Sports History 101

In the 1910s it would cost you $585,000 to buy a Major League Baseball franchise. In the 2010s, it would cost you over $1 billion. The value that is placed on entertainment has grown exponentially over time and sports are at their core, entertainment. Regardless of public perception that baseball is a thing of the past, the sport keeps making money, pulling in $10.4 billion in revenue for 2019. How did it get there? We break it down.

The New York Metropolitans were the laughing stock of MLB in the 1960s. In 1962, their first season of play, the team set a modern record with 120 losses and the succeeding six years were not much better. However, among those losing seasons, important pieces were acquired by the team which allowed for the sudden success of the 1969 season. Managed by Gil Hodges and led by pitchers Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, the Mets fortunes completely changed in 1969, leading to what many refer to as a miracle. Kick up your feet and have a listen.

Brandi Chastain was a member of the U.S. Women's National Team and is responsible for one of the most iconic moments in U.S. sports history. Tied 0-0 with China in the 1999 World Cup Final, down to their last penalty kick, the U.S. hopes rested on Chastain, and the rest is history. Born in San Jose, she set records on the field all across the Bay Area and empowered women everywhere while helping raise women's sport to a new level. Sit down and have a listen.

The promotion and relegation system has been used in English soccer for over 130 years to great success. The English football system has built a pyramid of over 140 leagues, with the Premier League at the top, that are all interconnected. As the best teams moving up to new leagues with their success to play with better competition, called promotion, the worst teams are penalized by being dropped down to lower leagues, called relegation. The system has endured since 1892 and serves as one of the most interesting competitive balance measures in sports. Listen in.

The Hartford Whalers started in Boston before moving to Connecticut and remaining a part of the NHL until 1997. The Whalers had some success on the ice and built a loyal fanbase but what they are most well known for is their iconic whale tale logo that remains one of the most sought after marks of any former franchise in sports to this day. The team played its last game over two decades ago but nonetheless they are far from forgotten.

Slammin' Sam Snead was a country boy from Virginia who had the smoothest swing on the PGA Tour and could hit the ball a mile for decades. Snead not only set course and tournament records left and right, he was so dominant for so long that he amassed over 165 professional wins, including 94 on the PGA Tour (if you dispute that fact, you are mistaken) ranging from 1936-65. Snead is hands down one of the greatest golfers to ever grace the course.

The Continental Basketball Association started in 1946, the same year as the NBA, and brought basketball to small town USA all throughout the country. Introducing brand new rules, league standings systems and providing a springboard for hundreds of players to make it to the NBA. American basketball history cannot be told without mentioning the CBA so sit back and educate yourself on the longest running basketball league in U.S. history not named the NBA.

College football in the 1990s could not be written without the unbelievable success that the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team had during that era. They had multiple great teams but none better than the 1995 team that put up ridiculous numbers against every single opponent in route to cementing their spot as the greatest team in the history of college football by most accounts. Didn't know anything about it? Pull up a chair.

Nancy Lopez took the LPGA by storm as a rookie in 1978 and quickly became the face of women’s golf with her dominant play and fantastic personality. To this day she is one of the most prominent female athletes in the sports landscape, supporting charities and advocating for underserved groups. Listen in.

Jack Buck was the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals for decades and is one of the most recognizable broadcasters in the history of baseball. Hear about his story from Holyoke, Mass. to WWII to the Cardinals radio booth.