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Lacrosse
With a history that spans centuries, lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America. Rooted in Native
American religion, lacrosse was often played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, and develop strong, virile
men. To Native Americans, lacrosse is still referred to as "The Creator's Game -
Bare Knuckle Boxing
For much of the 19th century boxing was not considered a legitimate sport in America. It was generally outlawed as a notorious crime, and boxing matches would be raided by the police and the participants arrested -
Baseball
Prior to the Civil War, town ball was a popular game in the Northeast. In 1845 New York City, a group of men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club. -
Rugby
The first recorded match between two colleges in game played in United States using rugby union code rules occurred on May 14, 1874 between Harvard University and McGill University. -
Boxing
The sport of boxing came to the United States from England in the late 1700s and took root in the 1800s mainly in large urban areas such as Boston, New York City, and New Orleans -
Wrestling
During the early years of America’s development, amateur wresting was very popular, making appearances at county fairs, carnivals, holiday celebrations, and military exercises. -
Hockey
The first known formal game of ice hockey in the United States was subsequently played between Yale University and Johns Hopkins University in 1893, and is generally considered to be the start of present-day ice hockey in the nation. -
Muay Thai
Muay Thai’s first true successful effort at a unified organization came in the form of Surachai Sirisute’s 1968 founding of the Thai Boxing Association of the USA (TBA-USA). -
Brazilian Jit Jitsu
Brazilian Jit Jitsu started in America but was initially developed in 1925 by Brazilian brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., O’Brien, and Hélio Gracie, after Carlos was taught jiu-jitsu by a travelling Japanese judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda, in 1917. -
Mixed Martial Arts
The concept of combining the elements of multiple martial arts was popularized in the West by Chinese-American martial artist Bruce Lee via his system of Jeet Kune Do. Lee believed that "the best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style, to be formless, to adopt an individual's own style and not following the system of styles."