100 Random Fun Facts about Sports

We’ve created this list of 100 random fun facts about sports for your enjoyment and for you to share with friends!

Random Fun Facts 1-25
Random Fun Facts 25-50
Random Run Facts 51-75
Random Run Facts 76-100

Random Fun Facts 1-25

Here are 25 random fun facts about sports:

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.
The fastest mile ever run was by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 3:43.13 in 1999.
Basketball was invented by Canadian James Naismith in 1891.
The longest tennis match in history lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and was played between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.
The oldest golf course in the world is the Old Links at Musselburgh in Scotland, which has been played on since the 1500s.
Baseball was first played in the United States in the mid-1800s.
The first World Cup of soccer was held in Uruguay in 1930.
The highest scoring game in NBA history was the Detroit Pistons beating the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime in 1983.
The first marathon race was held at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
The world’s first recorded ski race was held in Norway in 1842.
The first Super Bowl was played in 1967, with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Kansas City Chiefs.
The largest stadium in the world by capacity is the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea, which can hold up to 150,000 spectators.
The first recorded game of soccer was played in Scotland in 1872.
The fastest ever recorded serve in tennis was hit by Sam Groth of Australia at 163.4 miles per hour (263 km/h) in 2012.
The first women’s college basketball game was played between Stanford and Cal in 1896.
The first hockey pucks were made out of frozen cow dung.
The first recorded game of cricket was played in the 16th century in England.
The first known game of baseball was played in 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey.
The first known game of basketball was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets in 1891.
The fastest ever recorded pitch in baseball was thrown by Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds at 105 miles per hour (169 km/h) in 2010.
The first Wimbledon tennis tournament was held in 1877.
The first World Series of baseball was played in 1903 between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The first Olympic Games held in Asia were held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964.
The first World Cup of women’s soccer was held in China in 1991.
The first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.

Random Fun Facts 26-50

Here are another 25 random fun facts about sports:

The first televised sporting event was a college baseball game between Columbia and Princeton in 1939.
The first golf course in the United States was built in Charleston, South Carolina in 1786.
The first known game of American football was played in 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton.
The first official rules of basketball were written by James Naismith in 1891.
The first Olympic Games held in South America were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016.
The highest score ever recorded in a college football game was 222-0 in favor of Georgia Tech over Cumberland in 1916.
The first Winter Olympics held in North America were held in Lake Placid, New York in 1932.
The first recorded game of volleyball was played in Massachusetts in 1895.
The longest game of tennis lasted for 11 days.
A regulation golf ball has 336 dimples on its surface.
The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece in 776 BC and only had one event – a running race.
The record for the longest ice hockey game ever played is 176 hours and 30 minutes.
Baseball is the only major sport in which the defense has control of the ball.
The highest score ever recorded in a single game of basketball is 272 points.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
The world’s oldest soccer club, Sheffield FC, was founded in England in 1857.
The only sport to be played on the moon so far is golf. On February 6, 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard hit two golf balls on the lunar surface during the Apollo 14 mission.
The longest ever NFL game was played in 1971 between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs. The game lasted 82 minutes and 40 seconds.
The highest score ever recorded in a single game of American football was 222-0, with the victors, Georgia Tech, not even bothering to kick the extra point after scoring their final touchdown.
The world’s first recorded soccer game took place in Scotland in 1872 between Scotland and England.
The first basketball game was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets.
The record for the fastest serve in tennis was set by Samuel Groth of Australia in 2012, who hit a serve at 163.4 miles per hour.
The first game of rugby was played in England in 1823, when a student named William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a soccer match and ran with it.
The first recorded game of baseball was played in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1846.
The highest number of goals scored in a single football (soccer) match was 149-0.

Random Fun Facts 51-75

Here are another 25 random fun facts about sports:

In 1904, the Olympic marathon was held in St. Louis, Missouri. The winner, Thomas Hicks, was given a mixture of strychnine and brandy to help him finish the race.
Baseball was originally played with no gloves. Gloves were eventually introduced in the 1870s.
The fastest ever recorded tennis serve was hit by Australian Sam Groth in 2012. It reached a speed of 163.7 miles per hour.
The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece in 776 BC.
The first game of basketball was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets.
The fastest recorded pitch in baseball history was thrown by Aroldis Chapman, and reached a speed of 105 miles per hour.
Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, had a boxing record of 56 wins, 5 losses, and 37 knockouts.
The world’s first recorded game of golf was played in Scotland in 1457.
The oldest sport still played today is probably wrestling, which can be traced back to ancient Greece.
The highest score ever recorded in a single game of basketball was 186-184, in a game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets in 1983.
The first ever Olympic medal was won by an American, James Connolly, in the triple jump at the 1896 Athens Olympics.
The longest tennis match in history lasted over 11 hours, and was played between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.
The first ever Olympic Games held outside of Europe were the 1904 St. Louis Olympics.
The first woman to run the Boston Marathon was Kathrine Switzer, who ran under the name K.V. Switzer in 1967. Women were not officially allowed to run the Boston Marathon until 1972.
The first ever recorded game of baseball was played in 1846, between the New York Knickerbockers and the New York Nine.
The fastest ever recorded sprint speed by a human was achieved by Usain Bolt, who reached a top speed of 27.8 miles per hour.
The heaviest sumo wrestler of all time was Yutaka Sudo, who weighed in at 600 pounds.
The highest score ever recorded in a single game of rugby was 145-17, in a game between Australia and Namibia in 2003.
The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece in 776 BC and consisted of just one event: a foot race.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896.
The Olympic torch is lit in Olympia, Greece, and is then carried to the host city of the Games.
The highest recorded vertical jump by a human is 63.5 inches, achieved by American basketball player Kadour Ziani.
The longest recorded golf drive is 515 yards, achieved by American golfer Mike Austin.
The longest tennis match in history lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and was played at Wimbledon in 2010.
The fastest recorded serve in tennis was 163.7 miles per hour, achieved by Australian player Samuel Groth.

Random Fun Facts 76-100

Here are another 25 random fun facts about sports:

The first Super Bowl was played in 1967 and was won by the Green Bay Packers.
The most expensive sports stadium ever built is the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which cost $1.6 billion to construct.
The oldest football (soccer) club in the world is Sheffield FC, which was founded in 1857.
The first baseball game ever played was in 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey.
The highest-scoring NBA game in history was between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets in 1983, with a final score of 186-184.
The first Wimbledon tennis tournament was held in 1877.
The Tour de France is the world’s most famous bicycle race, and was first held in 1903.
The longest recorded field goal in NFL history was 64 yards, achieved by Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos in 2013.
The first ever World Cup of soccer was held in Uruguay in 1930.
The most successful Olympic athlete of all time is Michael Phelps, who has won 28 medals, including 23 golds.
The most successful Paralympic athlete of all time is swimmer Trischa Zorn of the United States, who has won 55 medals, including 41 golds.
The fastest recorded mile ever run is 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds, achieved by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999.
The oldest person to climb Mount Everest was Japanese mountaineer Yuichiro Miura, who was 80 years old when he reached the summit in 2013.
The longest tennis match in history lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes.
Baseballs are rubbed with mud before games to remove the gloss and make them easier to grip.
Olympic gold medals are actually mostly made of silver.
The game of basketball was invented by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith in 1891.
Golf balls were originally made of feathers stuffed into leather pouches.
The fastest serve in the history of tennis was recorded at 163.7 miles per hour (263.4 km/h).
The first ever recorded marathon race was held at the 1896 Olympics and was won by Greek runner Spyridon Louis.
The first Super Bowl was held on January 15, 1967.
The fastest ever recorded pitch in baseball was thrown by Aroldis Chapman at 105.1 miles per hour (169.1 km/h).
The highest score ever recorded in a single game of basketball was 186 points by the Detroit Pistons in a game against the Denver Nuggets in 1983.
The oldest recorded game of soccer was played between Scotland and England in 1872.
The first official game of rugby football was played in 1871 between England and Scotland.