Humble Origins of Sports Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baseball

In the early 1800s "Town Ball" was played on the commons of many American towns and villages. The first National Association of Baseball was formed in 1871 and eventually the sport grew enormous popularity in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

Answer: Hockey

Hockey comes in two basic forms, field hockey and ice hockey. Ice hockey developed in European countries when canals, rivers, and lakes were frozen over during long winters. The first formalized rules for ice hockey originated at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Field hockey and ice hockey are both Olympic sports.

Answer: Australian Rules Football

Marn Grook is an ancient game played by the aboriginal people of Australia. The influence of Gaelic football on "footy" is so marked that there is a recurring tournament between Australia and Ireland using a hybrid form of the rules of both.

Answer: American Football

Walter Camp was a Yale coach and sports writer who would become known as the "Father of American Football". This sport clearly evolved from rugby and one of the biggest differences, the forward pass, was legalized in 1906 to improved the safety of the game.

Answer: Hurling

Hurling derives its name from the hurley, which is the wooden stick used to hurl the sliotar (ball) either over or under the opponent's cross bar. This is a uniquely Irish sport which has a counterpart game for women called Camogie.

Answer: Football (soccer)

A precursor to football (soccer) was played in Japan as early as 1004 B.C.E, and from there spread through Asia to Europe. Despite Edward II's opposition to the game, it was first codified in England at Eton in 1815 and is now the most watched sport in the world.

Answer: Volleyball

Volleyball was created 9 February 1895 by William Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts, who wanted a game for older YMCA members that was less rough than basketball. Volleyball eventually spread to the rest of the world and though it was a demonstration sport at the 1924 Paris Olympic games, it did not become a full Olympic sport until 1964.

Answer: Badminton

Also called "Poona" in India and popular among the British soldiers there, this very fast racquet sport was formerly created and named in 1837, at the Duke of Beaufort's estate of Badminton in Gloucestershire.

Answer: Table tennis

Table tennis was a popular after-dinner game in Victorian England and was meant to resemble tennis. As the pastime became more popular, the equipment developed into more standard and efficient implements. By 1901, organized tournaments of table tennis appeared and it became an Olympic sport in 1988.

Answer: Cricket

Cricket shares its somewhat obscure origins with Rounders, but both seem to be rooted to this same Saxon game. The milking stool was used as a wicket. The first reference to cricket was in a 1597 land dispute in England.