Specialty Digest

Global English editionLearners’ Study Dashboard — in development
The Knowledge Library for All
Encyclopedia

Sports

Games, sports, and athletic competitions around the world.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide represents the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and its football program, which began in 1892, is one of the most successful in college football [1][3]. Home games have been played at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 1929 [3]. Under coaches Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Nick Saban the team won

Alabama Crimson Tide Read More »

The Alabama Crimson Tide is the athletics program of the University of Alabama, best known for a football program that began in 1892 and has won many national championships.

Opposing lines facing each other before a snap during the 1972 Oklahoma at Iowa State college football game

American football

American football is a contact team sport in which two teams contest possession of an oval ball on a rectangular field and score by carrying, passing or kicking it into or through scoring zones. The offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards, and a touchdown is worth six points. It grew out of rugby

American football Read More »

A contact team sport in which an offense gets four downs to gain 10 yards and a touchdown scores six points.

Archers line up on the shooting line during warmups before an archery competition

Archery

Archery is the sport of shooting arrows from a bow at a target, and the form seen at the Olympic Games is called target archery. Competitors shoot at stationary circular targets at fixed distances, and the international standard for the Olympic recurve bow is 70 meters at a 122-centimeter target face. Archery returned to the

Archery Read More »

Archery is the sport of shooting arrows at a target, and Olympic recurve archers shoot at 70 meters at a 122-centimeter face.

Association football (soccer) match in 1968: Scotland goalkeeper Bobby Clark dives to save a shot against the Netherlands

Association football

Association football, known in the United States and Canada as soccer, is a team sport in which two sides of up to eleven players try to score by getting a ball into the opposing goal, using any part of the body except the hands and arms for outfield players. It is played under the Laws

Association football Read More »

Association football, also called soccer, is a team sport in which two sides of up to eleven players try to score goals.

Runners at the start of the 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis, with the starting gun being fired

Athletics

Athletics, also called track and field, is a group of sports built on running, jumping and throwing, in which competitors are judged by time, distance or height. It is governed worldwide by World Athletics, which had 214 member countries and territories in January 2026, and it is the original Olympic sport. History of athletics Athletics

Athletics Read More »

Athletics, or track and field, is a group of running, jumping and throwing events governed worldwide by World Athletics.

Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams of Auburn University, and the football program, which began in 1892, plays at Jordan–Hare Stadium [1][2]. Auburn joined the Southeastern Conference in 1932 and is one of ten founding SEC members still in the league [1][2]. It has three Heisman Trophy winners, eight SEC championships, and national titles

Auburn Tigers Read More »

The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams of Auburn University; the football program began in 1892 and plays at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Badminton match at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Badminton

Badminton is a racket sport in which players hit a feathered or synthetic shuttlecock over a high net, scoring when it lands in the opponent’s court or the opponent cannot return it. It is governed by the Badminton World Federation, which reported 204 member associations in January 2026, and it has been an Olympic medal

Badminton Read More »

Badminton is a racket sport in which players hit a shuttlecock over a net, with games played to 21 points.

Players on the field during the 2010 All-Star Futures Game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball team sport in which two teams of nine alternate between batting and fielding over nine innings. The batting team tries to score runs by hitting a pitched ball and circling the bases of a 90-foot diamond. The sport took its modern shape in the United States in the 19th century, and

Baseball Read More »

A bat-and-ball team sport in which two teams of nine score runs by hitting a pitched ball and circling four bases.

Andre Iguodala of the United States men's Olympic basketball team goes up for a dunk during an exhibition game against the Dominican Republic

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams try to score by shooting a ball through an elevated hoop. It was invented in December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it is now governed worldwide by FIBA. Under FIBA rules each team puts five players on the court, and a field goal is worth two

Basketball Read More »

A team sport invented in 1891 in which two teams of five score by shooting a ball through an elevated hoop.

Birmingham Barons

The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama, that plays at the Double-A level in the Southern League and has been affiliated with the Chicago White Sox since 1986. Birmingham has hosted professional baseball since 1885, and the current team has played in the city since 1981. Their home is

Birmingham Barons Read More »

The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team in Birmingham, Alabama, affiliated with the Chicago White Sox since 1986.