College championship
College football national championship – Penn QuakersBrazil
25 March — Clube Atlético Mineiro foundedEngland
The Football League – Manchester United 52 points, Aston Villa 43, Manchester City 43, Newcastle United 42, The Wednesday 42, Middlesbrough 41FA Cup final – Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 Newcastle United at Crystal Palace, LondonBradford Park Avenue (1908–70) and Tottenham Hotspur elected to the Football League after Lincoln City and Stoke FC are expelled. Stoke FC is not involved in the election process but goes into receivership soon afterwards and is replaced by Tottenham Hotspur, who have lost the election to Bradford Park Avenue.Germany
National Championship – Viktoria Berlin 3–0 Stuttgarter Kickers at Berlin-TempelhofGreece
3 February — Panathinaikos, Greece's most successful sports club is founded in Athens, Greece by Georgios Kalafatis.Italy
9 March — Internazionale Milan foundedMexico
Club Union of Mexico becomes Club Deportivo GuadalajaraNetherlands
19 July — Feyenoord Rotterdam foundedScotland
Scottish Football League – CelticScottish Cup final – Celtic 5–1 St Mirren at Hampden ParkVFL Premiership
Carlton wins the 12th VFL Premiership: Carlton 5.5 (35) d Essendon 3.8 (26) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)Events
Richmond and University join the VFLBandy
Sweden
Championship final – Djurgårdens IF 3–1 Östergötlands BFWorld Series
10–14 October — Chicago Cubs (NL) defeats Detroit Tigers (AL) to win the 1908 World Series by 4 games to 1Events
23 September — the Merkle incident, which finally costs New York Giants the NL pennantMajor League Baseball's lowest scoring season including the current record for fewest runs scored in a season by one team: 372 by St. Louis CardinalsBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) foundedEvents
4 July — Battling Nelson recovers his World Lightweight Championship from Joe Gans with a 17th-round knockout at Colma, CaliforniaWorld Middleweight Champion Stanley Ketchel loses his title on 7 September to Billy Papke by a 12th-round technical knockout at Vernon, California, but regains it on 26 November at Colma, California, where he knocks out Papke in the 11th roundOctober – Mike "Twin" Sullivan vacates the World Welterweight Championship which remains unresolved until 191426 December — Jack Johnson becomes the first African American World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Tommy Burns at Sydney, Australia. Johnson holds the title until 1915.Lineal world champions
World Heavyweight Championship – Tommy Burns → Jack JohnsonWorld Light Heavyweight Championship – vacantWorld Middleweight Championship – Stanley Ketchel → Billy Papke → Stanley KetchelWorld Welterweight Championship – Mike "Twin" Sullivan → vacantWorld Lightweight Championship – Joe Gans → Battling NelsonWorld Featherweight Championship – Abe AttellWorld Bantamweight Championship – Jimmy WalshEngland
County Championship – YorkshireMinor Counties Championship – StaffordshireMost runs – Tom Hayward 2337 @ 45.82 (HS 175)Most wickets – Colin Blythe 197 @ 16.88 (BB 8–83)Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Walter Brearley, Lord Hawke, Jack Hobbs, Alan Marshal, John NewsteadAustralia
Sheffield Shield – VictoriaMost runs – Joe Hardstaff senior 1360 @ 52.30 (HS 135)Most wickets – Jack Saunders and Jack Crawford 66 apieceIndia
Bombay Triangular – ParseesNew Zealand
Plunket Shield – AucklandSouth Africa
Currie Cup – not contestedWest Indies
Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contestedTour de France
Lucien Petit-Breton (France) wins the 6th Tour de FranceOlympic Games (Men's Competition)
Gold Medal – EnglandSilver Medal – IrelandBronze Medals – Scotland & WalesEvents
Inaugural International Skating Union (ISU) Championships for pair skating is held at Saint PetersburgFigure skating is held at the 1908 Summer Olympics and is the first winter sport to feature at the Olympics — 16 years before the inaugural Winter Games is heldWorld Figure Skating Championships
World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)World Women's Champion – Lily Kronberger (Hungary)World Pairs Champions – Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger (Germany)1908 Summer Olympics
Men's individual – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)Men's special figures – Nikolai Panin (Russia)Women's individual – Madge Syers (Great Britain)Pairs – Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger (Germany)Major tournaments
British Open – James BraidUS Open – Fred McLeodOther tournaments
British Amateur – Edward LassenUS Amateur – Jerome TraversEngland
Grand National – Rubio1,000 Guineas Stakes – Rhodora2,000 Guineas Stakes – Norman IIIEpsom Derby – SignorinettaEpsom Oaks – SignorinettaSt. Leger Stakes – Your MajestyAustralia
Melbourne Cup – Lord NolanCanada
Queen's Plate – SeismicIreland
Irish Grand National – Lord RiversIrish Derby Stakes – Wild BouquetUSA
Kentucky Derby – Stone StreetPreakness Stakes – Royal TouristBelmont Stakes – ColinEvents
January 2 — The first All-Star game in ice hockey history is held at Montreal to benefit the widow of Hod Stuart, killed in an off-season swimming accident.Stanley Cup
January 9–13 – Montreal Wanderers defeat the Ottawa Victorias 9–3, 13–1 (22–4) in a two-game challenge to retain the Stanley Cup.March 7 — Montreal Wanderers win the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) championship for the third year in a row and successfully defend the Stanley Cup.March 10–12 – Montreal Wanderers defeat Winnipeg Maple Leafs 11–5, 9–3 (20–8) in a two-game challenge.March 14 – Montreal Wanderers defeat Toronto Professionals 6–4 in a one-game challenge to retain the Stanley Cup.Events
Lacrosse is played as an Olympic sport for the second and last time (the first having been in 1904). Canada defeats Great Britain: they are the only two teams to compete.French Grand Prix
7 July — the third French Grand Prix, organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), is run at Dieppe over 477.48 miles (47.74 miles x 10 laps). The winner is Christian Lautenschlager of Germany driving a Mercedes GP in 6:46:33.0 at an average speed of 69.05 mph. The race is retrospectively referred to as the XI Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.Vanderbilt Cup
Not having been contested in 1907, the Vanderbilt Cup is revived for its 4th running at Long Island over 258.06 miles (23.460 miles x 11 laps). The winner is George Robertson (USA) driving a Locomobile in 4:00:48.2.American Grand Prize
Billed as the I Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America, the inaugural American Grand Prize takes place at Savannah, Georgia over 402.080 miles (25.130 miles x 16 laps) and is won by Louis Wagner driving a FIAT in 6:10:31.4 at an average speed of 65.111 mph.1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics takes place in LondonGreat Britain wins the most medals (145) and the most gold medals (56)The Boat Race
4 April — Cambridge wins the 65th Oxford and Cambridge Boat RaceEvents
Hunslet becomes the first team to achieve the celebrated "All Four Cups" featEngland
Championship – HunsletChallenge Cup final – Hunslet 14–0 Hull at Fartown Ground, HuddersfieldLancashire League Championship – OldhamYorkshire League Championship – HunsletLancashire Cup – Oldham 16–9 Broughton RangersYorkshire Cup – Hunslet 17–0 HalifaxAustralia
Professional rugby league begins in Australia with the formation of the New South Wales Rugby LeagueSouth Sydney wins the first Australian championship, defeating Eastern Suburbs 14–12 in the finalFirst Australian national rugby league team embarks on the inaugural 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great BritainHome Nations Championship
26th Home Nations Championship series is won by WalesAs Wales also defeats France in a 1908 non-championship match, its team is retrospectively regarded as a Grand Slam winnerSpeed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Oscar Mathisen (Norway)Australia
Australian Men's Singles Championship – Fred Alexander (USA) defeats Alfred Dunlop (Australia) 3–6 3–6 6–0 6–2 6–3England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Gore (GB) defeats Herbert Barrett (GB) 6–3 6–2 4–6 3–6 6–4Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Charlotte Cooper Sterry defeats Agnes Morton 6–4 6–4France
French Men's Singles Championship – Max Decugis defeats Maurice Germot: details unknownFrench Women's Singles Championship – Kate Gillou-Fenwick defeats Pean: details unknownUSA
American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned defeats Beals Wright 6–1 6–2 8–6American Women's Singles Championship – Maud Barger-Wallach defeats Evelyn Sears 6–3 1–6 6–3Davis Cup
1908 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – Australasia 3–2 United States at Albert Ground (grass) Melbourne, Australia