Have you ever wondered how the thrilling world of sports began? As you know, there are many types of sports and they are very well-known. But how did sports even start? It all began a long time ago. In BCE Times. When before sports weren’t even considered a thing! If you know or don’t know, sports were created for physical activity, like military practices, hunter skills, and entertainment.
Although the true inventor of sports is unknown, many different people created their own physical activities. But based on scientific explanations and studies, the first sports that were considered to have ever been created were wrestling and running. Going back almost 15,000 years.
The most recognized accomplishment of sports ever was the first Olympic Games in 776 BCE in Athens, Greece. Some people were gifted with amazing skills like higher strength or speed that not all people had. So, a man named Baron Pierre De Coubertin ( who was considered to be the first person to create national sports ) decided to give the Athenian people a chance to show off their unique abilities with other people by creating the Olympic Games, which was a huge achievement in sports history.
Also, thanks to this accomplishment, sports started becoming more popular. Later, newer sports were starting to be created. Like, in the 3rd century BC, the Ancient Chinese people created a sport called Cuji. An ancient kicking game similar to today’s modern soccer. In England, cricket was invented in 1597 and was considered the most popular sport in England until rugby, rowing, and football were introduced later on.
But then, soccer, which is considered the most popular sport in the world, was invented in 1863. Starting in England, it was inspired to be played in Italy and other parts of Europe. Where club soccer teams were starting to be made.
Teams like Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, PSG, and Manchester City were founded in the mid-1800s. But more people kept getting ideas about new types of physical activity.
In 1871, the First Baseball League was founded. And then in 1891, the first sport of Basketball was created by James Naismith, a physical education instructor who had an idea for a shooting game by dribbling a ball and throwing it into a rim.
But in the 1960s, the Olympics started getting more popular. New and talented athletes were rising, and the older sports like the long jump, Sprinting, Pole Vault, and the weight throw were getting extremely popular to watch in the Olympics.
Then, coming into the Early 2000s and 2010s, some of the most Well-Known Athletes started to rise. Bringing the sports to a popularity that was never seen before.
Athletes like LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Shohei Ohtani were well recognized and seen in the sports they played in. This is how they made modern National sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball popular. Also, one of the most famous sports quotes made in history is “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” which means faster, higher, stronger. Was a quote that is used to separate sports from other activities.
Today, in 2025, these old and modern sports are still watched, performed, and cheered on. Although more activities are being created at this moment, right now, the legacy of sports lives on, continuing to entertain the world.
P.S. – You should try one of these unique sports!