cabbagehead
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You would be hard pressed to find an entirely new sport: even recent creations borrow rules or equipment from other sports, with most of this heritage coming from Europe. The only major sport that can trace its origins directly to North America is Lacrosse. It's roots are just as old as other sports but it takes from American Indian traditions, not European ones. However, the first games were probably played in what is now Mexico and modern Lacrosse was created when the first league was formed in Montreal.
Skateboarding is probably the closest to being a pure American sport, but the board was invented as a way for to use surfing moves on the streets. Surfing can be traced back to Polynesia, but most skateboard developments took place in California with the notable exception of the Ollie invented by Floridan Alan "Ollie" Gelfand.
Basketball was invented at a Springfield, MA YMCA but its inventor, Dr. James Neismith, was a Canadian.
To compete with baketball William G. Morgan developed Volleyball at the Holyoke, MA YMCA, just ten miles away from Springfield. This game used a mix of rules and techniques from tennis and handball, games invented in France.
Several sports have their roots in "mob" football, a medieval game played on holidays. This game pitted whoever was available on whatever land was available, and players could move the ball down the field any way they liked.
Mob football may have developed from a similar Roman game called harpastum, although it's not clear if the game was brought to England by Roman colonists.
As rules were added it became football in America while in England it developed into rugby and soccer. Ultimate Frisbee's rules can also be traced back to football, although the Frisbee it's played with is an American invention.
Baseball can be traced back to the English rounders game. It's believed that the name "baseball" comes from a regional variant of rounders. What we know as modern baseball started with the Knickerbocker rules, codified in the mid 1800's. While we think of it as an American sport, the game has been played in Canada and Japan almost as long as it's been played here.
The origin of hockey may have come from several sources, although the first games were played in Nova Scotia with the first officiated game taking place in Montreal.
Posted 1009 day ago
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