Discover 5 interesting facts about sports

Pumped up messengers, piss on the side of the road and orange basketballs are some of the facts you'll find here.

There are many sports modalities, all of them filled with stories, which corroborate for the emergence of various curiosities about sports.

Although there is a wide audience when it comes to sports activities, few know that the most popular sports in the world reserve some interesting and, at least, peculiar facts.

Today, we brought you a list of 5 curiosities about different sports that will surprise you. Follow the reading!

1.  The marathon dates back to Ancient Greece

We know that the ancient Greeks had an enviable physique and this was a consequence of the sports they were subjected to. Messengers, for example, were chosen for their physical size, since they had to travel long distances to inform people of neighboring cities.

In 400 BC, Pheidippides was the messenger who was in charge of running 200 km from Athens to Sparta to ask the Spartans to enter the war against the Persians. But, in addition to running to the city, the messenger still had to return to fight in the 1st Medical War, in which the Greeks were threatened with losing the city of Marathon.

This feat was only possible because at that time the Greeks did a lot of physical activity. Weightlifting and athletics were part of Greek education, as citizens needed to be ready to run great distances, especially warriors. It is not for nothing that Achilles was called “swift feet” in the Iliad.

Due to the messenger Pheidippides, the city of Marathon gave its name to the longest race in athletics, a journey of 42 km. The distance traveled by the messenger from Marathon to Athens to warn of victory and a possible Persian attack.

2.  Cyclists urinate during races

One of the biggest competitions in cycling is known as Tour de France, competition that cyclists spend days on top of the bike, traveling through some countries. In 2022, for example, 3.328 km were covered.

As they spend many hours of the trip sitting on the bike and drinking a lot of water to hydrate themselves, some cyclists stop on the side of the road to urinate. However, when they're too tight and can't wait for the speed to slow down, some of the contestants pee on their clothes.

3.  Football players wear top

Perhaps you've asked yourself 'why do players wear tops?'. And as unusual as it may be, the truth is that this type of bra is a tool to manage the performance of players on the field.

These tops have trackers, used to monitor metabolism, heart rate, starting potential and the type of impact suffered. This data collection aims to optimize the technical and tactical work.

Thus, the coach can do physical work that is more aligned with the performance results of each player. In fact, each leader can increase or decrease the intensity of training, considering the data collected.

4. The basketball has always been orange

Basketball is one of most popular sports in the world and also the most traditional. This is because, even though the sport has undergone changes since its inception, some rules still remain, such as the orange color of the ball.

In 1891, when James Naismith idealized the game, the physical education teacher thought of using a big ball, but until then he only had two options: the rugby ball and the soccer ball. The rugby ball, due to its peculiar shape, would not be able to keep bouncing on the court, being the most recommended soccer ball.

In the end, what was really used were the soccer ball tubes, which, being made of leather, had an orange appearance. In this way, the color started to be conserved in the manufacture of the first basketballs, resisting until today.

Even the black stripes refer to the marks of the seams of the air chambers used to make the balls.

5. Tennis players choose the best balls

In a post about sports trivia, we couldn't help but clarify something that leaves many viewers intrigued. You may have already noticed that, in tennis matches, players choose the balls, showing a predilection for one over the other.

Before serving, tennis players quickly choose balls as a kind of on-court ritual. The idea is to make a differentiation between hairy and smooth balls. That's because the new balls are great for the first serve, as they are faster. The worn ones, once soft, are good for the second serve, since they are not fast and easy to control.

Of course, as the game unfolds and the balls are hit, they wear out little by little until there is no point in choosing. But even so, tennis players enter the ritual and continue to choose. There are even professionals who opt for the ball used in the previous point as a lucky charm.

It's in hand! Did you enjoy knowing these 5 trivia about sports? So, know that on our website you will find various contents about different sports, from winter sports the summer one. Check it out now!