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Weird But True Sports: 300 Wacky Facts About Awesome Athletics
Everything has its weird side -- even sports! Add wacky stats, facts, and stories to your arsenal of spots trivia with this new slam-dunk addition to the very popular Weird but True series! With the Olympics on the way, discover tons more zany fun, focused totally on the subject of sports! So step up to the plate to get 300 ALL-NEW amazing facts plus photos.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2016
7 people are currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
National Geographic Kids
812 books276 followersWith more than 600 titles—including the popular Weird But True franchise and the New York Times Best Selling National Geographic Kids Almanac—National Geographic Kids Books is the recognized leader in nonfiction for kids. Published in 28 languages, NGK Books reaches approximately 85 million kids every year.
Offering K-12 educators resources that align to and support the Common Core State Standards, National Geographic has a long history of providing high-quality informational texts suitable for primary, upper elementary, and middle school English language arts, social studies, and science classrooms.
Offering K-12 educators resources that align to and support the Common Core State Standards, National Geographic has a long history of providing high-quality informational texts suitable for primary, upper elementary, and middle school English language arts, social studies, and science classrooms.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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December 4, 2017This is a good book if you are looking for some interesting facts and if your doing a report on sports you can get some information about a sport . This is a good book to read .
August 26, 2018
This is a compilation of 300 random one or two sentence facts that are somewhat related to athletics, like the fact that there are pig Olympics in Russia, or that the Chicago White Sox sell a 12 scoop banana split, or that Ancient Egyptians fenced with sticks, or that balance beams for gymnasts are only 4 inches wide.
It is not really a story, and it's longer than most picture books. I would recommend this book to young readers in elementary school who are fascinated by trivia and random sports facts. (Maybe reluctant readers in middle grades who love trivia and random sports facts would enjoy this too.)
If the kids are not into trivia nor sports, then this is not the book for them.
It is not really a story, and it's longer than most picture books. I would recommend this book to young readers in elementary school who are fascinated by trivia and random sports facts. (Maybe reluctant readers in middle grades who love trivia and random sports facts would enjoy this too.)
If the kids are not into trivia nor sports, then this is not the book for them.
May 6, 2019
It was good.
I really liked the facts.
I really liked the facts.
December 24, 2022
That book has a lot of really wacky facts.
July 18, 2025
Fun book of facts.
August 29, 2025
Pretty good
August 19, 2016
Our kids LOVED these books when they were younger. I can also attest that these are the most beat up well-loved books in the elementary classrooms I teach in. Kids love looking for the weirdest, most off-the-wall thing and showing their friends over and over again. Honestly, I've never looked through one myself, although I'm sure, over the years, the kids have shown me pages from their books.
This book in particular shares facts and stories related to athletics and organized sports. The graphics pop on the pages and are easy for kids to read and the photos are, of course, National Geographic quality. Some of the craziest info you can imagine about sports is inside this little book. At less than 7 inches square, this is an easy book to tuck in your purse for those long waits in the doctor's office or in your child's backpack for the bus ride to school. They have even included Olympic trivia to keep your kids excited about the Olympics after it's over.
After climbing to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, this summer (by elevator) I was shocked by the fact that someone used a pogo stick to climb the 1,899 steps in less than an hour. I also thought it was hilarious that a football player threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught by a nun! Since I've joined a bowling league, I've always wondered where the term "turkey" came from. I had no idea it was because people used to actually get live birds when they got three strikes in a row. Did you happen to watch any of the gymnastics competitions this year on the Olympics? Did you know the balance beam is only four inches wide? I could barely walk across it, let alone do flips on it.
As you can see, parents and kids alike will find this book fun to read. I'll be keeping this one in my school bag for a good behavior incentive and time filler. I do have to leave you with one last book tease....did you know four of our former Presidents were once cheerleaders? I think you'd be surprised to find out which ones.
This book in particular shares facts and stories related to athletics and organized sports. The graphics pop on the pages and are easy for kids to read and the photos are, of course, National Geographic quality. Some of the craziest info you can imagine about sports is inside this little book. At less than 7 inches square, this is an easy book to tuck in your purse for those long waits in the doctor's office or in your child's backpack for the bus ride to school. They have even included Olympic trivia to keep your kids excited about the Olympics after it's over.
After climbing to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, this summer (by elevator) I was shocked by the fact that someone used a pogo stick to climb the 1,899 steps in less than an hour. I also thought it was hilarious that a football player threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught by a nun! Since I've joined a bowling league, I've always wondered where the term "turkey" came from. I had no idea it was because people used to actually get live birds when they got three strikes in a row. Did you happen to watch any of the gymnastics competitions this year on the Olympics? Did you know the balance beam is only four inches wide? I could barely walk across it, let alone do flips on it.
As you can see, parents and kids alike will find this book fun to read. I'll be keeping this one in my school bag for a good behavior incentive and time filler. I do have to leave you with one last book tease....did you know four of our former Presidents were once cheerleaders? I think you'd be surprised to find out which ones.
August 28, 2016
Reading a book like this one both amazes and puzzles me. First, there are some amazing facts in here. Things such as:
Bunnies competing in the rabbit grand national in North Yorkshire, England, are specially trained to leap over hurdles.
The odds of picking all the right teams for an NCAA March Madness bracket are about 1 in 9,200,000,000,000,000,000.
Most Concrete Patio Blocks Broken by a Single Strike of the elbow? 17
Olympic trampoline competitors can soar more than 33 feet in the air--as high as a school bus is long.
But then there are some strange or weird facts included that just make me wonder about the human race. Things such as:
Some hockey fans throw dead fish, octopuses, slabs of beef, and rubber rats onto the ice when their team scores a goal.
Some of the first British surfers used coffin lids to ride the waves.
In Indonesia, Pacu Jawi Jockeys ride a plow between two running bulls to mud ski across flooded rice fields.
You can turn your couch into a bicycle.
And yes, many of these facts have a photograph or illustration to go with it. That couch bicycle is mind-boggling. This is the sort of book that children love to browse and marvel at. And they are not as quick to wonder about people and their sanity.
Bunnies competing in the rabbit grand national in North Yorkshire, England, are specially trained to leap over hurdles.
The odds of picking all the right teams for an NCAA March Madness bracket are about 1 in 9,200,000,000,000,000,000.
Most Concrete Patio Blocks Broken by a Single Strike of the elbow? 17
Olympic trampoline competitors can soar more than 33 feet in the air--as high as a school bus is long.
But then there are some strange or weird facts included that just make me wonder about the human race. Things such as:
Some hockey fans throw dead fish, octopuses, slabs of beef, and rubber rats onto the ice when their team scores a goal.
Some of the first British surfers used coffin lids to ride the waves.
In Indonesia, Pacu Jawi Jockeys ride a plow between two running bulls to mud ski across flooded rice fields.
You can turn your couch into a bicycle.
And yes, many of these facts have a photograph or illustration to go with it. That couch bicycle is mind-boggling. This is the sort of book that children love to browse and marvel at. And they are not as quick to wonder about people and their sanity.
April 26, 2020
amazing facts
August 22, 2016
“It is estimated that if the hot dogs eaten at Major League Baseball games each year were lined up, they would stretch as long as 7827 Empire State Buildings.” Weird but true.
National Geographic Kids Weird But True Sports has over 300 fun facts surrounding all things athletics. Each page is host to a plethora of interesting facts covering March Madness, jousters, parachutes, biking, hiking, hot air balloons and so much more. Some of these facts may seem a little strange like, “A San Antonio Spurs fan in China made a portrait of basketball player Boris Diaw out of 11,750 push pins. Football player Troy Polmalu’s hair was once insured for one million dollars. Crazy facts like these will keep readers engaged and intrigued. Sports fans of all ages will get a kick out the exciting photos found on every page. This guide would be great as a travel companion, home or school library.
National Geographic Kids Weird But True Sports has over 300 fun facts surrounding all things athletics. Each page is host to a plethora of interesting facts covering March Madness, jousters, parachutes, biking, hiking, hot air balloons and so much more. Some of these facts may seem a little strange like, “A San Antonio Spurs fan in China made a portrait of basketball player Boris Diaw out of 11,750 push pins. Football player Troy Polmalu’s hair was once insured for one million dollars. Crazy facts like these will keep readers engaged and intrigued. Sports fans of all ages will get a kick out the exciting photos found on every page. This guide would be great as a travel companion, home or school library.
August 5, 2016
This book is FANTASTIC. I could not stop reading it and both my boys thought is was super cool too! Did you know that there that some elephants in Thailand play basketball or that a woman once rode a hot air balloon 41,300 feet into the air before hang gliding back down?!?!!! So cool right! In this book you will read about 300 wacky, wild, and out of this world weird but true sports from the United States and beyond. This book has all the things that I love about National Geographic...the amazing photos, great tidbits and facts, as well as the well written factfinder located in the back of the book. This book will make you want to cheer on the Olympians going for gold at this years Olympics. 5 stars
September 22, 2016
This book is great for any kid (or adult) that likes learning random facts about sports. It has pictures on each page, so it would appeal to younger kids as well. It's good to have around to learn something new and interesting.
My only complaint is that the facts are listed in a random order throughout the book. I would have rather have it a little more structured (ie: all the baseball facts listed together, etc.). So, if you just wanted to learn more about a particular sport, you could just go to that section. It does have an index in the back in case you want to look up a specific sport, so it's not a big deal.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveway.
My only complaint is that the facts are listed in a random order throughout the book. I would have rather have it a little more structured (ie: all the baseball facts listed together, etc.). So, if you just wanted to learn more about a particular sport, you could just go to that section. It does have an index in the back in case you want to look up a specific sport, so it's not a big deal.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveway.
December 27, 2016
This review was first posted on Lazy Day Literature
This little book is packed full of wonderfully wacky, unusual, and sometimes downright silly facts about all things sports, from the record number of dogs on a surfboard to the life span of a NBA basketball. You're sure to learn a ton of great things about popular and lesser known sports activities from this vivid and enticing photo-filled book.
This one has quickly become my favorite of the three. I'm really enjoying all of the fun facts and am sharing them with whoever will listen!
This little book is packed full of wonderfully wacky, unusual, and sometimes downright silly facts about all things sports, from the record number of dogs on a surfboard to the life span of a NBA basketball. You're sure to learn a ton of great things about popular and lesser known sports activities from this vivid and enticing photo-filled book.
This one has quickly become my favorite of the three. I'm really enjoying all of the fun facts and am sharing them with whoever will listen!
August 23, 2016
Perfect for young sports fans.
October 15, 2024
This is the second time I've read this book, and only because my son wanted to read it. I treasure these shared reading experiences. The book still isn't really my cup of tea.
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March 29, 2019Weird but True Sports was a new type of book for me and I loved it. This book was very interesting to read. This book was about weird facts that have happened with sports.From the longest golf club to turkey bowling this book had it all. This book was a really fun and weird book to read. This book is great for anybody who wants to learn something new and random about sports. I enjoyed this book and I hope you do to.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews