Chapter 1
Outrageous origins of modern games
Chapter 2
Animals who stole the sporting spotlight
Chapter 3
Weird and forgotten Olympic disciplines
Chapter 4
Sports played in the wrong places
YOUR GOAL
Master of Sports trivia for non-fans
Ch 1 · Outrageous origins of modern games
schopenhauer Table Tennis Origins
A stack of books, / cigar box lids, / champagne cork bounce!
schopenhauer FIFA officially recognizes Cuju, an ancient Chinese military exercise, as the earliest soccer form.
schopenhauer Table tennis evolved from Victorian parlor games to a major tool of international diplomacy.
BETA
schopenhauer Match bizarre historical events to modern sports to discover their quirky origins.
Fun Fact
Early basketball hoops: They were actual peach baskets, requiring a janitor to climb a ladder to retrieve the ball after every single score.
Glossary
basketball (noun)
A game played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players who score by tossing a ball through an elevated hoop. In 1891, James Naismith invented the game in Massachusetts using peach baskets as the original hoops.
A game played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players who score by tossing a ball through an elevated hoop. In 1891, James Naismith invented the game in Massachusetts using peach baskets as the original hoops.
Quiz
What was the original name of the diplomatic breakthrough between the US and China in 1971?
Quiz
What did early table tennis players use as balls before celluloid ones were introduced?
Quiz
In 1789, French revolutionaries gathered on a royal court for which sport to sign a historic oath?
Quiz
What everyday household items did Victorian English players originally use as nets in early table tennis?
Quiz
Which ancient Chinese military training game is recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of soccer?
Quiz
What material was used to stuff the leather balls in the ancient Chinese game of Cuju?