Test Your Sports Knowledge with These Tricky Trivia Questions

Sports are incredibly popular in the United States – 96% of Americans participate in either a sport or leisure activities. Historically, baseball was always the most popular, once known as America's pastime, although it has recently been dethroned as the nation's favorite by football. Whatever you prefer, there is generally something for everyone – golf, ice hockey, basketball, soccer – and the list of choices keeps going on.

Each year, sports leagues have that one penultimate match, the event that even those who aren't fanatics tune in to watch. For baseball, it's the World Series; for football, it's the Super Bowl; hockey has the Stanley Cup; basketball has the Finals, and soccer has the FIFA World Cup, which, unlike the other major sports franchises, occurs every four years (much like the Olympics, which kicks off the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics on July 26 on NBC.)

With social media prevalent across the world, fans feel closer to athletes than ever before, and teams have had more exposure than in the past. New sports have taken over as well, like the rise in popularity of pickleball in the United States and beyond – there is even an International Pickleball Federation that calls 58 nations members.

Fans enjoy continually testing their knowledge of all things sports and while they may not agree on certain answers or might be stumped by a particularly tricky question, like naming the last NBA player to win three straight regular-season MVPs, it can be entertaining to see just how much you know about all things sports. For more sports-related content, click here to read about the most popular sports teams from Nevada.

To compile a list for you to test your sports knowledge with these tricky trivia questions, 24/7 Tempo consulted sports-related sources, including Parade, Water Cooler Trivia, ESPN, CBS Sports, and Sporcle. (If you want to brush up on more sports information, don't miss the Swedish Open where tennis champs Rafael Nadal and Duje Ajdukovic will face off in the semi-finals.)

North America has four major sports leagues – the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB (although MLS is beginning to become more popular). The oldest league is the MLB, where teams like the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals have dominated over the years. The NFL is the only league of the four that doesn't include any Canadian teams. The NBA and NHL have grown in popularity over the years, but what team won the most titles?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Derek Jeter is introduced during New York Yankees Old Timer's Day prior to a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium on September 9, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The New York Yankees have taken home the most titles by any of the four major sports leagues. They have 27 World Series wins under their belt. However, what many people might not guess is that second place belongs to the Montreal Canadiens. The team lifted the Stanley Cup 24 times in their history, with the most recent being in 1993.

A mark of a great NBA player is their dominance in the regular season. For many players, it's difficult to muster up the motivation to show out for every regular season game. This is especially true when the playoffs are what determines your level of greatness. The award that's given to the most valuable player each year represents a player who cares about performing nightly. Which player was the last to win three straight MVPs?

Larry Bird accomplished the feat between 1984 and 1986. He's considered one of the ten best players in the history of the sport. Over the last decade, players like Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic won two straight MVPs, but haven't been able to get the third as Bird did.

When most people think of Canada, they automatically think of cold weather, maple syrup, and hockey. What many people would be surprised to find out is that another sport in Canada shares the title of national sport. It's not one many people would commonly think of at first, either.

Canada has two national sports. Hockey, of course, is the winter national sport. It's the sport most commonly referred to and talked about there. To pay homage to the Native Americans who lived in Canada, the country adopted lacrosse as the summer national sport.

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 03: Owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Michael Jordan, watches on during their game against the Chicago Bulls at Time Warner Cable Arena on November 3, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

One of the greatest athletes to play basketball is Michael Jordan. A large percentage of anyone who makes a list of talented basketball players will add him as the greatest to ever play of all time. During his time with the Chicago Bulls, he won six championships. However, the Chicago Bulls weren't the last NBA team Jordan played with. Which team was it?

The last team Michael Jordan suited up for in the NBA was the Washington Wizards. After his second retirement from the league, the Wizards convinced Jordan to come out of retirement and play for them. That was the last time fans saw Jordan in an NBA uniform.

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 30: Detail of the Lombardi Trophy and the helmets of the New England Patriots (left) and the Los Angeles Rams priot to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaking during a press conference during Super Bowl LIII Week at the NFL Media Center inside the Georgia World Congress Center on January 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)

Every year, teams in the NFL enter the season with the hopes of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. This is the pinnacle for many football players around the world, but the road to the Super Bowl isn't easy. The NFL season is a sprint, with many people calling it the hardest to do. Which team has persevered the most and made it to the most Super Bowls?

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Tom Brady 12. of the New England Patriots holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The New England Patriots have played in the most Super Bowls. They've been in 11 of the 58 games. Nine of these took place while Tom Brady was leading the team as quarterback. He won an impressive six titles with the team, with his only losses coming to the New York Giants twice and Philadelphia Eagles once.

The Patriots haven't been to the Super Bowl since the 2018 season when they beat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

Sports gambling has been around since ancient times, but it was more recently that it exploded in popularity around the world. One of the major concerns teams and leagues have revolves around players fixing games for a quick payday. The 1919 Chicago White Sox were accused of that. While they were acquitted in a court of law, there's still significant evidence suggesting they lost the 1919 World Series on purpose. But which team did they lose to?

The Cincinnati Reds were the team that benefitted from the Chicago White Sox losing on purpose. The 1919 White Sox are still regarded as one of the greatest baseball teams ever assembled. Their collapse in the World Series can only be attributed to purposefully losing for money.

Every year, numerous different events cause people to turn their televisions on and tune in. The Super Bowl is routinely the most-watched event (regardless of genre) in the United States. However, the numbers the Super Bowl generates pale in comparison to the most popular sporting event to watch around the world.

The most popular sporting event to watch around the world is the FIFA Men's World Cup. It takes place every four years, with the most recent taking place in Qatar in 2022. The event had a staggering 1.5 billion viewers globally. In comparison, Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers had less than 200 million people watching.

Almost anyone who's played football has dreams of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is where the cream of the crop goes to become enshrined next to their peers forever. However, the Pro Football Hall of Fame isn't where many might think it is. Where is the NFL Hall of Fame located?

Fans can visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. There's an extra annual preseason game that celebrates the athletes who are being inducted in that particular year. The game takes place in Canton as an event football fans look forward to regularly. The game signifies that the new season is right around the corner.

Although they have an intense love of the game, many athletes desire to make as much money as they can, while they can. Athletes put themselves through so much to perform at the best level for fans on a nightly basis. While most athletes are millionaires, only a few have cracked the billionaire status. Who was the first athlete to do this?

The first athlete to become a billionaire was Michael Jordan. Many fans think he amassed his wealth because of what he did on the basketball court. Others believe his wealth came from his NBA contracts. However, that's far from the truth.

When Jordan signed with Nike, he wanted to be paid in stock shares from the company, which allowed him to grow his net worth. Air Jordan is the brand that elevated him to billionaire status.

Hockey is a big deal in Canada, after all, it is the national winter sport. Every year, hockey fans buckle up with hopes that their favorite team will lift the Stanley Cup. Because of how many great players come from the country, it would be a safe assumption under most circumstances to think the teams do well. That's not the case, though. When was the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup?

As of 2024, it's been more than 30 years since the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in the 1993 season. There have been multiple Canadian teams who've represented the country in the Final, but none have come through. In the 2023 to 2024 season, the Vancouver Canucks made it to the final round but lost the Cup in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. For more trivia content, click here to test your American history knowledge.