Anything that can capture the interest of students can be used to enhance the teaching of physics, and sport is practised, watched and followed fanatically by almost every young person. At the same time, in recent years, a wealth of research data has become available from the field of sports science. The purpose of this article is to draw from this data and to present simplified physical models of the mechanics and kinematics behind seven popular sporting events, providing teachers with ideas for making their classes more exciting. (Contains 7 figures.)