On the Origins of Sports ─ The Early History and Original Rules of Everybody's Favorite Games

Did you know that James Naismith invented basketball as a way to keep his students indoors during the cold Massachusetts winter? Or that many of the Southerners who began racing stock cars got their early driving experience escaping police while running moonshine? On the Origins of Sports is jam-packed with these compelling tidbits of information tailor-made for obsessive sports fans, and covers a wide range of sports—whether national pastimes like football and cricket or global obsessions such as soccer and basketball.

Each sport will have its own chapter, which will include the sport’s original rules; a short history of the sport in accessible, insightful text; and informative line illustrations. Also included are annotated interstitials that take a deeper look into an element of the sport: for example, the evolution of the baseball glove; sports with war roots; a compendium of sports balls; iconic sports trophies; and more. Aside from facts and figures, rules and history,On the Origins of Sports will be a book that sports enthusiasts and history buffs alike will want to display on their coffee tables, showcase on their bookshelves, and treasure for generations.

Gary Belsky and Neil Fine are the former editor in chief and executive editor, respectively, of ESPN The Magazine, with more than three decades of combined experience in sports media. As founding partners of the editorial consulting firm Elland Road Partners, their previous books together include 23 Ways to Get to First Base: The ESPN Uncyclopedia and Answer Guy: Extinguishing the Burning Questions of Sports with the Water Bucket of Truth.