The Simpsons: Springfield's greatest sporting moments – quiz

Mr Burns’ plan for an all-star softball team didn’t quite pan out as he had hoped. Photograph: TM and © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved

1. In 'The Cartridge Family', Homer buys a gun after an international soccer game leads to a city-wide riot. But which two teams were playing?

   1. Brazil and Argentina

   2. England and Germany

   3. USA and Iran

   4. Mexico and Portugal

2. Which Super Bowl winning NFL quarterback features in the gridiron-themed episode 'Bart Star'?

   1. Dan Marino

   2. John Elway

   3. Joe Namath

   4. Bart Starr

3. In a 1991 episode, Homer throws a party to watch the Watson-Tatum fight on illegal cable. What is the fight's tagline?

   1. The Brawl in the Mall

   2. The Night of the Big Fight

   3. The Throw Down Showdown

   4. The Bout to Knock the Other Guy Out

4. 

   Homer later ends up in the ring with Drederick Tatum after pursuing an ill-advised career in boxing. How does the fight end?

   1. After a brutal first round, Grampa Simpson steps in to throw the towel

   2. Unable to be knocked out, Homer withstands Tatum's blows for 12 rounds but loses on points

   3. Homer's trainer, Moe, swoops in on a paraglider and rescues Homer

   4. While chatting to a friend seated ringside, Tatum is floored by a Simpson haymaker in the third

5. In season six, Bart and Lisa end up on opposing sides when the Mighty Pigs face the Kwik-E-Mart Gougers. But what sport are they playing?

   1. Ice hockey

   2. Basketball

   3. American football

   4. Lacrosse

6. Krusty the Clown ends up in debt after betting thousands of dollars on what unlikely result?

   1. The Cubs winning the World Series

   2. The USA beating the Soviet ice hockey team

   3. The Harlem Globetrotters losing a match

   4. The Cleveland Browns winning the Super Bowl

7. Krusty doesn't have much luck with sports. In a flashback episode, what controversial moment costs him millions of dollars?

   1. The 1984 Olympic boycott led by the Soviet Union

   2. Ben Johnson being stripped of his Olympic gold medal

   3. Michael Jordan swapping basketball for minor-league baseball

   4. Lance Armstrong winning his first Tour de France

8. Which Brazilian was the first footballer to perform a cameo role in an episode?

   1. Ronaldo

   2. Socrates

   3. Pelé

   4. Ronaldinho

9. In 'Homer at the Bat', Mr Burns recruits nine Major League Baseball players to the nuclear plant softball team, but many of them encounter misfortune. What fate befalls Ken Griffey Jr?

   1. A hypnotist makes him think he is a chicken

   2. He is arrested on multiple counts of murder

   3. His face swells up after overdosing on nerve tonic

   4. He gets knocked out by Barney at Moe's Tavern

10. 

    Who is the only MLB player to make the plant's championship game, leaving Homer free to accidentally score the winning run?

    1. José Canseco

    2. Ozzie Smith

    3. Mike Scioscia

    4. Darryl Strawberry

11. 'Lisa the Greek', an episode that aired in January 1992, correctly predicted the outcome of what event?

    1. Super Bowl XXVI

    2. The Olympic men's 100m final

    3. The Cricket World Cup final

    4. The Winter Olympic hockey final

12. One for the purists: what free gift comes with classic video game Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge?

    1. A set of golf tees

    2. A scoring pencil

    3. An official cap

    4. A putter

13. Sticking with computer games, what sport does Homer invent in 'The Simpsons: Tapped Out'?

    1. Homerball

    2. Tap Ball

    3. Simpsonball

    4. Dohball

14. 

    In 2001, four legendary US tennis players played doubles on the Simpsons' backyard court. But who does Homer steal money from?

    1. Venus Williams

    2. Serena Williams

    3. Andre Agassi

    4. Pete Sampras

15. Finally, which real-life minor league baseball team's name was inspired by a Simpsons storyline?

    1. Springfield Cardinals

    2. Toledo Mud Hens

    3. Albuquerque Isotopes

    4. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Solutions

1:D - There was fast kicking, low scoring ... and ties!, 2:C - The former Jets quarterback drops in to give Bart some advice on playing under center - but never finishes his sentence., 3:D - 'This time ... it's for money!', 4:C - His tactic enrages Lucius Sweet, a money-hungry boxing promoter who bears a striking resemblance to Don King, 5:A - The siblings decide not to contest a vital penalty shot, and the game is tied. Cue rioting in the stands, 6:C - 'I thought the Generals were due!', 7:A - In a reference to a disastrous McDonald's campaign, Krusty Burger's giveaway to celebrate US golds becomes dangerously expensive when Eastern bloc countries pull out, 8:A - The original Ronaldo shows up, somewhat incongruously, to accuse Lisa of diving. Pelé did feature in an early episode – voiced by Hank Azaria., 9:C - Roger Clemens gets hypnotised, Steve Sax gets arrested, and Wade Boggs gets knocked out, 10:D - Canseco is held up rescuing a woman (and her furniture) from a house fire; Scioscia suffers radiation poisoning; Smith visits the Springfield Mystery Spot, never to be seen again., 11:A - The episode predicted that Washington would beat Buffalo, which they did three days later. It was redubbed the following year, then replayed in 1994 - both times correctly calling a Dallas win over the hapless Bills., 12:B - The fictional (and very dull) game was based on 'Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf', released on the NES in 1988., 13:B - Created because he finds all other sports boring, Homer's creation has 'only sixty-seven rules, with sub-rules and clarifications', 14:D - It wasn't a classic episode., 15:C - In a 2001 episode, Homer stops the Springfield Isotopes baseball team from moving to Albuquerque. When the Calgary Cannons relocated to New Mexico a year later, fans voted to take on the name.

Scores

1. 2 and above.

   Don't have a cow, man

2. 1 and above.

   Don't have a cow, man

3. 4 and above.

   D'oh!

4. 5 and above.

   D'oh!

5. 7 and above.

   Ay caramba ...

6. 8 and above.

   Ay caramba ...

7. 10 and above.

   You are so smart, SMRT

8. 11 and above.

   You are so smart, SMRT

9. 9 and above.

   Ay caramba ...

10. 12 and above.

    You are so smart, SMRT

11. 6 and above.

    Ay caramba ...

12. 3 and above.

    D'oh!

13. 0 and above.

    Don't have a cow, man