The world of sport has a strange link with the history of mankind. Over time, the importance of being in good physical shape to survive has been diluted to a more recreational activity.
It is a fact that this change in mentality is due to the constant social, political and economic advancement of countries and nations, which have made it possible for more and more people to be encouraged to earn a living in this way, and in part because more and more new regulations, rules and equipment that facilitated the experience of the athlete.
In today’s article we bring you some of the curiosities of sport throughout history. A tour where we honor the most outstanding milestones in soccer, golf, contact sports and the Olympics. Are you prepared?
The most practiced sport of the world
Surely at some point you will have or have been asked this question. Although soccer has a large number of fans and practitioners from all over the world, the truth is that it is not the most practiced sport in the world.
And then what is it?
According to the latest studies carried out by various sports institutions, swimming is the specialty most practiced by more than 1,500 million people, a figure that grows year after year due to its high versatility. Other sports such as basketball, rugby, golf and athletics are placed after soccer.
It is estimated that there are currently more than 1,002 million people who practice it.
A martian sport?
Is it possible to practice any sport that is not on planet earth? The truth is that yes. Golf, incredible as it may seem to you, is the first sport that has been played on the surface of the moon. This was possible thanks to the American astronaut Alan Shepard who in his 1987 manned mission, played it during his moonwalk.
And far from staying NASA astronauts…
In 2018 a new team of astronauts went viral after broadcasting some videos, some of them were seen playing tennis with rackets and special balls, similar to the classic game of pong.
This milestone was made on purpose for the 50th anniversary of the US Open tournament and as a commemoration, part of the lunar match was broadcast from Corona Park in New York.
The sport seen from antiquity
As we introduced at the beginning, the human being, like other animals, used different physical games to strengthen themselves and prepare for the adult phase, a way, so to speak, to prepare for their own survival.
Unlike other animals, however, humans had to use ingenuity, skill, and stamina.
Since classical times, some warring factions such as Sparta used different types of sports such as wrestling to learn, over time the Greeks created the olympic games to compete against other cities in the Hellenic state.
You can find more information about classic sports, in this article.
Some disciplines such as archery, javelin throwing, and the sprint were incorporated to honor the god Zeus and the best athletes from each polis. Exceptionally in the year 776 B.C. The first Olympics for women were held, which were dedicated to the goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus and patron goddess of marriage.
Later during the Middle Ages, tournaments and hunting parties were used in a similar way but they were sports reserved only for royalty and nobility. However, the practice of sport was also necessary for all those mercenaries, soldiers and knights who earned their living fighting in battles.
The longest tennis match of the world
Various sports such as tennis, cricket or golf have very long sets that force the game to be extended beyond the established time. However, there is a special case that was documented in 2010 and was chosen as the longest match in history of all time.
This match of the Wimbledon tournament pitted the American John Isner against the French Nicholas Mahut, both tennis players played a match that lasted nothing more and nothing less <b>11 hours and 6 minutes</b> with the final victory in favor of the American.
Would you be able to watch a game for more than 11 hours straight?
Paul the oracle
Do you remember the octopus Paul? This cephalopod gained fame as a sports seer for the German soccer team during the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. Before playing the games, the players and various fans visited the octopus.
The divination ritual was quite simple, it consisted of putting two closed boxes (one decorated with the German flag and the other with the opponent’s flag) with food in his fish tank. Immediately afterward, the octopus had to open one of the boxes and show a result as a prediction.
Incredibly, he hit 8 out of 10 predictions and was so famous that, after his death, the aquarium dedicated a monument of its own to him.
And up to here our article dedicated to the 5 most curious milestones in the world of sports. Which one did you like the most? Did you already know everything?
Soon, we will return with a new edition of curiosities! You will find all this and much more at Temple Bar.
