But what about lesser-known facts of the more popular, widely covered sports? No matter how avid a fan you consider yourself, here are some facts you probably didn't know about the sports you watch every day.
1. NFL refs also receive Super Bowl Rings.
They're not as large or impressive as the rings received by the players, but all referees who officiate the Super Bowl get a serious piece of bling to commemorate the day.
Jerry Markbreit shows his referee Super Bowl ring.
Or at least they once did. When he first devised the sport in 1895, William G. Morgan tried to use a basketball, but found it too heavy for what he had in mind. So instead he played with the basketball's inflatable rubber inside (similar to a bike wheel's inner tube), until a custom ball was created just for the sport by A.G. Spalding.
3. The Pittsburgh Pirates' almost built a New Stadium in the Middle of a River.
Okay, more like over a river. In a construction proposal by the NADCO Engineering Co. back in the '50s, the Pirates' new stadium would have sat directly over the Monongahela River. If built, the 70,000 seating capacity structure would have also contained 600 hotel rooms, 4,500 parking stalls and 100 air conditioned bowling lanes.
4. Until 1936, the jump ball in basketball took place at center court after every single made basket.
And you thought baseball games dragged on. Basketball could have just been like this, over and over and over...
5. An incomplete forward pass in football used to earn teams a 15-yard penalty.
Not only that, but if the pass was incomplete and never touched, the defense then took possession of the ball. This was all early in the 20th century before professional football existed and college football was the bee's knees. Though many established coaches at the time regarded the forward pass as a rather wussy way to play, the lower levels of contact seen during passing plays may have saved lives. In 1905, there were 18 football fatalities between high school and college leagues.
6. The word "Soccer" is an 1800s slang term.
"Soccer" comes from the abbreviation for "association," or "assoc," as in Football Association. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it began as "socca," then morphed into "socker," and finally into "soccer."
7. Every ball used in Major League Baseball is dirty.
In order to take the slick factory sheen off and allow pitchers to get a better grip, Major League Baseball wipes down each baseball with mud from an undisclosed location on the Delaware River. And it's been done this way for close to 75 years now.
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