The relay torch and the Olympic flame are supposed to burn during the entire event.

Johnny Weissmuller, an athlete and actor who played Tarzan in 12 movies, won five gold medals in swimming in the 1920s.

From 1912 - 1948, painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and musicians also participated in the Olympics in their respective fields.

1. Athletes were often naked in the Olympics held in Ancient Greece, as a tribute to the Gods.
2. Winners often bite their medal during the awards ceremony, as a nod to early merchants who used to bite the gold to check its authenticity. The ones with lead used to leave teeth marks.
3. Olympic Gold medals are actually just gold plated silver, and the last pure gold medals were awarded in 1904.

• Olympics were initially held in Olympia every four years from 776 BCE till 392 AD. 
• The games were then abolished by Roman Emperor Theodosius.
• The Olympic games returned after 1500 years in Athens with the formation of the International Olympic Committee in 1896.

1. The Olympic Rings stand for the five continents, with colours that are found in all competing nations' flags.
2. The names of the winners are engraved on the stadium walls.
3. The ancient Olympic games only had Gold medals.
4. The Olympic Flame is always lit and can withstand almost any calamity or weather condition.
5. The Olympics was open for kids until 1997, and since then has an age barrier of 16 years.

• Olympics for the disabled and differently-abled started in Rome in 1960, and since then has seen many athletes with no hands and no legs win medals.
• The same year Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon(26 miles) barefoot.
• True equality was showcased in the 2012 London Olympics when every sport had female competitors.

There’s always something magical about the Olympics!

Athletes train for years to give their all and deliver the performance of a lifetime – often within a few seconds. We cry happy tears for the winners, sympathize with the losers, yell at the TV, and high-five strangers. Every two years, we adjust to a different time zone, feel a little bit more patriotic, and get really good at recognizing flags and national anthems from around the world.

In order to get into the Olympic spirit and the emotions that come with it, here are some onteresting facts about the Olympics-

The first Olympic Games took place in the 8th century B.C. in Olympia, Greece. They were held every four years for 12 centuries. Then, in the 4th century A.D., all pagan festivals were banned by Emperor Theodosius I and the Olympics were no more.

However, the athletic tradition was resurrected about 1500 years later.

The first modern Olympics were held in 1896 in Greece.

In ancient Greece, athletes didn’t worry about sponsorship, protection, or fashion – they competed naked.

Back then, the games lasted five or six months.

Women have been allowed to compete in the Olympics since 1900.

From 1924-1992, the Winter and the Summer Olympics took place in the same year. Now, they’re on separate cycles and alternate every two years.

Only four athletes have won medals in both the Winter and the Summer Olympics. Only one of them, Christa Ludinger-Rothenburger, won medals in the same year.

During the 2012 London Games, the Olympic Village required 165,000 towels for a bit more than two weeks of activity.

The official languages of the games are English and French, complemented by the official language of the host country.

The famous Tarzan actor competed in the Olympics: Johnny Weissmuller, an athlete-turned-actor who played Tarzan in 12 movies, won five gold medals in swimming in the 1920s.

From 1912-1948, artists participated in the Olympics: Painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and musicians competed for medals in their respective fields.

During the 1936 Berlin Games, two Japanese pole-vaulters tied for second place. Instead of competing again, they cut the silver and bronze medals in half and fused the two different halves together so that each of them had a half-silver and half-bronze medal.

The Olympic torch is lit the old-fashioned way in an ancient ceremony at the temple of Hera, in Greece: Actresses, wearing costumes of Greek priestesses, use a parabolic mirror and sun rays to kindle the torch.

From there, the torch starts its relay to the host city: It is usually carried by runners, but it has traveled on a boat, on an airplane (and the Concorde), on horseback, on the back of a camel, via radio signal, underwater, and in a canoe.

The unlit Olympic torch has also been taken to space several times.

The 2012 London Games were the first Olympics in which all participating countries sent female athletes.

The following sports are (sadly) not part of the Olympics anymore: solo synchronized swimming, tug of war, rope climbing, hot air ballooning, dueling pistol, tandem bicycle, swimming obstacle race, and plunge for distance. Luckily, live pigeon shooting was a one-shot and only part of the 1900 Olympics in Paris.

The five rings of the Olympic symbol – designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, co-founder of the modern Olympic Games – represent the five inhabited continents of the world.

The six colors – blue, yellow, black, green, red, and the white background – were chosen because every nation’s flag contains at least one of them.

The Olympic Games have been hosted by 23 different countries.

The first official Olympic mascot was Waldi, the dachshund, at the 1972 Games in Munich.

The 2016 Games in Rio will mark the first time the Olympics are held in South America.

During the 17 days of the 2016 Summer Olympics, 10,500 athletes from 205 countries will represent 42 different sports and participate in 306 competitions in Rio.