1. The first All-American football team was named in 1889; however, there were no numbers to identify individuals on their jerseys.
2. Except for “deliberately handling the ball” in soccer, a personal foul, punished by direct free kick, must involve contact with an opponent.
3. In volleyball a side-out is a mistake only the serving team can make.
4. On a tennis court the length of the lines are measured from the inside of the line and there are two colors of lines per court.
5. Goal posts were originally narrower, as they were placed on the goal line of a football field; however, the wider current goal posts are now at the back of the end zone.
Answers:
1. True. Individual numbers were not instated until 1915. Numbers were required in 1937 to be on the front and back of jerseys. The restrictions on numbers for eligible receivers for a forward pass were not instituted until 1967.
2. False. There are 10 penal fouls which are punishable by a direct free kick, and three of them do not require contact. Tripping, kicking or striking an opponent are the three that you do not have to contact, as the penalty can still be enforced if there is an attempt that somehow causes harm to the play, which is determined by the referee.
3. True. A side-out is when the team that served the ball makes a mistake, causing the ball to go the other team.
4. False. All courts are measured from the outside of the line, which can range from 1 to 5 inches thick depending on which line it is. Also, all the lines must be of the same color and must be clearly contrasting with the color of the surface.
5. False. It is true that goal posts moved from the goal line back 10 yards for safety reasons and for 32 years were widened by 5 feet to make up the 10-yard difference. However, in 1991 the current width of the goal was brought back to the original width of 18 feet, 6 inches.
Sports Trivia
