In Australia the Boxing Day Cricket Test Match has become a tradition, which means that those players involved must be careful not to over indulge on Christmas Day. If you feel sorry for them spare a thought for those athletes who have actually had to compete on Christmas Day.
From the 1920s up until 1971, ice hockey games were played every Christmas Day, until the NHL ended the tradition. The reason they gave was that they wanted to give players a break for the holiday. In 1971 six games were played on Christmas Day for the last time and the last goal ever scored on Christmas Day came courtesy of Stan Gilbertson, assuring his team the California Golden Seals a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
The year 1971 also saw the first American Football matches played on Christmas Day. While the early match between the Dallas Cowboys saw the Cowboys beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-12. The later match did not go quite so smoothly. The Kansas City Chiefs played the Miami Dolphins in Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium. The two teams participated in a mighty battle and at the end of regulation time were tied 24-24. After a scoreless first overtime, they went into a second. Finally, with seven minutes and 20 seconds left in the second overtime period, Miami’s Garo Yepremeian kicked the game-winning field goal. The game lasted three hours and 21 minutes in real time. However the reaction from fans and the general public as to how much it had cut into their Christmas Day and alternate viewing was enough to see the NFL can the Christmas Day fixture. It was re-introduced in 1989.
The NBA in the USA is another sport that has favoured a Christmas Day showdown and for many years it would be a marquee matchup, usually a rematch of the previous year’s Finals.
In 1984 In front of a Madison Square Garden crowd, Bernard King of the New York Knicks had a day to remember. Playing against the New Jersey Nets he recorded a Christmas Day-record 60 points. Unfortunately his New York Knicks still lost 120-114. King would go on to win the scoring title that season and his Christmas Day milestone was his highest points total of the season. The NBA’s Christmas Day tradition started all the way back in 1947 with three games, and games are still played today.
Few will remember a time when Christmas Day football fixtures were played regularly in the United Kingdom. Imagine asking today’s stars to play on Christmas Day?
Christmas Day football was a staple part of Football League fixtures in England from late Victorian times until the 1950s, and continued in Scotland up until the 1970s.
In 1958 three First Division (now equivalent to EPL) matches were played on Christmas Day and one in 1959. Christmas Day football in England eventually came to a halt after Blackpool beat Blackburn 4-2 in 1965, in front of 21,000 spectators. Many in Britain ponder the significance of that year, as it was the year the film The Sound Of Music was released, a film that would be aired on television on Christmas Day for many years to come!
In Scotland the last time a full set of Christmas Day fixtures was played was in 1971. Traditionally Christmas Day football was only played in Scotland when it fell on a Saturday. The last matches to be played on Christmas Day were Clydebank versus St Mirren, and Alloa versus Cowdenbeath in 1976.
While many enjoy a Christmas day tipple, few can have had a double on Christmas Day like former England striker Tommy Lawton. Having played for Everton against Liverpool on Christmas morning he turned out for Tranmere Rovers against Crewe Alexandria in the afternoon. This was in 1940, and the reason this occurred was because during the War years the rules were more flexible.
In Rugby Union the Calcutta Cup is one of the oldest trophies contested. It is awarded to the winner of the internationals between England and Scotland. Yet how many people are aware that its origins come from a game played on Christmas day in 1872? On Christmas Day 1872, a game between 20 players representing England on one side, and 20 representing Scotland on the other, was played in Calcutta, hence the Calcutta Cup. Note the word “representing” Scotland and England, some historical accounts of this game claim that Irish and Welsh took part in the match, but representing the two nations mentioned.
Turning our attention back onto cricket how many will remember that Sheffield Shield cricket matches were played on Christmas Day until the late 1960s? Test Match Cricket has been played on Christmas Day, but the last time that this occurred in Australia was the Third Test between Australia and the West Indies in 1951.
One sport where you feel a great deal of sympathy for the competitors plying their trade on Christmas Day would be Boxing. As obviously it was important that the two combatants made the required weight. No doubt they could eat until they were satisfied after the bout, as long as they were not too sore.
Aged 15 and 262 days American Jewish boxer Benny Leonard remarkably fought twice on Christmas Day in 1911, knocking out Smiling Kemp in the first round then winning a six-round decision over Sammy Marino.
In 1933 a bout took place with the Junior Lightweight title on the line. Eligio Sardinias, better known as “Kid Chocolate” and considered by many boxing experts to be one of the 50 best fighters of all-time was involved. He had held the Junior Lightweight title since 1931. Despite getting on in years he was the overwhelming favourite to beat Frank Klick. Five thousand fans inside the Philadelphia Arena were stunned when Klick stopped the Kid in the seventh round to claim the title. Definitely not a case of too much chocolate on Christmas Day.
No professional boxing matches have been held on Christmas Day in the USA since 1969.
In 1950 a boxer many regard as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time Sugar Ray Robinson fought Hans Stretz in Frankfurt, Germany. This was his fifth fight in Europe in 29 days, but he still won in five rounds. So Robinson ensured that he still had plenty of time to relax and enjoy a traditional Christmas Day in Frankfurt, a city with a Christmas market that dates back to the 1300’s.
It seems slightly ironic that at a time when we are told that sport is no longer about the contest, but is billed as being entertainment, we do not see more events taking place on Christmas Day. That however is a good thing. For those who celebrate Christmas it is a time to be with your family, with friends and loved ones. It is a time to forget sport and focus on each other. It is a time to reflect on the year that has passed and embrace the season’s traditional enduring message which is of Peace, Love and Joy.
Merry Christmas.
