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.

Opening ceremonies dress worn by Sharon Callahan (McKniff) at the1968 Mexico City Olympic Games is a white, long sleeve dress with blue and red "V" shaped stripes on the front.
Description (Brief)
Opening ceremonies dress worn by Sharon Callahan (McKniff) at the1968 Mexico City Olympic Games is a white, long sleeve dress with blue and red "V" shaped stripes on the front. Callahan competed in the high jump as a member of the US Olympic track and field team of 1968.
The 1968 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad were held in Mexico City, Mexico with 110 countries and 4,735 men and 781 women athletes participating. These were also the first to be held in Latin America and the first in a Spanish speaking country. The 1968 US Olympic track and field team was one of the most successful track teams’ winning twenty-four medals, including twelve gold. The high altitude of Mexico City was attributed to many of the records broken in the short distance races although those in the endurance races suffered from the lack of oxygen. These games also introduced the world to the Fosbury flop as Dick Fosbury won the gold with a new backward approach to the high jump, 16-year-old Debbie Meyer became the first US woman to win three individual golds in swimming and newcomer, George Foreman won gold in boxing. These Games were the first to subject athletes to drug testing which led to the first disqualification of an athlete after drinking a beer before his pentathlon competition. The politically charged atmosphere around the globe that year also contributed to controversy on the medal podium when two African-American athletes held black gloved hands high and bowed their heads during the National Anthem in response to the civil rights protests prevalent in the United States. The US won the medal count with 107.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
ID Number
2017.0007.11
accession number
2017.0007
catalog number
2017.0007.11
Dress worn by H. Matsdorf of West Germany at the1968 Mexico City Summer Olympic Games. Lewis was given the dress by Matsdorf following the Olympic Games.
Description (Brief)
Dress worn by H. Matsdorf of West Germany at the1968 Mexico City Summer Olympic Games. Lewis was given the dress by Matsdorf following the Olympic Games. Lewis, a high school volleyball player made the national team in 1967 which won a gold medal at the Pan American Games that same year. After competing in the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City, she joined the UCLA Bruins volleyball team in 1969 and led the Bruins to their first women's championship in 1972.
The 1968 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad were held in Mexico City, Mexico with 110 countries and 4,735 men and 781 women athletes participating. These were also the first to be held in Latin America and the first in a Spanish speaking country. The 1968 US Olympic track and field team was one of the most successful track teams’ winning twenty-four medals, including twelve gold. The high altitude of Mexico City was attributed to many of the records broken in the short distance races although those in the endurance races suffered from the lack of oxygen. These games also introduced the world to the Fosbury flop as Dick Fosbury won the gold with a new backward approach to the high jump, 16-year-old Debbie Meyer became the first US woman to win three individual golds in swimming and newcomer, George Foreman won gold in boxing. These Games were the first to subject athletes to drug testing which led to the first disqualification of an athlete after drinking a beer before his pentathlon competition. The politically charged atmosphere around the globe that year also contributed to controversy on the medal podium when two African-American athletes held black gloved hands high and bowed their heads during the National Anthem in response to the civil rights protests prevalent in the United States. The US won the medal count with 107.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
ID Number
2017.0098.05.1
accession number
2017.0098
catalog number
2017.0098.05.1

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