60 Fun Facts About Easy Sport

How many players does each soccer team have on the field, including the goalkeeper?

The goalkeeper is the only one allowed to use hands, and only inside their own penalty area.

How often is the FIFA World Cup held?

It has run on that cycle since 1930, skipping only 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.

Which country had won the most FIFA World Cups, five, before the 2026 tournament?

Brazil won in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and is the only nation to have played in every World Cup tournament.

What is the prize awarded to the Super Bowl winner called?

It is made of sterling silver by Tiffany & Co. and shows a football in kicking position.

How many interlocking rings are on the Olympic flag?

They stand for the union of the five inhabited continents, and the flag first flew at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

What does the Olympic motto 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' mean in English?

In 2021 the IOC added a fourth word, 'Communiter', meaning 'Together'.

How long is a marathon?

The odd distance was fixed in 1921. The name comes from the legend of a Greek messenger running from the Battle of Marathon to Athens.

How high off the floor is a regulation basketball hoop?

That height has not changed since the game's inventor nailed peach baskets to a gym balcony in 1891.

Who invented basketball in 1891?

He was a Canadian-American physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, looking for an indoor winter game.

How many players from each basketball team are on the court at one time?

The five positions are point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and centre.

Which swimmer has won more Olympic medals than any other athlete, with 28?

Twenty-three of them are gold. He won eight golds at Beijing 2008 alone.

What colour jersey does the overall leader of the Tour de France wear?

The race is roughly three weeks in July and traditionally finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

Wimbledon is the only tennis major still played on which surface?

It has been held since 1877 and is famous for its strict all-white dress code for players.

What does the winner of the Masters golf tournament receive to wear?

The tradition dates from 1949. The Masters is the only golf major played at the same course every year, Augusta National in Georgia.

What is engraved on the bands of the Stanley Cup every year?

It dates from 1892 and is the oldest trophy awarded to a pro sports franchise in North America. Space runs out, so old bands are retired to the Hall of Fame.

How many innings are there in a standard professional baseball game?

High school games and Little League games are shorter, and extra innings are played if the score is tied.

How many bases must a batter touch to score a run in baseball?

Touching all four in order after a hit over the outfield fence is a home run.

Which Jamaican sprinter set the 100 m world record of 9.58 seconds in 2009?

He set the 200 m record of 19.19 the same year and was nicknamed 'Lightning Bolt'.

Which American tennis player won 23 major singles titles, the most in the Open Era?

She and her older sister Venus were coached by their parents on public courts in Compton, California.

How many holes are in a standard round of golf?

Par is the expected number of strokes for a hole, and holing your tee shot is called an ace.

In golf, what is a score of one stroke under par on a hole called?

Two under is an eagle. Holing your first shot from the tee is a hole in one, or an ace.

In cricket, how many legal balls make up an over?

Each side has eleven players, and the wicket the batter defends is three stumps topped by two bails.

In tennis, what is a score of zero called?

Points go 15, 30, 40. The odd names probably come from medieval French.

In tennis, what is the score called when both players have 40?

From deuce a player must win two points in a row to take the game.

How many players does a volleyball team have on court?

The game was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, who first called it 'mintonette' because it borrowed from badminton.

How many periods are there in a professional ice hockey game?

Each period is 20 minutes and the clock stops whenever the puck is out of play. Six skaters per side are on the ice, including the goalie.

How many points is a touchdown worth in American football?

The scoring team then tries an extra point kick or a two-point conversion. A field goal is worth three.

How many downs does an American football offense get to gain ten yards?

Each team fields eleven players. The field is 120 yards long including both end zones.

Which city was chosen to host the 2028 Summer Olympics?

It is the city's third Games after 1932 and 1984, making it the first non-European city to host three times.

What was boxer Muhammad Ali's name at birth?

He won Olympic light-heavyweight gold in Rome in 1960 and changed his name in 1964 after joining the Nation of Islam.

In which sport is Simone Biles the most decorated athlete in history?

She has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, and several skills are named after her.

Babe Ruth began his career as a pitcher for which team before being sold to New York?

He hit 714 home runs and was nicknamed 'the Bambino' and 'the Sultan of Swat'.

How many NBA championships did Michael Jordan win with the Chicago Bulls?

They came in two three-peats, 1991–93 and 1996–98. His free-throw-line dunks earned him the nickname 'Air Jordan'.

What snack is traditionally eaten by spectators at Wimbledon?

Tens of thousands of kilograms are sold every tournament, usually with a glass of Pimm's.

Which Brazilian is the only footballer to have won three World Cups?

He won in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the first of them at just 17 years old.

Which player broke baseball's colour barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947?

His number 42 was retired across every Major League team in 1997, a first for any professional athlete.

How many gold medals did Jesse Owens win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?

They came in the 100 m, 200 m, long jump and 4x100 m relay, in front of Adolf Hitler.

How many points is a try worth in rugby union?

Each side has 15 players and the ball is oval. A conversion kick after a try adds two more points.

The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May at which racetrack?

It is the first leg of the Triple Crown, lasts about two minutes, and the winner is draped in a blanket of roses.

What does the winner of the Indianapolis 500 traditionally drink in Victory Lane?

The race is 200 laps for 500 miles and is always run around Memorial Day weekend.

What is the maximum score in a game of ten-pin bowling?

It takes twelve strikes in a row, and it is called a perfect game.

Which baseball team has won the most World Series titles, with 27?

They are nicknamed the Bronx Bombers and are famous for their pinstriped uniforms.

In curling, what do players slide across the ice toward the target?

Teammates sweep the ice ahead of the stone with brooms to make it travel farther and straighter. The sport began in Scotland.

Which tennis Grand Slam tournament is played on clay?

The Australian and US Opens are both played on hard courts.

Which hockey player is nicknamed 'The Great One'?

His number 99 was retired across the whole NHL in 2000.

'The Great American Race', the Daytona 500, belongs to which motorsport series?

It is run at Daytona International Speedway in Florida and has opened the Cup Series season since 1982.

How are Super Bowls numbered?

The game is now played on the second Sunday in February, and its halftime show is one of the most-watched performances of the year.

Table tennis is also commonly known by what name?

A game is played to 11 points, and a player must win by two.

In badminton, what do players hit over the net?

A traditional one has sixteen feathers set in a cork base. Badminton is often called the fastest racket sport in the world.

Which player captained Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup?

He has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards and became the first player to win the World Cup Golden Ball twice.

How many major championships has golfer Tiger Woods won?

Only Jack Nicklaus has more, with 18. Woods won his first, the 1997 Masters, by 12 strokes at age 21.

In boxing, how high does the referee count over a fallen fighter before ruling a knockout?

Professional bouts usually run ten or twelve rounds, while beginners often fight four.

Which city hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896?

Fourteen nations and 241 athletes, all men, took part over ten days in April.

In soccer, how many goals must a player score in one game to claim a hat-trick?

Two goals in a match is called a brace, and a hat-trick scorer traditionally keeps the match ball.

What material is a standard ice hockey puck made from?

A regulation puck is black, one inch thick, three inches across and weighs about six ounces.

The Ryder Cup pits a team of golfers from the United States against a team from where?

It was first contested against Great Britain alone in 1927 and is named after businessman Samuel Ryder.

The Boston Marathon is traditionally run on which holiday?

First held in 1897, it was inspired by the marathon at the 1896 Athens Olympics.

How many seconds does an NBA team get on the shot clock to attempt a field goal?

The NBA introduced the limit in 1954; college basketball uses a 30-second clock.

Sumo wrestling is the national sport of which country?

It is the only country where sumo is practised professionally, and bouts still include rituals such as salt purification.

How long is each half of a standard adult soccer match?

The clock runs continuously even when the ball is out of play, with a 15-minute half-time break.