November 18 – On the final game of its season, the Harvard University college football team, having a record of 10 wins (nine by shutout) and no defeats, hosts its rival, Yale University (7-1-0) and plays to a scoreless tie before 35,000 fans. Although Harvard's 1899 streak of defeating every opponent is ended by the tie, the Crimson team will be selected retroactively (and recognized by the NCAA Record Book) as the 1899 mythical national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation.
Cleveland Spiders finish last in the twelve-team NL and establish an all-time major league record with 134 losses in a season, 84 games behind the pennant winner and 35 games out of 11th place. The team plays 113 games on the road, losing a record 102. They are dropped during the off-season when the National League contracts from twelve to eight teams.
Kansas played their first men's basketball game against the Kansas City YMCA, losing 5–16. The Jayhawks were coached by the inventor of basketball James Naismith. Kansas quickly became one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the nation.
Four of the five Test matches in the 1899 Ashes series are drawn. Australia wins the Second Test at Lord's to take the series 1–0, their first series win in England since the original Ashes match in 1882.
Worcestershire becomes the fifteenth team in the County Championship, debuting with an 11-run loss to Yorkshire despite earning a 78-run lead on first innings. They eventually finished twelfth with two wins in 12 games.
W G Grace plays his last first-class game for Gloucestershire, having fallen out with them over his involvement with London County.
K S Ranjitsinhji becomes the first batsman to score 3000 runs in a season.
The Tour de France Trail is held 16–24 July over a distance of 2172.5 km. The winner is René De Knyff driving a Panhard-Levassor in a time of 44:43:39. The race is sometimes referred to in retrospect as the IV Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.[6]
