1908 in sports
| Years in sports: | 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s |
| Years: | 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 |
Baseball
- World Series - Chicago Cubs defeat Detroit Tigers, 4 games to 1
- September 23 - The Merkle incident, which finally costs New York the NL pennant
- Major League Baseball's lowest scoring season
- The St. Louis Cardinals set the current record for fewest runs scored in a season (372)
- The press corps organizes the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA)
Boxing
- December 26 - Jack Johnson becomes the first African American heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia
Field Hockey
Competitions
- Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in London, Great Britain
- Gold Medal: England
- Silver Medal: Ireland
- Bronze Medals: Scotland & Wales
Establishments
- February 8 – HDM, a Dutch field hockey club based in The Hague
- September 20 – HC Klein Zwitserland, a Dutch field hockey club located in The Hague
Football (Australian rules football)
- Victorian Football League
- Richmond and University join the league
- Carlton wins the 12th VFL Premiership (Carlton 5.5 (35) d Essendon 3.8 (26))
- See also Victorian Football League season 1908
Football (rugby league)
Rugby league begins in Australia, with the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League
- South Sydney Rabbitohs win the first title, defeating Eastern Suburbs Roosters 14-12 in the final
- Nine teams compete in the first year of competition: Balmain Tigers, Cumberland, Glebe Dirty Reds, Eastern Suburbs Roosters, Newcastle Rebels, Newtown Jets, North Sydney Bears, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Western Suburbs Magpies.
| Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Byes | For | Against | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 194 | 53 | 18 |
| Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 183 | 90 | 18 |
| Glebe Dirty Reds | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 106 | 63 | 16 |
| North Sydney Bears | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 155 | 66 | 14 |
| Newcastle Rebels | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 151 | 116 | 10 |
| Balmain Tigers | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 86 | 113 | 9 |
| Newtown Jets | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 70 | 148 | 5 |
| Western Suburbs Magpies | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 190 | 4 |
| Cumberland | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 38 | 191 | 4 |
Football (soccer)
England
- First Division - Manchester United wins the 1907-08 title.
- FA Cup - Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Newcastle United 3-1.
Ice Hockey
- Montreal Wanderers win their third Stanley Cup, beating the Ottawa Senators 2 games to 0.
Ice skating
- First ISU Championships for Pairs Figure Skating held in St. Petersburg
Olympic Games
- 1908 Summer Olympics takes place in London, United Kingdom
- Great Britain wins the most medals (145), and the most gold medals (56).
- Lacrosse is played as an olympic sport for the second and last time (first was in the 1904 Summer Olympics). Canada beat Great Britain and they were the only two nations to compete.
Births
- January 26 — Percy Beard, American javelin throwe (d. 1990)
- January 29 — Grete Heublein, German track and field athlete (d. 1997)
- February 17 — Red Barber, American baseball announcer, sports journalist (d. 1992)
- February 26 — Jean-Pierre Wimille, French racing driver (d. 1949)
- April 24 — Inga Gentzel, Swedish athlete (d. 1991)
- May 19 — Percy Williams, Canadian athlete (d. 1982)
- June 30 — David Baan, Dutch boxer (d. 1984)
- August 10 — Billy Gonsalves, American soccer player (d. 1977)
- August 20 — Al Lopez, American baseball catcher and manager (d. 2005)
- August 27 — Don Bradman, Australian cricketer (d. 2001)
- November 3 — Eddie Scarf, Australian boxer and wrestler (d. 1980)
Deaths
- April 20 - Henry Chadwick, baseball writer and historian