The Sports began in the thick of Melbourne's Mushroom Records scene in the mid-‘70s, which gave birth to the Oz pub-rock revolution. A collaboration of sharp players who'd honed their skills in the others bands around town, The Sports never got close to the status or record sales of some of their contemporaries such as Skyhooks and Split Enz, but they were a firm favourite of the local live scene. Influenced by everything from rock to ska to jazz, they produced a string of memorable radio songs from the era, although none of their singles ever managed to crack the Top 20. Several members—namely singer Stephen Cummings and guitarists Andrew Pendlebury and Martin Armiger—all individually went on to bigger things following The Sports' 1981 breakup.