41 Sports Riddles With Answers
Riddles about games, equipment, players and the odd vocabulary sport has accumulated - a bat that is not an animal, a diamond that is not a stone, a match that does not light.
That vocabulary is exactly what makes sport such good riddle material. Every riddle here has its answer on the page.
We're 5 little items of an everyday sort, you'll find us all in A Tennis Court. What are we?
The letters spelling "A Tennis Court" contain all five vowels, which is the wordplay answer.
Two men were playing tennis. They played five sets and each man won three sets. How can this be possible?
The trick is assuming a singles match; in doubles, each man is paired with a different partner so both can rack up three set wins.
Why were the tennis players arrested?
Pun on "racquets" sounding like "rackets," slang for illegal criminal schemes.
A pro fisherman decided to become a golfer and sold his old boat. What did he name his listing?
Wordplay — "Fore!," a golf warning shout, combines with "for sale," referencing his old fishing boat listing as "For Sail."
There was a man everybody called Batman who knew nothing about bats and thought they were gross. He still loved it when people called him Batman! How could this be?
"Batman" here refers to a baseball player known for hitting well with a bat, not the superhero.
What is served, but not by a waiter; and an ace but not a card?
In volleyball, "serving" starts play and an unreturnable serve is called an "ace," the same terms used elsewhere but applied on the court.
During a soccer match, a player makes a suggestive comment to the referee, and instead of ejecting him, the referee just gives a yellow card. Why?
The riddle plays on assuming the referee is male by default, when in fact she is a woman.
We are five little objects of an everyday sort, You will find us all in a tennis court. What are we?
The word "court" literally contains the vowels found within the phrase, pointing to the five vowels A E I O U.
When does boxing day come before Christmas?
Alphabetically, "boxing" comes before "Christmas" in a dictionary listing.
What game makes the most noise?
Pun on "racket," which means both a tennis paddle and a loud noise.
A man took the shell off his champion racing snail hoping it would go faster without the extra weight. Did it work?
Wordplay — without its shell, the snail becomes "sluggish," like a slug, rather than faster.
Streets can go through me, but roads can't. Trees can go through me, but bushes can't. Can a tennis ball go through me?
The riddle requires a word with a repeated double letter, which "tennis" (nn) and "ball" (ll) both satisfy.
There's one 'sport' in which neither spectators nor participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it?
In boxing, the final score from the judges isn't revealed until the match concludes.
This object can be driven, but has no wheels, and can go very far. What is it?
A golfer "drives" the ball off the tee, though it has no wheels or engine like a car.
Two teams were playing soccer. One player scored a hat trick that resulted in his team losing the game. How?
Scoring three goals into his own team's net, an own-goal hat trick, helped the opposing team win.
Two men were playing tennis. They played five sets and each man won three sets. How is this possible?
As doubles partners on the same team, both men share credit for all three winning sets.
What do you serve that you can't eat?
The riddle plays on the double meaning of "serve" as both serving food and serving a tennis ball to start play.
Why did the football team go to the bank?
Wordplay — "quarterback," a football position, sounds like getting "a quarter back" from the bank.
John bet Tom $100 that he can predict the football game score before it starts. Tom agreed. At the end of the game, John won the bet. How?
Before any game begins, the score is always 0-0 — a guaranteed correct "prediction."
Why weren't the tennis players allowed in the restaurant?
Pun on "racquet" sounding like "racket," meaning a loud disturbance.
What time does a tennis player get up?
Pun on "tennis" sounding like "ten-ish," meaning around ten o'clock.
A pro fisherman decided to become a pro golfer. In order to buy his clubs, he had to sell his boat. How did he list it?
"Fore Sail" is a play on the golfer's warning shout "Fore!" combined with the sailing term "foresail" and "for sale."
Why did the golfer change his socks?
The joke reinterprets the golfing term 'hole-in-one' as a literal hole worn through his sock.
This object can be driven, but has no wheels, and can also be sliced and remain whole. What is it?
In golf, you can 'drive' or 'slice' a shot, both terms that apply to hitting a golf ball, not a vehicle.
Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants?
The pun plays on 'hole-in-one' meaning both a golf shot and a literal hole torn in his pants.
Why is it always hot at the end of a football game?
This puns on 'fans,' meaning both spectators and cooling devices, so their departure removes the 'cooling.'
What has 22 legs and 2 wings?
11 players (22 legs) make up a football team, and "wings" refers to the wide receiver positions on the field's flanks.
John bet Tom $100 that he can predict the score of the football game before it starts. Tom agrees but loses the bet. Why did Tom lose the bet?
John's prediction is trivially true since every game's score is 0-0 before it begins, a logic trick rather than real prediction.
What do you call a ghost who loves football?
This is a pun blending 'receiver,' a football position, with the ghostly-sounding word 'apparent,' or 'ant.'
What do you call a football player with no legs?
This is a dark pun combining 'ground,' as in being stuck on the ground, with 'beef,' slang for a big or tough player.
What do football players do when they get cold?
This plays on the geometry fact that a corner forms a 90-degree angle, punning on '90 degrees' as a temperature.
Why did the football coach go to the bank?
This puns on 'quarterback,' a football position, sounding like getting a quarter of change back.
What do you call a group of cows playing football?
This is a pun blending 'pasteurization,' the milk process, with 'pasture,' where cows graze and play.
What do you call a football player who can't stop talking?
This is a pun on 'quarterback,' sounding like someone who 'backs' up their talk endlessly, playing on the position name.
What is the only time you run in football?
This plays on 'kickoff' being the start of the game, associating 'run' loosely with beginning the play.
What has one foot but no legs?
A football has a 'foot' as a unit reference in the sport, but obviously no actual legs.
In the NBA, how many men are on the basketball court for each team?
Each NBA team fields five players on the court at a time — "ten" would be both teams combined.
What do you call a basketball game with no ball?
Removing "ball" from "basketball" simply leaves "basket," describing a ball-less basket game.
What did the hoop say to the basketball?
A play on the wish "may all your dreams come true," swapped for "swishes," the sound of a clean basketball shot.
A man takes a basketball and throws it as hard as he can. There is nothing in front, behind, or on either side of him, and yet, the ball comes back and hits him square in the face. How can this be?
Gravity brings a ball thrown straight up back down to the same spot, hitting the thrower.
What is a good restaurant for a basketball team?
Wordplay — "Dunkin'" sounds like "dunking," a basketball slam dunk.
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