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 the 1949 St. Louis Cardinals.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1949 St. Louis Cardinals. That year the Cardinals finished 96-58, second in the National League.
Autographs include Marty Marion; Enos Slaughter; Nippy Jones; Frank Lane; Red Munger; Stan Musial; Joe Garagiola; Fred Martin; Bill Reeder; Gerry Staley; Bill Baker; Ted Wilks; Red Schoendienst; Rocky Nelson; Chuck Diering; Max Lanier; Al Brazle; Del Rice; Ron Northey; Eddie Kazak; Howie Pollett.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
associated institution
St. Louis Cardinals
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
CL.310547.152
accession number
310547
catalog number
310547.152
Jersey worn by New York Yankees relief pitcher Goose Gossage during the 1983 season.Right-handed relief pitcher Richard Goose Gossage played Major League baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1972-1976,) Pittsburgh Pirates (1977,) New York Yankees (1978-1983, 1989) San Diego Padres
Description
Jersey worn by New York Yankees relief pitcher Goose Gossage during the 1983 season.
Right-handed relief pitcher Richard Goose Gossage played Major League baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1972-1976,) Pittsburgh Pirates (1977,) New York Yankees (1978-1983, 1989) San Diego Padres (1984-1987,) Chicago Cubs (1988,) Texas Rangers (1991,) Oakland Athletics (1992-1993,) and Seattle Mariners (1994.) In 1990 the mustachioed closer threw for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB.)
The fastball specialist helped define the modern baseball's closer role, being put into a game during the later innings to preserve a lead. A 9-time All-Star, Gossage led the American League in saves three times, finishing his career with 310. He amassed 1,502 strikeouts in the Majors, with a lifetime 3.01 earned run average and 124-107 win-loss record. The Goose would win a world-series in 1978 with the Yankees.
During his singular season in the NPB, Gossage had eight saves and 40 strikeouts.
Gossage was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 and enshrined in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park in 2014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1983
Associated Name
Gossage, Rich “Goose”
New York Yankees
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
2017.0334.12
catalog number
2017.0334.12
accession number
2017.0334
Baseball jersey worn by second baseman, A.J. Ramirez, of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, during the 2017 total solar eclipse.
Description (Brief)
Baseball jersey worn by second baseman, A.J. Ramirez, of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, during the 2017 total solar eclipse. This' theme night' jersey was created in conjunction with NASA to promote the solar eclipse of 2017 which was to be seen at the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Oregon stadium during their game with the Hillsboro Hops. NASA eclipse glasses were handed out to the fans and the game was delayed almost an hour as the eclipse plunged the stadium in total darkness. The Hops went on to the win the game 9-5.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
2018.0038.01
accession number
2018.0038
catalog number
2018.0038.01
With a professional baseball career lasting from the jazz age to the space age, Pitcher Leroy Robert SatchelPaige (1906-1982) established himself not only as one of the most dominant American athletes of all time, but also one of the most remarkable.Paige earned the nickname "Sat
Description
With a professional baseball career lasting from the jazz age to the space age, Pitcher Leroy Robert SatchelPaige (1906-1982) established himself not only as one of the most dominant American athletes of all time, but also one of the most remarkable.
Paige earned the nickname "Satchel" as a boy, earning money carrying passenger's bags at the train station in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. Sent to the Industrial School for Negro Children in Mount Meigs at the age of 12 for a the minor offense of stealing some toy rings from a store, Paige worked on his baseball skills until his release just before his 18th birthday.
In 1924, Paige earned his first professional paycheck, pitching for the semi-professional outfit team the Mobile Tigers. 6' 3 and lanky, Paige dominated the opposition, and was signed to the Negro Southern League's Chattanooga Black Lookouts in 1927.
Paige thus began his lengthy and nomadic professional baseball career. Records for the various Negro League Organizations are scare scarce and incomplete, but we know that between 1926 and 1947 Paige played for the Lookouts, the Birmingham Black Barons, the Baltimore Black Sox, The Cleveland Cubs, The Pittsburgh Crawfords, The Kansas City Monarchs, The New York Black Yankees, the Memphis Red Sox and the Philadelphia Stars. He also moonlighted in other exhibition games, winter leagues and for a variety of barnstorming teams.
Paige was beloved not only for his dominance on the mound, but for his enthusiasm and cocksure personality. He loved to impress the crowd, striking out batters with speed and control. One of the more famous clubs for which Paige excelled was the 1942 Kansas City Monarchs, who won the Negro League World Series. The team, managed by Frank Duncan, and led Paige Buck O'Neil, is considered one of the most talented teams in Negro League history. As O'Neil has said of the club, "I do believe we could have given the New York Yankees a run for their money that year."
Paige finally got his chance to pitch before Major League audiences in 1948, two years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Signed mid-season by the Cleveland Indians, the living legend and oldest rookie in Major League history (42) set attendance records in Cleveland and Chicago on his first three starts.
Paige went 6-1 with the Indians, helping the team reach the World Series, where, called to the mound in game 5, he became the first African-American to pitch in a Major League Championship game. The Indians would take the title, defeating the Braves four games to two.
After pitching for Cleveland for another year, Paige briefly left Major League Baseball, barnstorming for a couple of years before returning to the Majors in 1951, signing with the St. Louis Browns and being named to two All-Star teams.
After leaving the Browns in 1953, Paige continued to pitch for barnstorming teams and in the minor leagues. Paige's last major league appearance was in 1965, where at 59, Paige played one game for the Kansas City A's, throwing threw three shut-out innings against the Boston Red Sox.
Paige's last turns on the mound came in 1967, pitching for the Indianapolis Clown, the last all-black baseball club. By his own estimation, he had pitched in about 2,500 games before finally putting down his glove for good.
Despite his popularity, success and lengthy career, Paige's true legacy has been lost due to the racial inequities that burdened his life. It is a true testament to his abilities and work ethic that he was able to become a living legend despite being forced to play outside of the Major Leagues for the majority of his career, as well as having to do so while facing wide-ranging discriminatory practices and bigotry. As he said himself in a 1982, the year of his death, They said I was the greatest pitcher they ever saw... I couldn't understand why they couldn't give me no justice.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1971 - 1982
Associated Name
Paige, Satchel
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
2017.0334.18
catalog number
2017.0334.18
accession number
2017.0334
Blue Milwaukee Braves baseball hat with red button and bill and white M.
Description
Blue Milwaukee Braves baseball hat with red button and bill and white M. Worn by pitcher Warren Spahn.
Left-handed pitcher Warren Spahn (1921-2003) played Major League Baseball for 21 seasons, all with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1942, 1946-1964) except for his final year, which was split between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants (1965.) From 1943-1945 he served in the United States Army during the Second World War.
A 17-time All-Star, Spahn retired with a 363-425 win-loss record, 2,583 strikeouts and a 3.09 earned run average. He led the National League in wins 8 times and strikeouts 4. In 1957, he won the Cy Young Award, helping lead the Braves to a World Series Championship.
A member of 1999's All Century Team , Spahn was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953-1964
Associated Name
Spahn, Warren
Milwaukee Braves
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
2017.0334.11
catalog number
2017.0334.11
accession number
2017.0334
In his day, Bill Russell (born 1934) was considered the best defensive center in the history of the game, initiating strategies that remain key to championship basketball.
Description (Brief)
In his day, Bill Russell (born 1934) was considered the best defensive center in the history of the game, initiating strategies that remain key to championship basketball. A star college player, 1956 Olympic gold medalist, and famed defensive center for the Boston Celtics, he became the first African American head coach in the NBA, coaching first the Celtics and later the Seattle Supersonics. This Wilson game ball marked Russell's 10,000th rebound; he ultimately achieved 21, 620.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962
associated institution
Boston Celtics
user
Russell, Bill
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
1979.0622.01
accession number
1979.0622
catalog number
1979.0622.01
Baseball, signed by various Negro League stars.
Description
Baseball, signed by various Negro League stars. These players played the majority of their careers between 1935-1950.
Autographs include Jimmie Crutchfield; Monte Irvin; Buck Leonard; Quincy Troppe; Chico Renfroe; Buck O'Neil; Connie Johnson; Chet Brewer; Pat Patterson; Satchel Paige; Joe Black; Minne Minoso; Judy Johnson; Andy Porter; Sammy T. Hughes; Hilton Smith; Newton Allen.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980 - 1981
signer
Minoso, Minnie
Johnson, Judy
Porter, Andy
Hughes, Sammy T.
Irvin, Monte
Leonard, Walter F.
Trouppe, Quincy
Renfroe, Chico
O'Neil, Buck
Johnson, Connie
Brewer, Chet
Patterson, Pat
Black, Joe
Allen, Newton
Smith, Hilton
Paige, Satchel
Crutchfield, Jimmie
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
1981.0180.01
catalog number
1981.0180.01
accession number
1981.0180
This ball was used in Super Bowl XIV, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 20, 1980. In the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19.
Description (Brief)
This ball was used in Super Bowl XIV, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 20, 1980. In the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19. It was the Steelers' fourth Super Bowl win and the second straight year that Terry Bradshaw took home the Most Valuable Player trophy.
The Wilson Sporting Goods Company introduced the Wilson Duke football during the early 1940s. Wilson has provided the official ball for the National Football League's Super Bowl since Super Bowl II in 1968.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
user
Pittsburgh Steelers
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
1980.0131.05
accession number
1980.0131
catalog number
1980.0131.05
Windbreaker worn by swimmer Jane Swagerty (Hill) at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics is dark blue nylon with a zip up front and a drawstring hood.
Description (Brief)
Windbreaker worn by swimmer Jane Swagerty (Hill) at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics is dark blue nylon with a zip up front and a drawstring hood. Hill won bronze in the 100 meter backstroke and swam in the preliminary heats for the 100 meter medley relay.
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
user
Swagerty, Jane
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
2018.0106.03
accession number
2018.0106
catalog number
2018.0106.03

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