Sports & Leisure

The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—at NASCAR races, kiddie soccer matches, and countless other contests. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, the roughly 6.000 objects in the Museum's sports collections bear witness to the vital place of sports in the nation's history. Paper sports objects in the collections, such as souvenir programs and baseball cards, number in the hundreds of thousands.

Leisure collections encompass a different range of objects, including camping vehicles and gear, video games, playing cards, sportswear, exercise equipment, and Currier and Ives prints of fishing, hunting, and horseracing. Some 4,000 toys dating from the colonial period to the present are a special strength of the collections.

Baseball signed by participants in the 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The exhibition was held on July 10th in Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. It was won by the National League All-Stars by a score of 3-1.
Description
Baseball signed by participants in the 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The exhibition was held on July 10th in Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. It was won by the National League All-Stars by a score of 3-1. The game's MVP was Montreal Expo's catcher Gary Carter. The ball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include Al Holland; Keith Hernandez; Dwight Gooden; Bob Brenly; Tim Wallach; Charlie Lea; Rafael Ramirez; Mike Schmidt; Mario Soto; Dale Murphy; Jesse Orosco; Tim Wallach; Tim Raines; Chili Davis; Jody Davis; Tony Gwynn; Ryne Sandberg.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
maker
Rawlings
ID Number
1996.0342.109
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.109
Baseball signed by the 1982 San Francisco Giants. That season the Giants finished 87-75, 3rd in the National League West.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1982 San Francisco Giants. That season the Giants finished 87-75, 3rd in the National League West. The ball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include Frank Robinson; Bob Brenly; Chris Brown; Chili Davis; Jose Barrios; Reggie Smith; Mark Dempsey; Dan Schatzeder; Joe Morgan; Jack Clark.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
presenter
Los Angeles Dodgers
maker
Rawlings
ID Number
1996.0342.107
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.107
Baseball signed by the 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 79-83, 3rd in the National League West.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 79-83, 3rd in the National League West. The ball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include Dusty Baker; Steve Yeager; Burt Hooton; Von Joshua; Bill Russell; Johnny Oates; Don Sutton; Pedro Guererro; Steve Garvey.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1979
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
ID Number
1996.0342.108
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.108
This ball was signed by members of the 1984 San Francisco Giants. That season the Giants finished 66-96, 6th in the National League West.
Description
This ball was signed by members of the 1984 San Francisco Giants. That season the Giants finished 66-96, 6th in the National League West. The autographed baseball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include George Riley; Joel Youngblood; Mark Calvert; Bob Brenly; Dusty Baker; Chris Brown; John Rabb; Dan Gladden; Steve Nicosia; Mark Grant; Bill Laskey; Scot Thompson; Fran Mullins; John Clark; Duane Kuiper.
Location
Currently not on view
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
manufacturer
Rawlings
ID Number
1996.0342.106
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.106
Baseball autographed by the 1971 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 89-73, 2nd in the National League West.
Description

Baseball autographed by the 1971 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 89-73, 2nd in the National League West. The autographed baseball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.

Autographs include Bill Sudakis; Willie Crawford; Jim Lefebvre; Bill Grabarkewitz; Jim Brewer; Sandy Vance; Don Sutton; Willie Crawford; Bill Buckner; Bill Singer; Hoyt Wilhelm; Bob O'Brien; Al Downing; Pete Mikkelsen; Maury Wills; Bill Russell; Tom Haller.

Location
Currently not on view
presentation date
1971
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
presenter
Los Angeles Dodgers
manufacturer
Spalding
ID Number
1996.0342.105
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.105

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