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Plants & Sport

When you think of the contribution that plants have made to our enjoyment of sport, some are very obvious, some less so.

Perhaps the first plant that springs to mind is grass. Many of our most well-loved outdoor sports are played on grass surfaces. It’s hard wearing, relatively low maintenance and it can cushion a fall! Recently, it also became very valuable. Turf from Wembley Football Stadium was auctioned off for hundreds of pounds per square foot!

But playing sports requires energy. This comes mainly from the carbohydrates provided by plants. Eating pasta, made from durum wheat, the day before a long run or a big game is called ‘carbo-loading’. And one banana contains about 602mg potassium, a mineral which is vital in regulating the heartbeat and controlling blood pressure.

Tennis rackets, archery bows and wooden golf clubs may now be made from metal or graphite, but they were originally made from different types of wood.

And one final thought. Who could imagine tennis at Wimbledon without strawberries and cream?

See the top 10 plants that we think have made the biggest difference to this category.