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National Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the highest-level professional basketball league in North America. Today, every NBA franchise is worth at least $1B.
Basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, who hung two peach baskets at either end of a gym. By 1895, the new sport was on college campuses and became an Olympic sport in 1936. The Basketball Association of America was formed in 1946 and merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, creating today’s NBA.
In 1987, commissioner David Stern started shipping VHS tapes of games to state-run TV stations in China and opened an NBA office there by 1992. When the Olympics allowed professional basketball players to participate in the 1992 Games, Stern used the opportunity to showcase the NBA. The 1992 “Dream Team” won gold and is considered the greatest team ever assembled, helping turn the NBA into an international product.
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The story behind the greatest outburst in sports historyIt's a line that's still perplexing all these years later: "Who do you think you are? I am!" Those words were uttered by Pete Weber, an iconic bowler who was somewhere between John McEnroe and Happy Gilmore. This oral history from the Ringer provides some context for the bizarre insult and a backstory that turns what appears to be a non sequitur into a triumphant celebration. The RingerA deep dive into the man behind ballpark nachosNachos were invented in Mexico in 1943, but "ballpark nachos" (featuring liquid cheese and pickled jalapenos) were invented in 1976 for the Texas Rangers, then a relatively new franchise. This Texas Monthly piece digs into the history of Frank Libreto, who realized classic nachos could be a cost-efficient concession with just a few small tweaks. Texas MonthlyUMBC became the first 16-seed to ever beat a 1-seed, pulling off the biggest upset in March Madness historyIn 2018, UMBC defeated the overall No. 1 seed Virginia 74-54, ending a 0-135 record for 16-seeds against 1-seeds and turning what was expected to be a blowout into one of the most unlikely results in sports history. March MadnessThe gray area that makes PEDs seem like leveling up to hardcore athletesDoping in sports is broadly condemned as unsafe and unfair. Significant controversies in major sports, including baseball and cycling, have been prompted by the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs, which are described as clear-cut dangers and abuses of the rules. But to many competitors, the line between a PED and the next smart technique to adopt is unclear. This podcast episode explores that gray reality. FreakonomicsWinter Olympic sports highlight various laws and principles of physicsFigure skaters leverage the conservation of angular momentum during spins by tightening their bodies, and the skintight suits used in ski jumping help reduce drag. Centripetal force allows speedskaters to make tight turns, while friction on skis helps ski mountaineers climb slopes. No action can violate the conservation of energy. The ConversationTable tennis originated as a leisure activity for the upper classThe sport's origin story can be traced back to 19th-century England, where it was known as "whiff-whaff." Players initially used a dinner table to play. After decades of evolution, ping-pong reached its "Golden Age" of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Ridiculous HistoryIn 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to a health conditionGehrig's diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that now bears his name, forced him to retire early. Weeks later, he spoke with gratitude and stated, "For the past two weeks, you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Gehrig died at the age of 37, about two years later. The Chicago Bears are the only professional sports team to score a Billboard Hot 100 hitThe 1985 track "The Super Bowl Shuffle" was recorded for charity, but the song (with its rudimentary raps and goofy taunts) became an unexpected hit, reaching No. 41 on the Hot 100 chart. This podcast digs into the history of the song and how it became an unexpected pop culture phenomenon. Good Seats Still AvailableHear the story behind 11 iconic Super Bowl photos, told by the photographer who shot themSports Illustrated legend Walter Iooss Jr. revisits 11 unforgettable Super Bowl images—including Namath, Montana, and Taylor—explaining how light, access, and timing captured moments that defined the game’s visual history. The Players TribuneThe Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in 1927Black players were not permitted on the existing professional basketball teams, but Abe Saperstein—the team's original coach, owner, manager, and sometimes player—leaned into the team's all-Black roster, nodding to New York's historically Black neighborhood even though the team didn't play there until the late 1960s. HISTORYAthletes are captured in moments of victory and defeat in 6 powerful sports imagesSee shots like Muhammad Ali knocking out Sonny Liston in 1965, or Brandi Chastain after winning the World Cup final in 1999. the GuardianThe treadmill was invented as a machine for prison laborWilliam Cubitt invented the machine in the early 1800s, imagining prisoners, usually two at a time, would use it to grind grain or pump water. WirecutterHow pitcher Pedro Martinez helped reverse the curse of the Red SoxThe team had not won a World Series for nearly 100 years—while their rivals, the Yankees, had won 26. The Dominican pitcher joined the club in 1997 and helped lead the team to reverse the curse. Cliche MagKelvin Kiptum holds the world record for the marathonThe Kenyan finished in 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. That’s an approximate mile pace of 4:36 and the fastest official marathon time in history. NBC SportsGatorade was first designed for college football players in Florida heatTo help replenish crucial chemicals football players were losing fast to their profuse sweat in southern heat, researchers at the University of Florida developed a drink blended with salts and sugars that were easy to absorb. The drink, Gatorade, took its name from the school's mascot. HISTORYFrisbees are named after a pie companyThe toy was based on pie tins manufactured by the Frisbie Pie Company. Students used to throw the used tins around, inspiring Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni to design a plastic version. ThoughtCoThe Army–Navy rivalry has a long history of mascot heists For decades, spirited cadets and midshipmen have plotted covert missions to steal each other’s mascots—Army’s mule and Navy’s goat—turning the already fierce football rivalry into a game of elaborate pranks and counter-pranks. VICEESPN’s College GameDay show has been a Saturday staple since 1987Debuting in 1987, College GameDay has become college football’s premier pregame show—broadcasting live from campuses nationwide, featuring spirited fan signs, and setting the stage for the day’s biggest matchups. The RingerThe FCS is Division I’s second tier with its own playoff systemThe Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) features 128 Division I programs that offer fewer scholarships than the FBS. Instead of bowl games, the FCS crowns its champion through a 24-team playoff each season. Fear The FCSThe Heisman Trophy has honored college football’s top player since 1935Awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football, the Heisman Trophy has become iconic for its storied history, memorable acceptance speeches, and the success of many winners who went on to NFL stardom. HeismanTexas and Oklahoma have played annually at the State Fair of Texas since 1929Known as the Red River Showdown, the Texas–Oklahoma game is a centerpiece of the State Fair in Dallas. The neutral-site clash has produced iconic moments and often shapes Big 12 and national championship races. ESPNTeddy Roosevelt’s intervention helped save a brutal early version of footballIn 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt pressured college leaders to reform football amid public outrage over 18 player deaths. His push led to rule changes—like the forward pass—that reduced violence and ensured the sport’s survival. HISTORYBy the 1980s, fantasy football was a national activityThe Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League was a private league, but by the end of the ‘60s, a bar in Oakland opened the first public fantasy football league. Over the next few decades, the game grew more popular, as evidenced by this how-to article from a 1980 issue of “Inside Sports.” Internet ArchiveThe first fantasy football league began in Oakland, California Winkenbach organized the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League, the first fantasy football league. The game allowed team owners to draft players from both the NFL and the AFL, then separate leagues, and create an impossibly epic roster. Sports IllustratedThe inventor of fantasy football first experimented with two other sports In the mid-1950s, Wilfred “Bill” Winkenbach, a part-owner of the Oakland Raiders, concocted two fantasy sports games: one for Major League Baseball and one for the Professional Golfers’ Association. In 1962, he invented fantasy football alongside two writers from the Oakland Tribune. A 1930s card game birthed modern fantasy sports"National Pastime" used the statistics of real Major League Baseball players to determine a winner, creating the template for the modern fantasy sports model. National Baseball Hall of FameFantasy sports began in the 1860s“Sebring Parlor Base Ball,” a tabletop board game in which players flicked a coin as if they were hitters is believed to be the first game that allowed players to imagine themselves as athletes without actually taking part in physical activities. John ThornTony Hawk landed the first-ever 900 at the 1999 X GamesTony Hawk made history by landing the first 900-degree spin in competition in 1999 after 11 attempts—creating one of the most iconic moments in action sports. X GamesExtreme Games rebranded as X Games for global appeal In 1996, ESPN shortened “Extreme Games” to “X Games” to make the name easier to translate for international broadcasts and to strengthen branding as the competition expanded to global markets. X GamesESPN launched X Games in 1995 with a $10M investmentESPN invested a reported $10 million in the original 1995 “Extreme Games”—the production cost that launched action sports into mainstream culture and drew nearly 200,000 spectators to its debut in Rhode Island. TIMEBear-baiting was another form of entertainment during Shakespeare’s timeWe tend to think of Shakespeare’s audiences as prim and proper, but the Bard’s shows were just another form of amusement, viewed by commoners as entertainment not unlike the animal blood sports that were similarly popular during the time period. HISTORYJoe DiMaggio's hitting streak cost him a sponsorship deal with HeinzThe ketchup company promised the Yankees player $10,000 if he reached 57 hits to match the number on its iconic labels. When he snapped the streak, it was just one hit shy, at 56. HISTORY'Pac-Man' was the rare early video game aimed at both men and womenThe early arcade games were mainly aimed at boys and young men, with a focus on sports and violence. Toru Iwatani was interested in appealing to a wider audience and created "Pac-Man," released in Japan in 1980. Mr. Tele-TellAncient Greek gymnasium: Where philosophy met fitnessIn ancient Greece, gymnasiums were not just places of physical training, but centers of intellectual life. This article explores the ways in which exercise, philosophy, and education were deeply intertwined, reflecting a cultural belief that physical fitness was essential for mental development. World History EncyclopediaAfter Title IX, the University of Chicago advertised a women's academic-athletic scholarshipThere were athletic scholarships for women before Title IX, but the University of Chicago’s Gertrude Dudley Scholarship might’ve been the first to advertise itself as such, taking out an ad in a 1973 issue of Parade magazine. The school received over 1,000 applications. NBC SportsBefore Title IX, boys competing in high school sports far outnumbered girlsIn 1971, the year before Title IX was passed, about 294,000 girls were playing high school sports. That paled in comparison to the number of boys: 3.7M. The New York TimesA part-time teacher in Maryland kickstarted Title IXWhen applying for a fill-time position at the University of Maryland, Bernice Sandler was told she "came on too strong" for a woman, leading her to research legal protections against gender discrimination. She found a 1967 Executive Order prohibiting federally funded institutions from discrimination and used it as the basis for a class action lawsuit that would eventually lead to Title IX. PBSProfessional and amateur athletes have used the anthem as an opportunity to protestColin Kaepernick’s protests during NFL games weren’t the first instances of athletes using the pregame tradition to make a political statement. This history walks through several similar instances, highlighting several lesser-known instances. NBC NewsTennis' Grand Slam tournaments take place at some of the sport's most storied venuesThere are over 50 events on the WTA calendar, but the tour's four Grand Slam tournaments are the ones both professionals and fans look forward to every year. This Eyes on the Stands video takes you on a journey from Melbourne Park, to Roland Garros, to the All England Club, and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to learn the rich history of each venue. Eyes on the StandsAyrton Senna and Alain Prost had one of the sport's most intense rivalriesThe men were teammates at McLaren in the 1980s, but you wouldn’t know it watching them on the track. Senna dominated the sport from 1984 to 1994, but Prost, who retired in 1993, is considered the best in F1 history. Racers ReverieThe origin of the sport's name is disputedHow pickleball got its name has been a point of contention for decades. The McCallums claim the family dog, Pickles, used to snatch the balls as they played and named it for him. Joan Pritchard, though, says Pickles didn’t join the family until after the game was invented. News and SentinelA history of the Masters Champions' Dinner, an annual golf traditionThe Masters Champions' Dinner is an annual tradition celebrated the Tuesday before the tournament begins. The previous year's champion sets the menu, leading to a history of eclectic meals. This resource from Today's Golfer provides a brief history of the tradition and then details every menu since 1986. It's an interesting window into the tastes of professional athletes (Tiger Woods, apparently, loves chicken fingers!) and the less-than-healthy habits from the sport's past. Today's GolferThe history of the NIT, college basketball's other tournamentWhen people refer to March Madness, they're referring to the annual NCAA tournament, the most popular event in college basketball. Often overlooked is the National Invitational Tournament, or NIT, which is viewed as a consolation prize for teams that fail to earn bids to the NCAA. However, the NIT began as the premier tournament until it was eventually beaten out (and ultimately acquired) by its competitor. Sports IllustratedThe All-American Red Heads were the first pro women's teamFormed in 1936, the barnstorming team played more than 200 games a year around the country. Much like the Harlem Globetrotters, the Red Heads combined basketball and comedy. Sports IllustratedTitle IX provided much-needed funding for women's sportsWhen Title IX was passed in 1972, it addressed gender discrimination in education. Although its expected impact on sports was minimal, it ended up being one of the most significant laws in women's sports history. TED-EdThe history of the WNBA in 60 secondsWomen’s basketball began in 1892, less than a year after the sport’s invention, but restrictive clothing and societal norms posed early challenges. Senda Berenson modified rules to make the game more “suitable,” limiting dribbling and court movement. By 1971, women began playing with rules similar to men’s, and Title IX in 1972 provided federal funding, opening doors for future athletes. 1440Examining golf's problems with raceIn 1961, the PGA removed the "Caucasian-only" membership clause, marking the last major professional sports organization to desegregate. But unlike other sports, golf didn't see an influx of Black players following the change. This article from The Ringer's Lex Pryor examines golf's complicated history with race and gender, showing both the progress made and the challenges that remain. The RingerNFL explainedThe NFL is the premier professional American football league, founded in 1920 in Canton, Ohio. It consists of 32 teams playing an 18-week regular season from September to January, culminating in the Super Bowl championship in February. The NFL has grown into the world's most valuable sports league, generating nearly $20B in revenue in 2023, and with teams valued at $163B combined. Learn its history here. 1440The origin story of the Paralympic movement and its founder, Dr. Ludwig GuttmannDr. Ludwig Guttmann, the founder of the Paralympic movement, revolutionized the treatment of spinal injuries. His belief in the power of sports for rehabilitation led to the creation of the Paralympic Games, now celebrated every Olympic year. This in-depth article from The History Press details the life and achievements of Dr. Guttmann, and includes historical photos and videos of the veterans-turned-athletes whose lives he changed. The History PressA timeline of sports-betting scandalsThis timeline examines memorable moments from three decades of sports-betting history. It breaks down key political moments, as well as some historical moments such as when the internet pushed underground bookmaking online. There are also multiple descriptions of betting scandals from 1989 on. ESPN