The Amazing History of Sports

Love-15-30-40-Match! Why is tennis scored this way? Who came up with this unique scoring system and when did it start? Where does the term Love come from? All this today on The Amazing History of Sports.

Why is a strikeout scored as "K"? We discuss the origins of the box scoring system in baseball, and the reason Henry Chadwick decided to use "K" for strikeout. We also discuss a pitching feat more rare than a no-hitter and hitting for a cycle.

3 outs, 4 balls, 9 innings, and 9 players all explained on this episode. Early days of baseball consisted of constant trial-&-error in order to perfect base-path lengths and pitcher's mound distance. Join Don and Tommy this week as they discuss the structure and origins of baseball.

Do you call it football or soccer? Today we discuss where the word "soccer" came from and why American's refer to the game as soccer, and not football. Don and Enrique settle the football vs soccer argument today!

Birdie, Bogey, Eagle! These are all terms that golfers regularly use today, but where did they start? We take a dive into Scottish history to determine how these terms came to be, yet most of them did not even originate in Europe. You'll be surprised at how much influence Americans have had on the game of golf.

Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson were Yankee teammates, and even roommates when they first met as Yankee pitchers. Kekich and Peterson pulled off the most bizarre trade in sports history when they completely swapped lives, wives and kids included. Join Don and Tommy today for a ride through this bizarre story, and hear where both couples are today.

American Football has had roots in The United States since the early 1800’s; however, the earliest mentions of a game most similar to American Football date back to Europe. Tommy and Don go back to the early 1800’s this week to discuss the origins of American Football. Also, more of “what grinds my gears.”

Pro football is one of the youngest sports, only a century old, yet the NFL has grown to become the largest sports league in the world. Many would be surprised to find out that professional baseball team owners were the first ones to attempt the creation of a professional football league; however, they were motivated solely by money and their attempts would ultimately fail. Listen to hear about th...

Lamar Hunt, late owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, was the founder of the AFL and was monumental in turning the NFL into the powerhouse that it is today. The NFL Conference that we know today as the AFC, was once known as the AFL, American Football League, and operated completely independently of the NFL. Not only did they operate independently, they were in direct competition with the NFL. Today w...

Yes, you read the title correctly! This episode Tommy and Don discuss the year in which the NFL gave their MVP award to a kicker. Mark Moseley is undoubtedly one of the most unexpected MVP winners in all of sports.

Played on December 31, 1967, The Ice Bowl is the coldest game ever played in NFL history. While you have certainly heard of The Ice Bowl, today we present to you some of the most unbelievable facts and events from the day of the game.

Today we look back on the history of how the National Champion has been decided in college football. We travel back to the 1800's to look at how some of the first ever seasons played out, and then we look at more modern way of choosing a college football national champion.

Don and Tommy discuss the history of The Heisman Trophy on this episode of TAHOS. Today you will learn how the trophy came to be, who is making the pose on the trophy, as well as why the trophy is named "Heisman."

All-Star Games date back to the early 1900's in American professional sports, and today we dive into the origins and history of the four major All-Star Games. You may be surprised as to what sparked the idea of the first All-Star Game.

Tensions were running high when the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians played on June 4, 1974. The Rangers and Indians has played a series a week prior, in which there was a bench clearing brawl. June 4, 1974 also just so happened to be 10 cent beer night in Cleveland! The perfect combination of a stadium full of drunk fans, along with tensions higher than ever between these two teams, would turn...

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world, but it had a difficult journey establishing itself as that top tier tournament. Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930, but we go back much further to discuss the origins of the World Cup, as well as the prior failed attempts to create a professional world-wide soccer tournament. In the spirit of the 2018 World Cup, we hop...

The 3-Point Line completely revolutionized the game of basketball. This episode dives into the history of the 3-point line in professional basketball, starting with the American Basketball League in 1961. The 3-point line may seem like a staple in the NBA, but as recently as the 1970's, it did not even exist in the NBA. Join Don and Tommy as they start with the first time the concept was tested in...

Whether it's the Triple Crown or the Perfect Game, some events in sports only happen once every few decades. Today we discuss some of the rarest events in sports with some solid facts to validate their rarity. Enjoy the show and tell us on Facebook which events you believe are the most rare in sports.

There are undoubtedly records in sports that are deemed to be unbreakable, and today we are discussing some of the records that we believe are unbreakable. Whether it’s DiMaggio’s hit streak, or Cal Ripken Jr’s playing streak, these stretches of greatness are truly noteworthy. Join Don and Tommy as they certify records in sports as unbreakable.

Today we are discussing some of the oldest superstitions in sports, such as the rally cap and hockey playoff beards. There are also some strange superstitions practiced by certain individual athletes that will have you scratching your head by the end of the episode.

Lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America. The original version, stickball, has been played by Native Americans since the 12th century and is still played today. Don and Tommy discuss the origins of stickball and how it became the sport of lacrosse that we know today.

Some team names simply do not fit based on the team's geographic location. Have you ever wondered why the Lakers are named that, or how about the Jazz? Today we identify the major sports franchises that should change their team name to better represent their city.

Teams tanking for a better draft pick is nothing new to the world of sports. There are famous examples of teams intentionally losing to score iconic players in the draft that have caused the draft system to change several times throughout the years. Most notably, the 1983-84 Houston Rockets, whose tanking initiated the first NBA draft lottery. We will cover tanking in the NBA, but also some other...

UMBC was a 20.5 point underdog against Virginia and pulled off the impossible, becoming the first 16-seed to ever defeat a 1-seed. On this episode we debate the greatest upsets off all-time and where UMBC over UVA ranks within the biggest upsets ever. Tell us on Facebook or Instagram if you agree or disagree with our top upsets list.

The NBA was only a few years old and struggling to draw fans. Today you'll learn why the shot-clock saved the NBA and how it transformed basketball into the game we love today. Without the introduction of the shot-clock, it is likely basketball would not be a popular sport in the US.