Sports History On This Day: August 25

August 25, 2022 by Sports History Network

August 25, 1968 – It was a pinnacle moment in sports history. Arthur Ashe became the first African American to win the US singles championship. Ashe went on to break barriers in other areas of tennis too: He won three Grand Slam singles titles.

Arthur was also the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team, and the only African American man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. Ashe opened the door of opportunity for so many talented athletes and took the sport of tennis into homes that were unfamiliar with it.

To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.

More From Sports History Network

An England football flag - Source: Unsplash Three Nations Looking To Break Long-Standing Curses at the 2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, and the final rounds of qualifiers are now underway to determine which nations will battle it out for the biggest prize the beautiful game has to offer next summer. With 48 teams set to compete, up from the usual 32, a slew of debutants have already purchased their tickets to North America. While reigning champions Argentina and back-to-back beaten European Championship finalists England are already confirmed, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the underdogs are barking. So far, three teams that have never competed at a FIFA World Cup before have already confirmed their participation Stateside next summer. Africa's Cape Verde managed to progress, becoming the smallest nation in history to feature, as they finished ahead of continental heavyweights Cameroon to secure their spot. Over in Asia, both Uzbekistan and Jordan are also confirmed. While plenty more would follow. But while the upstarts are bracing themselves for a maiden foray onto the global stage, some of the bigger names have far loftier ambitions. To reach them, though, they will have to banish old ghosts that have struck them down before. Here are three heavyweight nations that all have jinxes to oust in the summer of 2026. England's 60 Years of Hurt Online betting sites already have their favorites to claim the famous gold trophy next summer, and near the top of most lists, you will find England. The latest Bovada sports betting odds currently list the Three Lions as a 13/2 second favorite to leave MetLife Stadium as champions next July, narrowly behind 4/1 outright frontrunners Spain, the team that beat England in last summer's European Championship final in Berlin. Embed tweet here - https://x.com/bovadaofficial/status/1812591866447020454?s=46&t=Jxc74bqcdlQ9Bjed4TR1Jw There are plenty of reasons why the English are considered formidable. Back-to-back European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate certainly showed that the country that handed the beautiful game to the rest of the world is back to its best. Now, under serial winner Thomas Tuchel and led by the likes of captain Harry Kane and Real Madrid talisman Jude Bellingham, there are bags of quality all over the pitch. Still, if England is to reign supreme next summer, it will have to banish a ghost that has been weighing them down for 60 years. 1966. That was the first and last time the Three Lions lifted the FIFA World Cup, or any silverware for that matter, and in the years since, it has been nothing but pain, especially on the global stage. Penalty shootouts, ghost goals, and controversial red cards. Seemingly, anything that can go wrong for England does go wrong. In fact, it feels like the whole world is against them whenever they mount a deep tournament run, and ultimately, that pressure becomes too much to handle. Next summer, the world and the weight of 60 long years of pain will be on their backs once again. The only way to dispel it once and for all is to silence the doubters and deliver the World Cup back to Old Blighty. Brazil's Quarterfinal Curse Brazil is the record five-time FIFA World Cup champions. They were the last team to successfully win back-to-back titles thanks to the brilliance of Pelé in 1958 and 1962. Between 1994 and 2002, they reached three straight finals, winning two of them. But since that most recent success in Japan and South Korea 23 years ago, the Selecao have been eliminated in the quarterfinals at four of the following five World Cups. The one time they progressed further? That 7-1 drubbing to Germany on home turf. Most recently in Qatar, their quarterfinal curse reared its head once again. Huge favorites to progress past Croatia and ultimately go on and win the tournament, the Brazilians were surprisingly silenced, forced to settle for a 1-1 draw before goalkeeper Dominik Livaković saved penalties from Rodrygo and Marquinhos to send the Brazilians packing. In 2018, Kevin De Bruyne's brilliance saw Belgium progress, while back in 2010, it was Wesley Sneijder and the Dutch. And that's without even mentioning Zinedine Zidane and his brilliance in 2006. Fast forward to now, and Brazil is under new management, specifically iconic former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti. However, with Neymar now rotting with the relegation-threatened Santos, a new hero will have to step up if the Selecao are to reach the semifinals for just the second time in over two decades. Italy's Playoff Hoodoo While England and Brazil are already confirmed to be at the World Cup, spare a thought for the Italians. Four-time winners, the Azzurri were a mainstay on the grandest stage. However, in qualifying for Russia in 2018, their lengthy tenure at the grandest dining table the beautiful game has to offer came to a bitter end. Sweden shockingly eliminated the Azzurri across two legs in a qualifying playoff, punching their tickets to Russia at Italy's expense. Four years later, North Macedonia stunned the Italians in Palermo, netting a last-gasp winner to once again hang the Azzurri out to dry. An England football flag - Source: Unsplash

Three Nations Looking To Break Long-Standing Curses at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

November 20, 2025 No Comments

The League of Ireland Premier Division stands as the pinnacle of domestic soccer in

1970/1971 Minnesota Vikings - Yesterday's Sports podcast episode 255

1970s Minnesota Vikings : Would A Better QB Helped Them Win A Super Bowl?

November 18, 2025 No Comments

Here’s a question I often hear, especially from Minnesota Vikings fans: Would the 1970

The 7 Most Successful Athletes From Delaware in the Last 20 Years

November 17, 2025 No Comments

Delaware may stand as the second smallest state, but it has delivered some of

How Sports Fandom Became a 24/7 Digital Spectacle

November 15, 2025 No Comments

Once, being a fan meant showing up on game day and turning off once

History Of Counter-Strike Skins

November 14, 2025 No Comments

Weapon cosmetics turned online battles into a showcase of style and status. The changing

Jim Finks photo with autograph

Jim Finks: A Builder of Winners

November 14, 2025 No Comments

Jim Finks could have spent his life as the answer to this trivia question,

1975 Baltimore Colts: A Year In Review

November 11, 2025 No Comments

From 1957 to 1971, the Baltimore Colts never experienced a losing season. They played

The Gambler Who Outsmarted the NFL: Inside the Mind of Haralabos Voulgaris

November 9, 2025 No Comments

Every professional gambler has a story about the one big win. Haralabos Voulgaris has

Leave a Comment Cancel reply