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New rules in the National Football League, as in any sport, are often enacted in response to repeated on-the-field actions or bizarre incidents involving a specific player or coach. These rules commonly take the name of the individuals indirectly responsi
In 1965, Command Pilot Gus Grissom and Pilot John Young successfully piloted the Gemini 3 spacecraft on a four-hour and forty-three-minute mission into Earth’s orbit, completed a handful of tests of the craft’s capabilities and returned safely to solid gr
In 2010, retired heavyweight Mike Tyson appeared on Animal Planet. As a pigeon racer. The Pittsburgh Pirates fired a pierogi mascot for ripping the team on Facebook. A Norwegian cross country skier blamed failing to win a gold medal in the Winter Olymp
Citing public safety concerns related to the forecasted winter storm that ultimately dumped more than a foot of snow on much of the Philadelphia area, the National Football League postponed Sunday night’s Eagles-Vikings game until tonight. According to th
In addition to all of the stereotypically negative things you might be inclined to say about sports agents, you can say this: they’re an interesting bunch. Here’s a collection of agents who became famous for all the right, wrong, or unlikely reasons. 1.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened in 1982. Its signature feature is its Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric roof that is literally inflated by the air inside the stadium. The stadium is pumped full of air to keep the roof up. This requires people to
In the wake of the NFL’s crackdown on concussions and the increasing number of player fines issued for helmet-to-helmet hits, here’s a look at 15 other offenses, ranging from the serious to the absurd, that have drawn fines over the years. Amateur Hour I
Much of Big 12 country is farmland, which is evident in the original nicknames of many of its teams. From Bears and Buffaloes to Cyclones and Sooners, here are the stories behind the nicknames of 11 of the current Big 12 schools. (Nebraska was covered wit
Note: Tomorrow night at 7pm, Bud Shaw will be speaking and answering questions at the mental_floss store in Chesterland, Ohio. Stop by and say
From Badgers and Boilermakers to Hoosiers and Hawkeyes, the Big Ten Conference boasts an interesting set of school nicknames.
The most dominant postseason pitcher of his era, Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers might like to tell you his success can be traced to serious introspection in a thinking man's game. Sounds feasible enough.
The Olympic Games showcase the best in sport, but some athletes have gone for the gold in bad behavior.
The 2010 World Equestrian Games kicked off yesterday in Kentucky with a star-studded opening ceremony featuring Muhammad Ali, Wynonna Judd, opera star Denyce Graves, and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan. While the WEG are considered on par with—or even more import
Top-ranked Alabama visits Arkansas on Saturday for a heated Southeastern Conference football battle between two schools with a couple of the more unique nicknames in college sports—Crimson Tide and Razorbacks. Here are the origins of the nicknames for all
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson earned his famous nickname well before he reached the Major Leagues.
Coming Thursday: Woody's Winners for Week 1! In the meantime, mental_floss has your football fix right here. Even if you're not an NFL fan, now that the new season is almost upon us, someone, somewhere will ask you your opinion about a team or two. We've
The 1876 International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, which was more commonly known as the Centennial Exposition, was held in Philadelphia in honor of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Indepen
Who is the man GQ once called the "most powerful man in sports?"
Major League batters see, on average, about four pitches per at-bat. So something like an 8-pitch at-bat is considered pretty long. If nothing else, these types of at-bats help to run the pitch-count up, and getting the starting pitcher out of the game is
A short history of Phil Jackson's journey.
Scoreboards have come a long way since the turn of the 20th century, when operators climbed ladders to update boards with chalk or hang a different number to indicate the start of a new inning or quarter. Manually operated boards slowly gave way to more e
When Bill France Sr. founded NASCAR in 1948, the sport's handful of sponsors were almost exclusively local businesses.
These are anxious times in the city of Cleveland where a downtown banner in honor of two-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James proclaims, "Born Here. Raised Here. Plays Here. Stays Here." In most cases, three out of four is seen as a winning percen
The 2010 FIFA World Cup begins June 11th in South Africa. The whole world is watching! To get into the mood, here are some stories you may not know of the seamier side of the wholesome sport of football.