Off Guard

"Shaq's a size 21" and other sports trivia

By Betsy Berns
Published: Dec 01, 2007

Forget “Dress to impress,” your new motto should be “Sports trivia to triumph.”

The point is that sports are part of pop culture now more than ever. The National Football League (NFL) reports a 43% female fan base, the National Association of Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) has a 42% female fan base and Major League Baseball (MLB) reports that 46% of women are avid baseball fans—and the list goes on.

Let’s face it, sports are the great unifier, seemingly immune to some of the issues associated with other topics. You may offend a colleague if you talk politics, money or sex. With sports, even if you’re a Colts fan and you’re talking to a Saints fan, you can argue, debate, make predictions, and still respect each other’s passion. So whether it be to simply join the office chatter, or throw the 10 all-male board members for a loop, you need to brush up on your sports knowledge.

Sure, most people can talk about the Super Bowl or World Series, but really most people (including men) don’t know as much about sports as they think. They may get sound bites from their favorite morning sports program, but if you come to the office equipped with some all-purpose trivia, you’ll look like an expert and will immediately make an impression. Of course it’s always good to walk in to the office water cooler and know the latest sports news like, “did Barry Bonds break Hank Aarons record or did he get arrested for taking drugs?” or “is Tom Brady still dating supermodel Gisele Bündchen or did he decide to propose to pretty babymama Bridget Moynahan?” Take these ten all-purpose sports trivia tidbits ready to go:

Football: The Vince Lombardi trophy (given to the winning Super Bowl team) is made by Tiffany’s and is valued at over $10,000

Football: More TV sets are sold during the NFL season than any other time of year

Football: On a typical gameday, an equipment manager’s list of items to bring to the game will include 35 gallons of Gatorade, 400 towels, 300 rolls of tape and 400 sticks of gum

Football: Special Teams' players (also called the Kicking Teams or Receiving Teams…basically on field during kicking situations) are involved with some of the hardest hits on the field and refer to these hard hits as snot bubblers, slobber knockers and ear hole shots

Horse Racing: Horses have a third eyelid, which can help wash away dirt that accumulates. It’s kind of like a windshield wiper

Basketball: In the beginning, basketball was called “basket football” or “football in a gym”

Basketball: Shaquille O’Neal wears a size 21 shoe

Baseball: The tallest player in baseball history is Randy Johnson, “The Big Unit”, who is 6’10"

Baseball: Ever since President Taft threw out the opening pitch in 1910, it’s been a tradition to have the President throw out the first pitch of the season. President Taft would have thrown out the first pitch of the season in 1912 but couldn’t attend the game because of the sinking of the Titanic. Vice President Sherman stepped in to throw instead.

Nascar: A head wrench is NASCAR slang for a Crew Chief

For more sports trivia and information visit “the watercooler chat” at www.femalefan.com

Betsy Berns is the author of The Female Fan Guide to Football, The Female Fan Guide to Motorsports and Win, Place, and Show: A Female Fan Guide to Thoroughbred Horse Racing.

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Off Guard

"Shaq's a size 21" and other sports trivia

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