Poker (card game)
Entry in progress -- B.P. [This entry was assisted by research from Fred Shapiro of the American Dialect Society.] Wikipedia: PokerPoker is a family of gambling card games involving betting and…
Poop (three-point shot in basketball)
New York Knicks basketball player Shawne Williams was known for his three-point accuracy during the 2010-11 NBA season. On the Knicks blog Posting and Toasting on December 5, 2010, Thelonious Dunk…
Porchclimbers (American League baseball team, later called Yankees)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Other early nicknames of the New York Yankees include "Highlanders," "Hilltoppers" and "Invaders." Wikipedia: New York YankeesThe New York…
Potsy
"Potsy" is the New York City term for the game of "hopscotch" (or a variant of this game). "Pot" has been cited since at least 1884 and "potsie" since at…
Profishional (professional + fish/fishing)
"Profishional" (professional + fish/fishing) is a term that is sometimes used. "Dozens of booths will be devoted to the latest fishing tackle. Manufacturers displayed include Blue…
PSAL (Public Schools Athletic League)
The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL, at www.psal.org) was formed over 100 years ago. It still holds school athletic competitions, but it now also includes girls. 25 November 1903, New York…
Puck (flat disk used in hockey)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Hockey puckA puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major…
Punchball (Punch Ball)
Entry in progress -- B.P. (Dictionary of American Regional English)punchball n esp NYCA game similar to baseball played with a rubber ball that is hit with the fist.1935 Ware Greenwich Village 144…
Radio Row (radio area at major sporting event)
"Radio Row" is the area at a major sporting event where all of the sportsradio shows set up to broadcast interviews. "Radio row" is often located at a major hotel or conference…
Referette (female referee)
A “referee” is a sports official who administers a game; the term is neither masculine nor feminine. Few referees in professional sports are women. "Referette" (a female referee) has…
Rising Apple (New York Mets blog)
Rising Apple is a blog about the New York Mets baseball team that was started in 2011. It is part of the Fansided series of sports blogs. The name "Rising Apple" is from the New York…
Riveters (National Women’s Hockey League team)
The National Women's Hockey League -- the first-ever all women’s professional paid hockey league -- was announced in March and April 2015 with four inaugural teams, consisting of the Boston…
Robins (Brooklyn baseball team)
The baseball team that would be known as the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) was called the Brooklyn Robins from 1914 to 1931, in honor of its manager, Wilbert Robinson. Wikipedia:…
Roller Coaster
Coney Island has long been famous for its Cyclone roller coaster, first opened in 1927. America's first popular "roller coaster" amusement ride has long been thought to have been the…
Rooter (sports enthusiast)
Entry in progress -- B.P. fan Wikipedia: Royal RootersThe original Royal Rooters were a fan club for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century. They were led by Michael T. McGreevy, who owned a…
Rucker basketball tournament (“each one teach one”)
The Rucker basketball tournament in Harlem was conceived in the 1940s and 1950s by Holcombe Rucker, a parks department worker who died of cancer in 1965 at age 38. His motto was "each one…
Rules of Eighth Avenue (boxing at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan)
There have been several "Rules of Eighth Avenue." The third Madison Square Garden was located on Eighth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Street in Manhattan, from 1925 to 1968. It hosted…
Run for the Carnations (Belmont Stakes)
The Belmont Stakes (the third race of horseracing's Triple Crown) has been called the 'Run for the Carnations." The Kentucky Derby (the first race of the Triple Crown) has long been…
Run for the Roses (Kentucky Derby)
The Kentucky Derby has been called the "Run for the Roses," after the red rose that has been the official flower of the Kentucky Derby since 1904. A rose garland (with white and pink…
Ruppert’s Riflemen (New York Yankees nickname)
American brewer, businessman, National Guard colonel and politician Jacob Ruppert Jr. (1867-1939) owned the New York Yankees baseball team from 1915 until his death in 1939. the Yankees were…