What Were the World's First Sports?

From Mario Mandzukic's controversial own goal to Paul Pogba's "golden ball" pass to Kylian Mbappe in the 59th minute, the 2018 FIFA World Cup final was nothing short of thrilling. But where did it all start? While contemporary football is all about precision-engineered balls and supersized stadiums, the "beautiful game" traces its roots to ancient Mesoamerica.

The first World Cup was played on July 13 1930, while the first official recorded match between Scotland and England took place in 1872. While both were historic events, archaeologists assert that the concept of team sport was invented by ancient civilisations more than 3000 years ago.

Team sports kick off in Mesoamerica

Long before Adidas was manufacturing Telstars or Nike was churning out cleats, Mesoamericans living in the Mexican state of Hidalgo were forming teams and playing a sport known as "ullamaliztli", "pok-ta-pok" or "pitz." It involved kicking around a heavy ball made from hardened tree resin, some weighing up to 16 pounds.

While rules varied, historians have confirmed that these versions of early "soccer" were played by the Teotihuacanos, Aztecs and Mayas. As well as finding evidence of ancient stone stadiums, colonial-era notes penned by Dominican priest Diego Durán describe organised team ball games being played in the late 1500s.

Croatian players are no doubt licking their wounds after a disappointing loss to France, however the stakes were often much higher for Maya and Veracruz team members, who were sometimes sacrificed after losing matches.

Palaeolithic sports

Football fans were quick to accept the theory that soccer was the world's first sport, though other experts argue otherwise. Some historians muse that hunting preceded football, while others refer to Palaeolithic cave paintings depicting running and wrestling. Meanwhile, Neolithic cave paintings suggest that swimming and archery could also be top contenders.

While a lot has changed since Mesoamerican times, Mary Miller, a professor of the history of art at Yale University, maintains that the underlying spirit of “intricate team thinking” is still well and truly alive on modern fields.

From developing next-generation ball technologies to optimising nutrition, contemporary science plays a pivotal role in modern sports. For a closer look at the latest advancements don't miss 'Strategies for Safe Evaporation of Solutions Containing Trifluoroacetic Acid', which spotlights common reactions with TFA and the precautions required when using an evaporator to remove excess TFA.