Fun sports racing trivia questions and answers.
The winner of the Kentucky Derby is blanketed with roses. What
flowers are used to adorn the winners of the Belmont Stakes and the
Preakness?
A: At Belmont, white carnations are traditional. At the Preakness,
yellow daisies are dabbed with black shoe polish to look like black
eyed Susans--the Maryland state flower, which doesn't bloom until a
month after the big race.
Name the seven baseball greats who share the distinction of
having been voted "most valuable player" three times?
A: Jimmy Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella,
Mickey Mantle and Mike Schmidt.
What was the bonus paid to layers on the Chicago Bears for their
23-21 victory over the New York Giants in the first NFL East-West
championship game in 1933?
A: They received $210.34 each, plus a free overcoat if they scored a
touchdown. The losers received $140.22 each.
What is the maximum weight permitted for a bowling ball?
A: Sixteen pounds.
On her record-breaking English Channel crossing in August 1926,
how many miles did Gertude Ederle have to swim to cover the 21-mile
distance between Cape Gris-Nex and Dover?
A: Thirty-five, because of rough seas. Nevertheless she bettered the
world record by an hour and 59 minutes making the crossing in 14
hours and 31 minutes.
What is the origin of the word furlong--used in horse racing to
describe a distance of 1/8 mile?
A: It dates back to the days when a race was a furrow long--the
length of a plowed field.
What sport do we have to thank for the phrase "red herring"?
A: Fox-hunting. In seventeenth-century England, anti-hunt advocates
would draw smelly, dried smoked herring across a fox's path to throw
the pursuing hounds off the scent:
How did the axel--the difficult figure-skating jump-turn--get its
name?
A: It's named for the Norwegian skater who invented it, Axel
Paulsen.
Members of what football team recorded the rap son "Super Bowl
Shuffle" in November 1985--and went on to win Super Bowl XX two
months later?
A: The Chicago Bears.
Who was the first Japanese-born player in major league base ball
in the United States?
A: Masanori Murakai. He pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964
and 1965, compiling a 5-1 record with nine saves. Thirty years
later, Hideo Nomo joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as the second
Japanese-born major leaguer and was named National League rookie of
the year.
How many basic dives are listed on the official Olympic dive
chart?
A: 87--with 348 variations based on body position (straight, pike,
tuck or free).
Why was the marathon, originally 26 miles long, increased by 385
yards in 1908?
A: So that the race would finish in front of King Edward VII's royal
box in the Olympic Stadium in London.
Who was the last baseball player to have a season's batting
average over .400?
A: Boston Red Sox slugger Ted William, in 1941. His average was
.406.
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