41 riddles · answers on the last page · riddleup.com/riddles/sports-riddles
We're 5 little items of an everyday sort, you'll find us all in A Tennis Court. What are we?
A. Tennis rackets
B. Score numbers
C. Court lines
D. The 5 Vowels: A E I O U.
Two men were playing tennis. They played five sets and each man won three sets. How can this be possible?
A. They were playing on two separate courts
B. One man forfeited two sets
C. The scorekeeper made an error
D. The two men were partners playing doubles.
Why were the tennis players arrested?
A. They broke curfew
B. They trespassed
C. They cheated
D. Because they had racquets.
A pro fisherman decided to become a golfer and sold his old boat. What did he name his listing?
A. Tee Time!
B. Fairway!
C. Birdie!
D. Fore 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?
A. He collected baseball bats as a hobby
B. He wore a bat costume
C. He owned a bat cave
D. He was the star baseball player!
What is served, but not by a waiter; and an ace but not a card?
A. Tennis
B. Badminton
C. Table tennis
D. Volleyball; serving starts play and an ace is an unreturned serve.
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?
A. It was his first offense
B. The comment wasn't understood
C. The referee was lenient
D. The referee was a woman.
We are five little objects of an everyday sort, You will find us all in a tennis court. What are we?
A. Consonants
B. Punctuation marks
C. Numbers
D. Vowels.
When does boxing day come before Christmas?
A. Never, it's always after
B. During a leap year
C. When Christmas falls on a Sunday
D. In the dictionary.
What game makes the most noise?
A. Basketball
B. Boxing
C. Wrestling
D. Tennis - you can't play it without raising a racket!
A man took the shell off his champion racing snail hoping it would go faster without the extra weight. Did it work?
A. Yes, it went faster
B. It made no difference
C. The snail died
D. No. In fact, the snail became rather sluggish!
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?
A. Basketball
B. Football
C. Baseball
D. Yes; it has double letters (nn, ll).
There's one 'sport' in which neither spectators nor participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it?
A. Wrestling
B. Figure skating
C. Gymnastics
D. Boxing.
This object can be driven, but has no wheels, and can go very far. What is it?
A. A hockey puck
B. A tennis ball
C. A frisbee
D. A Golf Ball.
Two teams were playing soccer. One player scored a hat trick that resulted in his team losing the game. How?
A. He was disqualified after
B. The other team scored more
C. It was an own-goal penalty
D. The player scored in their own goal.
Two men were playing tennis. They played five sets and each man won three sets. How is this possible?
A. One man cheated
B. They played on different courts
C. It's a math error
D. The two men were partners playing doubles.
What do you serve that you can't eat?
A. A volleyball
B. A frisbee
C. A badminton birdie
D. A tennis ball.
Why did the football team go to the bank?
A. To cash a check
B. To get a loan
C. To make a deposit
D. To get a quarter back!
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?
A. He used insider information
B. He guessed correctly by luck
C. He rigged the game
D. The score would be 0-0 before the game starts.
Why weren't the tennis players allowed in the restaurant?
A. They broke the dress code
B. They were too loud
C. They forgot a reservation
D. Because they make too much racquet.
What time does a tennis player get up?
A. Six-ish
B. Love-thirty
C. Noon-ish
D. Ten-ish.
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?
A. For Sale, Cheap!
B. Boat For Trade!
C. Sailboat, Fast Sale!
D. Fore Sail!
Why did the golfer change his socks?
A. His feet got wet on the green
B. He spilled his drink
C. They didn't match his shoes
D. He had a hole-in-one.
This object can be driven, but has no wheels, and can also be sliced and remain whole. What is it?
A. A golf cart
B. A hockey puck
C. A tennis ball
D. A Golf Ball.
Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants?
A. In case it started to rain
B. In case he ripped the first pair
C. In case he lost a bet
D. In case he got a hole-in-one.
Why is it always hot at the end of a football game?
A. Because the sun is setting
B. Because the players are tired and sweaty
C. Because the stadium lights heat up
D. Because all of the FANS have gone home.
What has 22 legs and 2 wings?
A. A marching band
B. A cheerleading squad
C. A soccer team and referee
D. A football team!
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?
A. John had insider information about the players
B. John used a computer to simulate the outcome
C. John bribed the referee beforehand
D. John said the score would be 0-0 and he was right. "Before" any football game starts, the score is always 0-0.
What do you call a ghost who loves football?
A. A wide receiv-boo
B. A haunt-erback
C. A spirit tackle
D. A receiver-ant.
What do you call a football player with no legs?
A. A benchwarmer
B. A tackling dummy
C. A grounder
D. Ground beef.
What do football players do when they get cold?
A. They huddle together for warmth
B. They run extra drills to stay warm
C. They wear extra padding
D. They stand in the corner, because it's always 90 degrees there.
Why did the football coach go to the bank?
A. To deposit ticket sales
B. To cash the team's paycheck
C. To get a loan for new gear
D. To get his quarterback!
What do you call a group of cows playing football?
A. A herd huddle
B. A moo-tivation
C. A cattle scramble
D. A pasture-ization.
What do you call a football player who can't stop talking?
A. A wide receiver
B. A running commentator
C. A chatterback
D. A quarterback.
What is the only time you run in football?
A. When you score a touchdown
B. When the whistle blows for halftime
C. When you tackle an opponent
D. When you kick off the game.
What has one foot but no legs?
A. A snail
B. A ruler
C. A sock
D. A football.
In the NBA, how many men are on the basketball court for each team?
A. Ten
B. Six
C. Seven
D. Five, not ten!
What do you call a basketball game with no ball?
A. A scrimmage
B. A practice
C. A warm-up
D. A basket game!
What did the hoop say to the basketball?
A. Nice shot!
B. Nothing but net!
C. See you at the game!
D. May all your swishes come true!
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?
A. He threw it against a wall
B. Someone else caught and threw it back
C. It bounced off the ceiling
D. He threw the ball straight up in the air
What is a good restaurant for a basketball team?
A. Burger King
B. Subway
C. Pizza Hut
D. Dunkin Donuts
Answers
The 5 Vowels: A E I O U.The letters spelling "A Tennis Court" contain all five vowels, which is the wordplay answer.
The two men were partners playing doubles.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.
Because they had racquets.Pun on "racquets" sounding like "rackets," slang for illegal criminal schemes.
Fore Sail!Wordplay — "Fore!," a golf warning shout, combines with "for sale," referencing his old fishing boat listing as "For Sail."
He was the star baseball player!"Batman" here refers to a baseball player known for hitting well with a bat, not the superhero.
Volleyball; serving starts play and an ace is an unreturned serve.In volleyball, "serving" starts play and an unreturnable serve is called an "ace," the same terms used elsewhere but applied on the court.
The referee was a woman.The riddle plays on assuming the referee is male by default, when in fact she is a woman.
Vowels.The word "court" literally contains the vowels found within the phrase, pointing to the five vowels A E I O U.
In the dictionary.Alphabetically, "boxing" comes before "Christmas" in a dictionary listing.
Tennis - you can't play it without raising a racket!Pun on "racket," which means both a tennis paddle and a loud noise.
No. In fact, the snail became rather sluggish!Wordplay — without its shell, the snail becomes "sluggish," like a slug, rather than faster.
Yes; it has double letters (nn, ll).The riddle requires a word with a repeated double letter, which "tennis" (nn) and "ball" (ll) both satisfy.
Boxing.In boxing, the final score from the judges isn't revealed until the match concludes.
A Golf Ball.A golfer "drives" the ball off the tee, though it has no wheels or engine like a car.
The player scored in their own goal.Scoring three goals into his own team's net, an own-goal hat trick, helped the opposing team win.
The two men were partners playing doubles.As doubles partners on the same team, both men share credit for all three winning sets.
A tennis ball.The riddle plays on the double meaning of "serve" as both serving food and serving a tennis ball to start play.
To get a quarter back!Wordplay — "quarterback," a football position, sounds like getting "a quarter back" from the bank.
The score would be 0-0 before the game starts.Before any game begins, the score is always 0-0 — a guaranteed correct "prediction."
Because they make too much racquet.Pun on "racquet" sounding like "racket," meaning a loud disturbance.
Ten-ish.Pun on "tennis" sounding like "ten-ish," meaning around ten o'clock.
Fore Sail!"Fore Sail" is a play on the golfer's warning shout "Fore!" combined with the sailing term "foresail" and "for sale."
He had a hole-in-one.The joke reinterprets the golfing term 'hole-in-one' as a literal hole worn through his sock.
A Golf Ball.In golf, you can 'drive' or 'slice' a shot, both terms that apply to hitting a golf ball, not a vehicle.
In case he got a hole-in-one.The pun plays on 'hole-in-one' meaning both a golf shot and a literal hole torn in his pants.
Because all of the FANS have gone home.This puns on 'fans,' meaning both spectators and cooling devices, so their departure removes the 'cooling.'
A football team!11 players (22 legs) make up a football team, and "wings" refers to the wide receiver positions on the field's flanks.
John said the score would be 0-0 and he was right. "Before" any football game starts, the score is always 0-0.John's prediction is trivially true since every game's score is 0-0 before it begins, a logic trick rather than real prediction.
A receiver-ant.This is a pun blending 'receiver,' a football position, with the ghostly-sounding word 'apparent,' or 'ant.'
Ground beef.This is a dark pun combining 'ground,' as in being stuck on the ground, with 'beef,' slang for a big or tough player.
They stand in the corner, because it's always 90 degrees there.This plays on the geometry fact that a corner forms a 90-degree angle, punning on '90 degrees' as a temperature.
To get his quarterback!This puns on 'quarterback,' a football position, sounding like getting a quarter of change back.
A pasture-ization.This is a pun blending 'pasteurization,' the milk process, with 'pasture,' where cows graze and play.
A quarterback.This is a pun on 'quarterback,' sounding like someone who 'backs' up their talk endlessly, playing on the position name.
When you kick off the game.This plays on 'kickoff' being the start of the game, associating 'run' loosely with beginning the play.
A football.A football has a 'foot' as a unit reference in the sport, but obviously no actual legs.
Five, not ten!Each NBA team fields five players on the court at a time — "ten" would be both teams combined.
A basket game!Removing "ball" from "basketball" simply leaves "basket," describing a ball-less basket game.
May all your swishes come true!A play on the wish "may all your dreams come true," swapped for "swishes," the sound of a clean basketball shot.
He threw the ball straight up in the airGravity brings a ball thrown straight up back down to the same spot, hitting the thrower.
Dunkin DonutsWordplay — "Dunkin'" sounds like "dunking," a basketball slam dunk.