If your kids have heard of Babe Ruth but aren’t sure if it’s a kind of candy, don’t worry! We know kids love fun facts, and from facts about Wilma Rudolph to the actual diameter of a basketball hoop, we’ve rounded up some fun sports trivia for kids.
1. In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA basketball game. No one has broken this record (not even Steph Curry!).
2. Babe Ruth began his career as a pitcher: Ruth was both a left-handed pitcher and left-handed batter.
3. The record for the long jump is held by Mike Powell: 29 ft. + 4 inches. That’s like jumping the length of two minivans!
4. The most medals won for Olympic basketball (male or female) are both held by women: Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie with four gold medals each.
5. Here's some amazing sports trivia for kids: Wilma Rudolph (who set the world record in 1960 for 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay) had polio, scarlet fever and pneumonia as a child, leading doctors to believe she’d never walk again.
6. NFL Super Bowl referees also get Super Bowl rings.
7. In 1919, Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning in the middle of the 9th inning. He kept playing!
8. The ‘G’ on the Green Bay Packers helmet stands for “greatness”, not Green Bay!
9. Baseballs last an average of seven pitches.
10. Manon Rheaume is the only woman to have played in an NHL game.
11. Golf is one of only two sports ever played on the moon. In 1971, Alan Shepard hit a ball with a six-iron while on the moon as part of the Apollo 14 mission. The other sport was a javelin toss during the same visit.
12. Goal posts are painted yellow in football.
13. In the game of tennis, a score of “love” means zero.
14. The diameter of a basketball hoop is 18 inches.
15. Golf is the only sport that has been played on the moon. This occurred in February 1971.
16. In Thailand, kite flying is a professional sport.
17. The Olympics used to include artists, musicians, and sculptors.
18. Due to World Wars, the Olympics have been canceled three times.
19. Figure skating is the oldest winter Olympic sport.
20. Women were allowed to compete in the Olympics beginning in 1900.
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