Gourt Home::Gourt :: 1908 in sports
See also: 1907 in sports, other events of 1908, 1909 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.
Baseball
- The Chicago Cubs defeat the Detroit Tigers, four games to one, in the World Series.
- The St. Louis Cardinals set a still standing Major League Baseball record for the fewest runs scored in a season (372).
- September 23 - The Merkle incident
Boxing
- December 26 - Jack Johnson becomes the first African American heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia
Field Hockey
- Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in London, Great Britain
- Gold Medal: England
- Silver Medal: Ireland
- Bronze Medal: Scotland / Wales
Football (Australian Rules)
- Victorian Football League
- Richmond and University join the league
- Carlton wins the 12th VFL Premiership (Carlton 5.5 (35) d Essendon 3.8 (26))
- See also Victorian Football League season 1908
Football (rugby league)
Rugby league begins in Australia, with the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League
- Nine teams compete in the first year of competition:
| Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Byes | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 194 | 53 | 18 | |
| Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 183 | 90 | 18 | |
| Glebe Dirty Reds | 9 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 106 | 63 | 16 | |
| North Sydney Bears | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 155 | 66 | 14 | |
| Newcastle Rebels | 9 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 151 | 116 | 10 | |
| Balmain Tigers | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 86 | 113 | 9 |
| Newtown Jets | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 70 | 148 | 5 |
| Western Suburbs Magpies | 9 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 190 | 4 | |
| Cumberland | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 38 | 191 | 4 |
- South Sydney Rabbitohs win the first title, defeating Eastern Suburbs Roosters 14-12 in the final.
Football (soccer)
England
- First Division - Manchester United win the 1907-08 title.
- FA Cup - Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Newcastle United 3-1.
Ice Hockey
- Montreal Wanderers win their 3rd Stanley Cup, beating the Ottawa Silver Seven 2 games to 0.
Ice skating
- First ISU Championships for Pairs Figure Skating held in St. Petersburg
Olympic Games
- 1908 Summer Olympics takes place in London, United Kingdom
- Great Britain wins the most medals (145), and the most gold medals (56).
- Lacrosse is played as an olympic sport for the second and last time (first was in the 1904 Summer Olympics). Canada beat Great Britain and they were the only two nations to compete.
Births
- February 17 — Red Barber, American baseball announcer, sports journalist (d. 1992)
- May 19 — Percy Williams, Canadian athlete (d. 1982)
- August 10 — Billy Gonsalves, American soccer player (d. 1977)
- August 20 — Al Lopez, American baseball catcher and manager (d. 2005)
- August 27 — Don Bradman, Australian cricket player (d. 2001)
Deaths
- April 20 - Henry Chadwick, baseball writer and historian
"1908 in sports"