While many countries love their sport, few can lay claim to having invented them. British people obsess over their sporting teams, and while football immediately comes to mind, we have many other popular games to express our competitive and recreational needs.
So relax and allow your mind space to ponder your trading strategy as we enlighten you regarding some fun facts to do with our five most popular sports.
Cricket is the national sport of England, and interestingly, the oldest professional sport in the world. The professional era harks back to 1660 when county teams were financed by sporting patrons who weren't afraid to put their money where their mouth was when it came to a wager. Cricket's rules appear complex, but essentially, it's a bat and ball game involving two teams of eleven players. Each team takes a turn to bat and score 'runs' while the opposing side tries to bowl them out over 5 days or 50 overs each in one day.
There is also a modern format of the game shortened to twenty 'overs' which is a quick-paced version played in just a couple of hours.
Football has its origins in 14th-century pagan fertility rites celebrating the return of spring. These were raucous affairs where rival villages competed over an inflated animal bladder, kicking it through narrow streets and across fields and ending when a skilled striker could send the ball through the entrance of the opposing village's church.
The rules have remained much the same and so has the team spirit. England is a two-time world champion and home to many of the biggest teams on the planet.
By the late nineteenth century, rugby was already a sport being played at Oxford and Cambridge. It was said to instill 'muscular gentlemen' with the values of fearlessness, teamwork, and self-control.
Players are allowed to handle the oval-shaped ball in their attempt to score a 'try'. Look out for the Six Nations tournament involving Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, France and Italy.
Is there any tennis tournament as famous as Wimbledon? Though the game's origin is traced to a 12th French handball game, its evolution in the UK to lawn tennis, and then just tennis, is complete. It's one of the few sports where female athletes are appreciated as much as their male counterparts.
Ice Hockey is the UK's biggest indoor sport and has a nationwide league. The game has developed rapidly and is now considered the United Kingdom's fastest-growing winter sport.
Please take some time to learn more about the professional Elite Ice Hockey League, with its 11 teams from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Why not give yourself a break and enjoy any of these five popular sports available in the UK? Whether it's participating or merely watching, chances are you'll come out feeling more relaxed and content with your day.