Sports such as baseball, american football, soccer, and ice hockey were first played in the latter part of the 1800s. What led these sports to be be organized and spread so quickly?
Hi, there's room for more depth here, and more sports, but you can get started on a few earlier posts
Can anybody explain when and how rugby, football, soccer, etc. developed? - featuring /u/metalbox69
Baseball and (college) football, the two most popular sports in America in the late 19th and early 20th century, were invented at roughly the same time. Was that a coincidence? What were America's favorite forms of competition or sport prior? - featuring /u/georgy_k_zhukov
How come almost all major modern team sports were developed or formalized in the mid-to-late 19th century? - featuring /u/murdercity77