Questions tagged [history]
Questions relating to the past history of a sport, such as regarding past players, team records, older generations of equipment, etc. Questions using this tag must also be tagged with the specific sport in question.
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Why was the 1-1-8 formation popular in 19th Century football?
Today I learned that 1-1-8 is one of the oldest football formations. It was widespread in 19th century. Why this unusual formation was so popular?
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Why have "less than 250 feet" in rule 5.05(a)(5) if rule 2.01 renders its chance of occurrence to zero?
While reading Rule 5.05, I came across the following in (a)(5):
A fair ball passes over a fence or into the stands at a distance from
home base of 250 feet or more. Such hit entitles the batter ...
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Which club started the tradition of ball juggling during the presentation of newly signed player?
When clubs sign new players they usually organise a presentation for them, where players juggle the ball. I'm wondering which club/player started this tradition.
E.g, here is the video of Real Madrid'...
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Why were the Football Euro championships such small tournaments decades ago?
I have looked a bit into the past of the Football European Championships and I noticed that decades ago, they were really, really minuscule tournaments, if you take a look at the "Euro" 1972 in ...
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Why is the Croatian football team so successful despite having a population of only 4 million people?
Not only did they crush Argentina by 3-0 in this 2018 world cup, they also humiliated another traditional 'football power' England and made it to the finals despite their population being less than ...
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World cup winner as manager and captain
Didier Deschamps might achieve the feat of winning FIFA World Cup both as captain (1998) and manager (2018) for France.
I know Franz Beckenbauer had already done it before. Is there any other person ...
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When were dugout railings added in MLB?
I was watching the movie "Major League" with my wife when she asked about the absence of the dugout railings. She assumed it was for the movie.
I explained that they were added fairly recently (early ...
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Why aren't oldschool skateboard tricks seen much today with modern skateboards?
Why are skateboard tricks like those seen in this video (starting at 13:30) not seen much anymore, at least not with modern boards?
The kinds of tricks I'm referring to are handstands, hand flips ...
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Why had Jackie Robinson chosen number 42?
Any athlete, whether child, amateur, or professional, chooses a number and tends to wear it for sentimental reasons.
Does anyone know why Jackie Robinson had chosen number 42?
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In what percentage of test matches did the team lose when enforcing a follow-on?
How many times have teams lost the matches when they enforced the follow-on?
Were any of these teams from Asia?
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Is there any reason why you get 4 points for a win and 2 for a draw in AFL
Is there some way you can get 1 point or 3 points for a match?
If not, it appears to be easier to do the standard 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 for a loss. Is there some historical reason ...
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Who holds the Modern Era record for most hits in a nine inning Major League Baseball game? [closed]
Only one man in Major League Baseball history has recorded seven hits in seven at-bats during a regulation nine-inning game.
Who was this player?
For what team did he play?
Who was the losing team?...
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Maximum bowlers can be used to complete an over in test cricket
What's the maximum number of bowlers that can be used to complete a over in test cricket? I mean if one bowler's injured then use the next bowler. And in recent history what is the maximum number of ...
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Which is the most frequently played match in football European Cups?
According to this source Juventus and Real Madrid have played 19 times in the past. In quarter-finals of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League they will play two more times for a total of 21. So,
What is ...
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Has Promotion and Relegation been used in North American Major Leagues [duplicate]
There are 4 major sports leagues in North America: NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. The teams, also known as the franchises, in the league don't change. The only exceptions are when a team moves to a different ...
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What is the origin of the myth that Dutch are good speed skaters because it's a mode of transportation for them?
During the opening ceremony of the current Winter Olympics, NBC presenter Katie Couric commented the following when the delegation from the Netherlands was making their rounds through the stadium:
...
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When exactly did Dale Earnhardt crash?
I've been researching Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona in 2001.
I have yet to find any mention of the exact time when the crash happened.
Is there a credible source that lists the precise ...
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History of rule changes in tennis [closed]
What were the changes in professional tennis' rules (e.g., the doubles reforms of 2006) in the currrent century? Links to the ATP rulebooks in which those rules are stated might suffice as an ...
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Was there a professional sports competition where every entrant was a previous winner?
Has there ever been a professional sports division that was, at any time, solely comprised of former league champions?
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NFL conference top seed hosting divisional round playoff game as an underdog
The Philadelphia Eagles hosted and beat the Atalanta Falcons on NFC's Divisional playoffs round of the 2017-18 NFL season. The eagles became the first top seed team since the 70's to host a playoff ...
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Why did the hash marks in American football get moved inwards in 1935 and 1945?
According to Wikipedia, the hash marks in American football were introduced in 1932, at which time they were placed 10 yards in from the sidelines. They have since migrated inward to 15 yards in 1935 ...
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Who was the first motorsport driver to perform ‘shoey’ - drinking alcohol out of a shoe, on podium?
Drinking beer out of one's own shoe is a ritual sometimes undertaken at parties and events in Australia, where it is referred to as a "shoey".
Jack Miller celebrated his maiden MotoGP victory by ...
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What is the origin of the term 'on the hill' in pool?
In pool it is often said by the commentators that a player/team is "on the hill", or if the match goes to the last rack: a "hill-hill game".
Where were these terms first coined, and by whom?
The ...
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Longest 3rd and 4th down conversions
In week 9 of 2017 season LA Rams converted a 3rd and 33 and scored a touchdown on the same play against the New York Giants.
Inspired by this, I'm wondering what are the longest 3rd and 4th down ...
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MLB tiebreaker: 1977
What were the tie-breaker procedures back in the 1970's in case 3 American League teams were tied for their division lead at season's end?
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Cooperative sports throughout history
There exist competitive board games (e.g. Chess, Scrabble, Battleship) and cooperative board games (e.g. Pandemic, Hanabi). It appears to me as all popular sports are competitive in nature (...
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Nfl history - Pre 1950's [duplicate]
I'm an old guy. I seem to remember a day (40s or 50s) where a NFL runner was tackled and would be allowed to get up and continue to run. This was before the runner was considered down if his knee ...
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Has any team won the country's top league (division) playing from temporary stadium?
In the Premier League 2017/18, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. are using the Wembley Stadium as temporary home while their new stadium is being constructed.
So, I was wondering if they win the Premier League ...
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Football teams qualifed for World Cup with no loss
With only one more match to play, the Iranian National team has already qualified for Russia 2018 World Cup without losing a game in any rounds of the qualifiers. How many teams which played in the ...
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MLB teams shutout in series
How many times an MLB team has been shutout in every game of a minimum 3 games series, including the playoffs?
Please provide the season and the teams in play.
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Longest participation streak in European football competitions
What is the European football team that has the longest consecutive participation streak in the following UEFA club competitions:
UEFA Champions League (Previously called the European Cup)
UEFA ...
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How many times an MLB team has won a game with no hits?
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates tied 0-0 at the end of the 9th inning on August 23rd 2017. With one out and a runner on the second base, the pirates had a chance to win the game with no ...
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Longest time between ATP or WTA #1?
What is the longest time from the first to the last time that a player was ranked number 1 of the ATP/WTA rankings?
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Has there ever been a football player who held the title of "most goals in one season in history" in two different countries?
One of my favourite football players, Eran Zahavi, broke the record for most goals in one season in Israel two years ago. He's currently well on his way to break the same record in China - the most ...
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Origin of Counter-attacking style of play in football?
Counter-attacking is one of the most used playing strategies in football. After searching for history of this style of play I came across Wikipedia and Independent articles which mention the first use ...
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First match with numbers on jersey
Can any one tell me which was the first match where the first time numbers were printed on jersey, for all domestic and international including men and women. As I am so curious to know about it.
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How many times a tennis player became world number one ranking without ever winning a grand slam?
Tennis world number ones are usually grand slam champions, Roger Federer, Serina Williams, and Andy Murray are a few examples. But it's possible for a player to become the top seed collecting points ...
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How many bunt home runs has there been in the history of MLB?
I'd like to know how many times a bunt resulted in a home run. The home runs can be out of the park (highly unlikely to have happened) or inside the park home runs cause by one or more errors. In ...
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Tennis Grand Slam winner who didn't lose a set
Rafael Nadal "The King of Clay" won the 2017 French Open dominantly without dropping a set. He got a little bit of help achieving the feat as he didn't face either of the top 2 ranking players (i.e., ...
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When was eleven players per team decided upon?
A football team must consist of no more than eleven players (and a minimum of seven). When was this number chosen and is there any reason for it?
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What is the history of the term "Alley-Oop"?
I realized I've been using the term for years but never realized that taken literally, it makes no sense.
"Alley" - other than the word alley, I have no idea what this could refer to.
"oop" - most ...
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What is the real game behind the Harlem Globe Trotters?
I've heard that the long running show The Harlem Globe Trotters was based on a real basketball match, that took place in the 40ies I think...
What was that match, and what context made it become a ...
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How did football become so popular in Latin America, but not in anglophone North America? [closed]
It would be very interesting to know why football failed to achieve higher recognition despite the expanse of the British colonists in anglophone North America, being the 4-5th most popular team sport ...
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What is the most penalty kicks missed by a football team in one game?
In week 28 of 2016-17 Premier league, Bournemouth missed 2 penalty kicks against West Ham and still managed to win the game. It had been a long time since I had seen that happen - excluding penalty ...
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NFL team "getting rid" of a player
NFL teams can cut or trade players they're no longer interested in. However, if the player is under a guaranteed contract, the team may have to pay him for as many years as his contract is valid.
In ...
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Champions League biggest comebacks after 1st leg [duplicate]
Barcelona managed to beat PSG 6-1 in the second leg of 2017 round of 16 to win 6-5 on aggregate, having lost 4-0 in the first leg. Inspired by Barcelona' win, what are the biggest comebacks in ...
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Is the 1925 White Hart Lane match real?
This is the story but I couldn't find any real proof. Is this real? Or is there a way to find out?
One of the funniest matches in football:
Arsenal VS Spartak Moscow (1925)
Fog was covering the ...
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Are 2016 Patriots the only Super Bowl Champions who never led during the game?
The New England Patriots beat Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI in overtime. During regulation they never led the game. The only time they ever led was at the end of the game. Does this make the ...
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NFL players with at least 5 Super Bowl rings
The New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime of Super Bowl 51 (2017) to win the Lombardi Trophy. This makes Tom Brady (the quarterback of the New England Patriots) the first ...
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What are the biggest comebacks in NFL postseason history?
The New England Patriots overcame a 25 point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. What are the top 5 comebacks in the NFL playoffs history?
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