Football Facts

During WWII, because a lot of players were called to duty, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles combined to become The Steagles.

Before 1910, football teams were penalized 15 yards for an incomplete forward pass—a rule so harsh it nearly killed the forward pass before it could revolutionize the game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were originally called the Pirates.

In the 2004 Harvard-Yale game, Yale students tricked thousands of Harvard fans into holding up cards that together spelled out "WE SUCK."

Everton FC used to be called St Domingo's FC!

In England, there's a phenomenon called the "half-time kettle effect" where power use surges at half-time during England's matches in the World Cup as everyone turns on their tea kettles at the same time.

A man bet $50,000 that someone would streak at Super Bowl LV - then streaked himself. Yuri Andrade sprinted onto the field in a hot pink swimsuit and expected to collect about $374,000 across multiple Bovada accounts at +750 odds. The sportsbook connected the linked accounts and voided every bet. He paid a fine, did 100 hours community service, and wrote an apology letter to the NFL. He netted negative money.

Four months before England hosted the 1966 World Cup, the Jules Rimet Trophy was taken from a London exhibition. A week later, a mongrel named Pickles sniffed out a newspaper-wrapped package in a south London hedge - and returned the trophy to the nation. Corbett collected a £6,000 reward. Pickles got invited to the victory banquet.