Who Invented This Sport? is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear.
EPISODE SUMMARY
Two goal lines are set hundreds of yards to a mile apart on city streets or across village greens throughout the U.K. Soon blood will puddle on the former and soak the latter. Up to a hundred a side batter, sometimes maiming and even killing each other, fighting to get a bladder filled ball over the opposing side’s goal. The battle rages for hours. Folk football was nothing but mob football and existed for centuries—perhaps a millennium. It was a sport played and passed down by commoners—the people, the folk. It was blood and circuses for the elite.
Then, in the early 1800s, football began to morph into a sport for privileged boys at elite boarding schools like Eton, Charterhouse and Rugby. Several of these schools are in towns with long folk football histories. British football begins to slowly take a more orderly form as middle class and aristocratic young men take the past and forge a future.
In part two of our series, football historian Timothy Brown, a.k.a. The Football Archeologist, joins us to discuss the diverse developments of British football during the first half of the 1800s. He'll also stride the pitches of that period and scout for any techniques, tactics, and even instincts that point to the birth of American football, 1874.
WHO INVENTED THIS SPORT? BACKGROUND
Who Invented This Sport? is a sports time machine invented by two lifelong friends who are obsessed with the origins of sports as diverse as basketball and bobsledding and beyond. Each episode, we travel back through time and share with you a particular sport’s sources and evolution. The heroes of these treasure hunts are the sports inventors, innovators, and pioneers. And since history is not only the past but also the present and future, we interview sports experts, who will discuss their sport’s yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
The Who Invented This Sport? podcast spans the sports globe and travels through time to report on gems from the fascinating and ingenious world of sports origins history.
HOST BIOS (ROGER HARB AND DAVID DREWS)
Roger Harb and David Drews are the creators and producers of Who Invented This Sport, a podcast that spans the world of sports origins stories.
Roger and David’s life-long friendship began in college, where one summer they started their first business adventure together–a window washing partnership. Under a scorching Tennessee sun, the two washed windows and further bonded while discussing sports and other important matters.
Later collaborating on numerous media projects, including documentaries, these two sports enthusiasts dreamed of one day finding a means to share unique, intriguing sports stories with fellow students of sports history. The advent and popularity of podcasts opened the door for Roger and David to create and launch Who Invented This Sport.
Roger has 30 years experience in radio and television marketing, broadcasting, and production. Over the past 40 years, David has transitioned from being a commercial banker to a high school English teacher to a filmmaker and novelist. David is the author of the recently released Iron Tigers–a novel inspired by the team that conquered Dixie and launched Southern football.
Roger and David are grateful for the opportunity to explore and share a variety of sports origin stories and how each evolved.
Mar 13 202529 m
18 m
Jul 23 20245 m