Thirteen articles on American sport: baseball from Babe Ruth to the World Series, NFL quarterbacks Joe Montana, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the Masters, Tiger Woods and Tony Hawk.
The United States has built a sporting culture all its own, with traditions that fill stadiums and stop the country for a day. This collection explores it through baseball, from Babe Ruth and the game's strange superstitions to MLB Opening Day and the World Series; through American football and its great quarterbacks Joe Montana, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl and the Dallas Cowboys' giant AT&T Stadium; and through three more icons: the Kentucky Derby, golf's Masters and Tiger Woods, and skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.
The records are remarkable. Brady was picked 199th in the draft yet won seven Super Bowls, more than any NFL franchise, Montana threw zero interceptions in four Super Bowls, and Secretariat's 1973 Kentucky Derby record has never been broken. Tiger Woods won the 2008 US Open on a broken leg and became sport's first verified billionaire, and Tony Hawk landed the first 900 on his tenth attempt.
The traditions are often wonderfully odd. Every Major League ball is rubbed with mud from a secret spot in New Jersey, Babe Ruth kept cold cabbage under his cap, the Masters champion must return the green jacket after a year, and President Taft started the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Even the Super Bowl's name came from a bouncy toy.
From the Kentucky Derby's 400 roses to the Masters' crushed-quartz bunkers, these articles reveal the stories behind America's biggest sporting moments. Pick one below to read fifteen facts.
Every item on this page, with the one fact most people get wrong about it.
| Name | Where you'll meet it | The fact worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Babe Ruth | Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees | He kept a cold, wet cabbage leaf under his cap to stay cool. |
| Baseball | America's pastime | Every MLB ball is rubbed with mud from a secret spot in New Jersey. |
| MLB Opening Day | Start of the baseball season | President Taft launched the ceremonial first pitch tradition. |
| World Series | MLB championship since 1903 | An earthquake interrupted the 1989 World Series. |
| Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | He threw zero interceptions across four Super Bowls. |
| Tom Brady | New England Patriots, Tampa Bay | He was picked 199th in the draft and won seven Super Bowls. |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | He became the youngest quarterback to win both NFL MVP and a Super Bowl. |
| Super Bowl | NFL championship game | Its name was inspired by a bouncy toy. |
| AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas | Its giant videoboard weighs 600 tons and has been hit by punts. |
| Kentucky Derby | Louisville, since 1875 | Its first winner was ridden by a Black jockey. |
| The Masters | Augusta, Georgia | The champion must return the green jacket to the club after a year. |
| Tiger Woods | Golf | He won the 2008 US Open on a broken leg. |
| Tony Hawk | Skateboarding | He landed the first 900 on his tenth attempt. |
Most Super Bowl Rings
7
Tom Brady won seven Super Bowls, more than any single NFL franchise. Tom Brady
Biggest TV Deal
$375 million
Brady signed a record-breaking $375 million broadcasting contract after retiring. Tom Brady
Biggest Crowd
108,000+
An NBA All-Star Game at AT&T Stadium drew more than 108,000 spectators. AT&T Stadium
Most Opening Day Shutouts
9
Walter Johnson pitched nine Opening Day shutouts for Washington. MLB Opening Day
Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees
Babe Ruth began as a dominant left-handed pitcher before becoming baseball's first superstar slugger. His sale to the Yankees started the "Curse of the Bambino", and his "called shot" in the 1932 World Series became legend. He even ended up in a trademark battle over the Baby Ruth candy bar.
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America's pastime
A Major League ball lasts only a few pitches, one player was traded for himself, and Randy Johnson once hit a bird with a pitch. The modern high-five was born in baseball. The New York Mets still pay Bobby Bonilla every year under a deferred deal.
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Start of the baseball season
Bob Feller threw the only Opening Day no-hitter, and Walter Johnson pitched nine Opening Day shutouts. Franklin D. Roosevelt once smashed a press camera with a wild throw, and Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's home run record on Opening Day. Fans have petitioned to make it a national holiday.
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MLB championship since 1903
The 1904 World Series was boycotted, and Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in its history. There has been only one walk-off home run in a Game 7, and the 1994 series was cancelled. In 2018 one game lasted a physiological marathon of more than seven hours.
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San Francisco 49ers
Joe Montana began college as a seventh-string quarterback and was almost ignored by scouts. He calmed his teammates during a Super Bowl by pointing out John Candy in the crowd and became the first three-time Super Bowl MVP. A town in Montana briefly renamed itself "Joe".
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New England Patriots, Tampa Bay
Tom Brady was drafted by a baseball team before the NFL and started as Michigan's seventh-string quarterback. He goes to bed at 8:30 pm in recovery pyjamas and loves avocado ice cream. He retired for just 40 days in 2022 before returning.
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Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes grew up in Major League dugouts and was drafted as a baseball player. He signed a half-billion-dollar contract, throws left-handed passes when needed and is famously obsessed with ketchup. He has become the king of Super Bowl comebacks.
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NFL championship game
The first Super Bowl broadcast was erased, and the trophy is made by Tiffany. The losing team is guaranteed a payout, and the league subsidises the winners' rings. No Super Bowl has ever ended in a shutout.
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Arlington, Texas
"Jerry World" cost more than $1.3 billion, and its supporting arches are longer than the Golden Gate Bridge's span. Standing areas push capacity beyond 105,000, and an NBA All-Star Game drew over 108,000 fans. The playing field sits fifty feet below ground.
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Louisville, since 1875
The Kentucky Derby has run every year since 1875, and Secretariat's 1973 record has never been broken. The winner is draped in more than 400 roses, and an 80-1 outsider once won after getting in at the last minute. In 2019 a winner was disqualified on the track for the first time.
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Augusta, Georgia
Concession prices at the Masters have barely changed in decades, and phones are strictly banned. Amen Corner was named after a jazz record, cattle grazed the grounds in World War II, and the bunkers are filled with crushed quartz. Broadcasters once piped in fake bird song.
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Golf
Tiger Woods overcame a childhood stutter and appeared on TV before he was three. He coined the word "Cablinasian" for his heritage and wears red on Sundays because of his mother's beliefs. He achieved the "Tiger Slam" and became sport's first verified billionaire.
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Skateboarding
Tony Hawk tested with an IQ of 144, turned pro at 14 and bought a house before finishing high school. He invented more than 80 tricks, and his video game series changed gaming culture. A newly discovered wasp species was named after him.
Read the full article →8 questions, every answer is somewhere above.
1. What did Babe Ruth keep under his cap to stay cool?
2. Where does the mud rubbed on every MLB ball come from?
3. Which US president started the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day?
4. Which celebrity did Joe Montana point out to calm his teammates during a Super Bowl?
5. With which pick was Tom Brady selected in the NFL Draft?
6. What condiment is Patrick Mahomes famously obsessed with?
7. What must the Masters champion do with the green jacket after a year?
8. What word did Tiger Woods coin to describe his heritage?
Tom Brady is widely considered the greatest, with seven Super Bowl titles and a record as the oldest MVP. Joe Montana never threw an interception in four Super Bowls, and Patrick Mahomes became the youngest quarterback to win both MVP and a Super Bowl.
It was inspired by a bouncy toy, the Super Ball, that a league founder's children were playing with. The first broadcast of the game was later erased and lost.
The winning horse is draped in a blanket of more than 400 roses. The race has been held every year since 1875, and its first winner was ridden by a Black jockey.
Tiger Woods held all four major golf titles at the same time across 2000 and 2001, an achievement known as the Tiger Slam, though not all within one calendar year.
The 1994 World Series was cancelled because of a players' strike, the first time the event had been called off in decades.
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