Every match between rivaling athletic teams is described in terms of a military conflict, but few expect much more taunts and fight songs to be used as weapons. When soccer fans gathered […]
Athletic Rivalry Taken to the Extreme
Run in God’s Name
In the movie Chariots of Fire, Rev. J.D. Liddell advised his son, Eric Liddell, future 1924 Olympic gold medalist and missionary to China, “You can praise God by peeling a spud if […]
Football: the Sport of the Brave or of the Wimps? You Decide
US President Theodore Roosevelt considered outlawing American football because it was too violent. Roman Emperor Julius Caesar banned a game similar to football because it was too gentle.
Like Those M&M’s? Get Ready To Run
If you want to burn off the calories from M&M’s, you need to run or walk the length of one football field for each M&M you eat. Are peanut M&M’s your thing? […]
Time Waits for No Man … But Don’t Underestimate Illinois Politics
Baseball is one sporting event that doesn’t use a clock to regulate the length of its games. Ironically, it was a clock that was very much at the heart of one of […]
Forget Playing with Pigskin; This Sport Really Gets Your Goat
If basketball or hockey isn’t your thing, consider taking up the sport of buzkashi. Originating with the Turks and Mongols sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries, its name means “goat dragging.” […]
The Christmas Truce of 1914
On Christmas Eve, 1914, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain points the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans […]
No Obstacle Too Great
Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) was 4.5 pounds when she was prematurely born. She was the 20th of 22 children from two marriages. At age four she came down with polio and had to […]
Serve ‘Em Up Fast
Australian tennis player Samuel Groth holds the record for the fastest serve in a game. He smacked a ball at 163 mph (263 km/hr) in an event in Busan, South Korea in […]
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble Roll in the Dough
Michael Buffer is the best-known ring announcer for boxing and professional wrestling. He has appeared in more than 20 movies and television shows, such as Rocky V, Rocky Balboa, and Phineas and […]
Any Other Problems?
“What problems do you have, apart from being blind, unemployed and a moron?” — John McEnroe to Wimbledon spectator source
Slow and Steady Completes the Race
Shizo Kanakuri, a Japanese marathoner at the 1912 Olympics in Sweden, quit the race part way through and went home without telling race officials. In 1966 he was invited to compete the […]
Adding New Meaning to “Having the Runs”
In honor of World Toilet Day (November 19, for those of you who havent yet sent out your annual World Toilet Day greeting cards), take note that the world record for running […]
Losing to Those Guys Makes Me See Red
Athletes dressed in red are more likely to win events than athletes wearing any other color.
Musical Running for Extroverts
Music can boost your running performance by up to 15%, but only if you’re a particular kind of runner. If you tend to focus inward while running, music probably won’t help you […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 