15 Christmas sports memories: Billy Martin, Ed Podolak, LeBron James and Bernard King

Billy Martin, LeBron James, Patrick Ewing, Bernard King are among those athletes tied to Christmas.

Soccer 1914

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The Christmas truce match was a friendly game of soccer between German and British troops at the height of World War I. It reportedly was the Germans who had the idea to wish their British counterparts a Merry Christmas and have a day of peace after trucking in Christmas trees and holiday goods to the front lines. Eventually, the sides began mingling with each other and began kicking around a soccer ball. Legend has it, the British troops defeated the Germans 3-2.