Old origins, modern entertainment
Was "America's pastime" invented in America?
Image: Paolo Aldrighetti
Sports, with their allegiances, rivalries, and championships, play a huge role in our culture, but we sometimes forget that not all sports were born in America. Where did our favorite pastimes originate? How did the rules, guidelines, and equipment evolve? Let’s explore the origins of America’s 10 most popular sports.
1
Football
Although born across the Atlantic as a mix between rugby and soccer in 19th-century England , football as we know it today was largely developed at Yale University, which formed its own football program in 1872. The line of scrimmage, the snap, and the system of downs were all American additions.
2
Baseball
Though derived from English stick-and-ball sports like cricket, baseball is called "America’s pastime" for a reason. By the mid-19th century, rudimentary versions of the game were popular across the country, but they varied greatly. The first official version of the game was created in 1845 by Alexander Cartwright for the New York Knickerbockers Club .
3
Basketball
Its inventor was Canadian, but we can claim basketball as an American sport, on account of it being developed in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1891, P.E. teacher James Naismith, hailing from Almonte, Ontario, was looking for a way to keep his students active without exposing them to the harsh December weather. Equipped with a soccer ball and two peach baskets as rudimentary hoops, he developed a basic set of rules and created one of our most competitive sports.
4
Ice hockey
Stick-and-ball games have been played for centuries, and records show they existed in ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Persia. Many of these games were brought to America by settlers, where they came across Native American versions, such as lacrosse. But who decided to play on ice? The Canadians, who had long winters and plenty of icy surfaces to spare . In time, ice hockey became much more popular in North America than its field counterpart.
5
Golf
Originating in 15th-century Scotland and initially played by using bent sticks to hit pebbles into sand dunes, this game was so popular that it was banned between 1457 and 1502 because it distracted soldiers. Golf was one of the first games brought to America by Scottish immigrants , and there are 17th-century records about broken window complaints in New York City as a result of its popularity.
6
MMA
Martial arts have been practiced for centuries, often in a mixed format. The Ancient Greeks played pankration , a mix of wrestling, boxing, and street fighting. The MMA that we know today emerged in Denver in the 1990s with the Gracie brothers , of Brazilian origin and with a background in martial arts, who created a single-elimination tournament featuring players from several martial arts and combat disciplines. Though it initially caused a strong reaction due to the violence of the sport, it became accepted as the rules were defined, and has become a global sport.
7
Soccer
Though played for centuries by many cultures, modern soccer emerged in 1863, when the first rules of the English Football Association were written, separating it from rugby by forbidding the use of the hands to handle the ball. The word ‘soccer’ itself is British as well, a result of students shortening association to assoc/asoccer and then soccer . While the name never stuck in Britain, it did in America.
8
Tennis
Did you know that original tennis used the palm of the hand instead of a racket? Invented in France around the 12th century by monks, it was called jeu de paume , or "game of the palm". The racket was invented a few centuries down the line by the British. Why is it called tennis? When serving the ball, the monks would shout tenez! (‘take it!’). Handball is still played to this day, with over 2,000 devoted courts in New York City alone.
9
Track and field
With roots going back to Ancient Greece, the first records of track and field are the 776 BC Olympic Games, which included the pentathlon, a combination of a 200-meter race, discus and javelin throws, long jump, and wrestling. In America, track and field is one of the most-played high school sports.
10
Motorsports
Motorsports is a wide category that includes several different competitions, the most popular in the U.S. being NASCAR. The first motor vehicle competitions date back to late 19th-century France, where races were a way for inventors to test and promote their new "horseless carriages." The first motor race in America was held in 1895 in Illinois, and it sparked an interest in the sport, which led to the construction of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few years later.
