Can We Guess What Childhood Sport You Played?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can We Guess What Childhood Sport You Played?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Sports are one of the defining cultural institutions that pass nearly unchanged from generation to generation. Some sports, football (soccer) or baseball being good examples, are distinctive within certain cultures, marking out fans and participants as certain nationalities. Sports can divide a population, as with northeastern American baseball fans, or bring the world together, as with The Olympics. Sports are one of the oldest ways of avoiding armed conflict, going back to the original Olympics in ancient Greece.

The reasons sports are taught in school are nearly the same reasons as those for the existence of the "do" martial arts in Japan, like Judo and Kendo: to develop virtues like humanity, honesty, altruism, wisdom, integrity, manners and giving one's best effort. Of course, no one should expect a small child to have the patience or focus for American football or baseball, so most games we play as kids are dead simple, aimed at developing the skills that will lend themselves to larger sports at a later date.

Did your childhood sports experience leave you with a nasty taste in your mouth, or did you develop an appetite for competition? Childhood sports leave a lasting impact on us, affecting the courses of our lives well into adulthood. Can we guess which childhood sport was your game?

How did you feel about your sports opponents, as a kid?
We were all friends.
They were the people I was out to dominate.
I didn't know most of them.
I didn't know any of them.

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If you won, what did you win?
Trophies, mostly
Bragging rights
Ribbons
Cups

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How long did you stick with your childhood sport?
Through junior high
Through elementary school
Through college
Through high school

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Is your childhood sport played by many professionals?
A few
None I'm aware of
Yeah, plenty
It's pretty big, actually.

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What was your relationship like with your team?
We were close.
Ships that pass in the night
We were friendly.
We came and went.

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How did you and your team practice?
In a ritual
Who needs to practice?
We would have our coach drill us.
We would play one on one.

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How many other teams were there in your home town, relative to the number of schools?
1
I have no idea.
3 or more
2

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How many college scholarships are there for practitioners of your childhood sport?
More than you'd think
None
A few
A lot

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Did your classmates think your sport was cool?
Some did.
Nope
Yeah
Quite the opposite

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How respected is your childhood sport?
Very respected
Not respected at all
It's a national institution.
Not respected enough

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What lesson did you take from your sport into adulthood?
Maximum efficiency with minimal effort
Hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast.
A good personality will lift a decent team.
Lie, cheat, and steal

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Which industry is closest to the one you are in?
The law
Social media
Banking
Politics

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Which best describes your position with your employer?
I'm in upper management.
I'm a freelancer.
I'm in charge of a department.
I'm near the bottom.

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When bad things happen in your life, how do you take them?
I roll with the punches.
I try to dodge the nonsense.
I try to slide in under the wire.
I work the ref.

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What special trick do you use in raising your kids?
Be gentle, but firm.
Toughen them up with the occasional rude prank.
Teach them thoroughly and explicitly.
Push them over every now and then so they can learn to look hurt.

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Are you a good influence on morale in the workplace?
I do my best.
Ha! No!
I think so.
Who cares? I'm looking out for number one!

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How do you feel about lying to undermine peers in the workplace?
That's really unsportsmanlike.
That's creative.
That's not cool.
That's the game, baby!

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Is life a zero sum game?
No. Life is no game at all.
Yeah, I think so.
No, we all get our turn in the barrel.
Yes! It's dog eat dog!

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How would you handle competing with a colleague for a promotion?
I'd use all my finesse to do a good job.
I'd find a way to spike them from behind when they aren't looking.
I'd put in extra time every day.
I'd make it look like they sabotaged me and I'd get them fired.

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How would you frame your pitch to a client, knowing other companies are pitching as well?
I'd show how well I know the client's needs.
I'd show how I'll kill for the client.
I'd show how my company's culture matches theirs.
I'd light the other pitchers' cars on fire right when they're supposed to give their pitches, so they have to run out and miss their appointments.

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How would you convince someone to do something for you, when you don't have a great reason other than "because I'm asking you to"?
I'd try to use their reasons to make them do what I want.
I'd intimidate them into doing it.
I'd try to inspire them into doing it.
I'd deceive them into doing it.

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Would you encourage your kids to do the same sport as you?
Of course I would! It builds character.
No! Then I'll have to beat them at it!
Yes. I made some lifelong friends doing it.
Yes. I made it where I am by being the person I was forced to become.

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Have young people become softer than they were when you were growing up?
No, I don't think that's true.
Damn right they have!
I don't think so. I think parents became softer.
I think kids today are harder than ever before.

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What safety equipment do you wear when riding a bike, skiing, etc?
A helmet
Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads
Helmet, elbow guards, gloves
Shin guards, a cup, a back brace

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What brand of car do you own?
Volvo
BMW
Chevy
Audi

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Where did you grow up?
A major city
A suburb
A small town
Not in the USA

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What was the highest degree you attained?
Master's
Bachelor's
Doctorate
High School

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Would you play your childhood sport today?
I still do.
If I was sure I'd win
I might, if I could take it easy.
No way. I'm over the hill.

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Do you have any adult friends who played your childhood sport?
Sure, plenty
Just a couple
About a dozen
No

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Does your childhood sport still exist as it was?
More or less
If anything, it has come up in the world.
Oh, it's still a big deal.
It's the biggest of big deal sports.

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You Got:

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