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• In 1863, 12 London clubs were involved in the formation of the Football Association (FA) in England.
• The penalty kick was introduced to the Laws of the Game in 1891.
• According to FIFA, over 240 million people worldwide play football (data published 2001).

• In 1941, Joe DiMaggio hit in 56 straight games and Ted Williams was the last player to record a .400 average.
• The New York Yankees have won the most World Series Championships - 26 titles in total and their first in 1923.
• In the 1920s and '30s, Reggie Jackson's father, Martinez Jackson, played for the Negro League team, the Newark Eagles. The Eagles were the first professional team to be owned and operated by a woman, Effa Manley.

• The first ever league game was between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada on November 1, 1946. New York won the game 68-66.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leader in field goals made with 15,837.
• The Boston Celtics have had the most player numbers retired - the most famous being Larry Bird's #33.

• Pro football made its debut on November 12, 1892: the Allegheny Athletic Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and William (Pudge) Heffelfinger (AAA) was paid $500 for playing.
• The first championship game was played in 1933 - the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-21 at Wrigley Field on December 17. Previously (1920-31), a team's win-loss record decided the NFL Championship.
• The first African-American quarterback in the NFL was Willie Thrower in 1953 for the Chicago Bears.

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