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.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2015
user
Siegal, Justine
maker
Majestic Athletic, Ltd.
ID Number
2023.0070.02
accession number
2023.0070
catalog number
2023.0070.02
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.24
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.24
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.14
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.14
Color photograph of the donor's daughter, Elizabeth Hendel (at right) and her friend Lindsey Gucciardo holding the handmade Stanley Cup trophy and one of the posters passed out on the mall at the June12, 2018 parade for the Stanley Cup Champion, Washington Capitals.Curators often
Description (Brief)
Color photograph of the donor's daughter, Elizabeth Hendel (at right) and her friend Lindsey Gucciardo holding the handmade Stanley Cup trophy and one of the posters passed out on the mall at the June12, 2018 parade for the Stanley Cup Champion, Washington Capitals.
Curators often attend events in order to collect objects that pertain to a particular event. In this case, fan paraphernalia was collected from the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Parade celebration in 2019 to document the whole sports experience. Fan objects can tell quite a story about the fan, the team, the sport and what’s happening in society at a particular time. It also speaks to what the user or maker of that object was feeling at the time. Why did they carry that particular object on that particular day. This trophy was born from superstition, to visualize the Cup and perhaps a win for the Captials in their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance in 2008. The photographs document the family's use of this prop throughout the years and their level of dedication to their team.
The Washington Capitals were founded in 1974 as an expansion team and are a member of the Metropolitan Division of the eastern Conference in the National Hockey League. They played at the Capitals Center in Landover, Maryland until 1997 when they made the move to the Verizon Center located in the heart of Washington, DC. Ted Leonsis bought the team in 1999, drafted high profile players and began winning. Since 2009 the Capitals have won eleven division titles, three President’s trophies and in 2018, finally won the elusive Stanley Cup Championship.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2018
referenced
Washington Capitals
ID Number
2019.0096.07
accession number
2019.0096
catalog number
2019.0096.07
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.44
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.44
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.08
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.08
Rollercon Official Program, July 23-27, 2014.
Description (Brief)
Rollercon Official Program, July 23-27, 2014. Rollercon is the first All-Girl Roller Derby convention in Las Vegas, Nevada where more than 400 skaters from 50 leagues were represented from both flat track and banked leagues.
Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions name. In 2002, the Texas Rollergirls were formed from 65 members of the first BGGW teams after a disagreement over management practices caused a permanent split. BGGW took the remaining 15 skaters and became the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls forming a banked track league. The flat track derby uses a not-for-profit organizational model with skaters running the leagues and using their own money to buy rink time, produce tournaments, print programs and putting any money earned back into the organization.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2014
ID Number
2016.3108.06
nonaccession number
2016.3108
catalog number
2016.3108.06
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.10
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.10
Proof page for the title page of the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the title page of the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.02
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.02
Poster given to fans attending the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Parade held in Washington, DC on June 12, 2018.
Description (Brief)
Poster given to fans attending the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Parade held in Washington, DC on June 12, 2018. The Washington Capitals were founded in 1974 as an expansion team and are a member of the Metropolitan Division of the eastern Conference in the National Hockey League. They played at the Capitals Center in Landover, Maryland until 1997 when they made the move to the Verizon Center located in the heart of Washington, DC. Ted Leonsis bought the team in 1999, drafted high profile players and began winning. Since 2009 the Capitals have won eleven division titles, three President’s trophies and in 2018, finally won the elusive Stanley Cup Championship.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2018
depicted
Washington Capitals
ID Number
2018.3064.02
nonaccession number
2018.3064
catalog number
2018.3064.02
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.17
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.17
The Shaggo skateboard shown here was made by Strand skateboards and is made of wood laminate with layers of blue, gray and blond colored wood but it is the top surface of the Shaggo that makes it unique.
Description (Brief)
The Shaggo skateboard shown here was made by Strand skateboards and is made of wood laminate with layers of blue, gray and blond colored wood but it is the top surface of the Shaggo that makes it unique. The top of the board is covered with black, pink, white and silver shag carpet. The donor, Jeff Atkinson, is the maker of the board and found that carpet lessens vibration and makes for a smoother ride. This is marketed to younger riders that have a more recreational use in mind as the added weight and texture would weigh down the more serious competitive skater.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2012
inventor
Atkinson, Jeff
ID Number
2013.0010.01
accession number
2013.0010
catalog number
2013.0010.01
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.62
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.62
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.55
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.55
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.19
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.19
T-shirt worn by Jack Smith during his 2018 solo ride across the country.Jack Smith began skating in 1974 and entered his first contest, the Bahne-Cadillac/Del Mar Nationals, in 1975.
Description (Brief)
T-shirt worn by Jack Smith during his 2018 solo ride across the country.
Jack Smith began skating in 1974 and entered his first contest, the Bahne-Cadillac/Del Mar Nationals, in 1975. On a whim the next year, he and a few friends decided to skate across the country and he has made the trip three other times since. It took only 26 days in 1984 and in 2003 he skated again but this time for a cause, “Skateboarding Across America on Board for Lowe Syndrome.” Smith’s son was diagnosed with this genetic disease and passed away in 2003 so to raise awareness he and three friends took a month to make the trip. The fourth trip across the country took place in 2013 with his son, Dylan and a few other skateboarding devotees. “Skateboarding Across America to End Alzheimer’s” was to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s which Smith’s father had passed away from that May. Smith took yet another trip across America in the summer of 2018, this time going solo. Smith was riding an Inboard Technology electric skateboard and the journey from Mountain Home, Idaho to Washington DC, all 2394 miles of it took 45 days. Smith still skates today and, with his wife, currently runs the Morro Bay Skate Museum in Morro Bay, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2018
user
Smith, Jack
maker
Port and Company
ID Number
2018.0237.05
accession number
2018.0237
catalog number
2018.0237.05
Eclipse glasses given to fans and players at the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes baseball game played during the 2017 solar eclipse.
Description (Brief)
Eclipse glasses given to fans and players at the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes baseball game played during the 2017 solar eclipse. The glasses were produced by 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
ID Number
2018.0038.02
accession number
2018.0038
catalog number
2018.0038.02
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.56
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.56
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.43
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.43
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.69
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.69
This is the second iteration of the prototype skateboard designed by professional skater Cindy Whitehead and manufactured by Dwindle Distribution in 2015.
Description (Brief)
This is the second iteration of the prototype skateboard designed by professional skater Cindy Whitehead and manufactured by Dwindle Distribution in 2015. Whitehead used her skate background to create the “Girl Is Not A 4 Letter Word” brand which includes Cindy’s original art work. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a centerfold in a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, a job title she also created. Whitehead is especially supportive of young female skaters through her “Girl Is Not A 4 Letter Word” skate team and her products which are geared towards women and girls. Whitehead’s signature phrase printed in gold on many of the “Girl Is Not A 4 Letter Word” products personifies her independent spirit, "Live life balls to the wall. Do epic shit. Take every dare that comes your way. You can sleep when you’re dead."
Location
Currently on loan
date made
2015
user
Whitehead, Cindy
distributor
Dwindle Inc. dba Dwindle Distribution
maker
Dwindle Inc. dba Dwindle Distribution
ID Number
2019.0092.01
accession number
2019.0092
catalog number
2019.0092.01
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.68
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.68
Color photograph of a roller derby girl getting acupuncture, 2011 taken by Andreanna Seymore the official photographer for USA Roller Derby at the First World Cup in Toronto, Canada, 2011.
Description (Brief)
Color photograph of a roller derby girl getting acupuncture, 2011 taken by Andreanna Seymore the official photographer for USA Roller Derby at the First World Cup in Toronto, Canada, 2011. Seymore is a freelance photographer who joined the Hellions of Troy in 2008 and became a member of the close knit, roller derby community.
Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions name. In 2002, the Texas Rollergirls were formed from 65 members of the first BGGW teams after a disagreement over management practices caused a permanent split. BGGW took the remaining 15 skaters and became the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls forming a banked track league. The flat track derby uses a not-for-profit organizational model with skaters running the leagues and using their own money to buy rink time, produce tournaments, print programs and putting any money earned back into the organization.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2011
ID Number
2016.3110.04
nonaccession number
2016.3110
catalog number
2016.3110.04
2011 Iditarod sports card of musher Ken Anderson and his sled dog team on the trail, sponsored by the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard sponsored Anderson’s Iditarod runs from 2011 through 2013. Ken Anderson began mushing at age 3 in his native Minnesota.
Description (Brief)
2011 Iditarod sports card of musher Ken Anderson and his sled dog team on the trail, sponsored by the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard sponsored Anderson’s Iditarod runs from 2011 through 2013. Ken Anderson began mushing at age 3 in his native Minnesota. He moved to Alaska in 1993 to attend the University of Alaska and began running the Iditarod in 1999. He owns and operates Windy Creek Kennels with his wife, Gwen, also an Iditarod musher and they compete in sprint and marathon races in the lower ‘48’ and Europe. The Andersons are the first husband and wife to race in the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest.
The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is an extreme sports challenge that tests the skill and endurance of competitors while celebrating Alaska’s sled dog culture and history. Teams of 12 to 16 dogs, primarily Alaskan Huskies, and their musher experience harsh terrain and weather conditions during the 1,150 mile run from Anchorage to Nome. In its modern iteration as an extreme sport, the Iditarod takes an intense physical toll not only on the human competitors but also on the sled dogs. The race follows a large network of Native trade and travel routes which travelers used when gold was discovered in the isolated town of Iditarod. This discovery led to a “rush” of miners and settlers from across the country, transforming the trail into the region’s main mail and supply route. The area’s harsh winter conditions made sled dog teams the main source of transportation along the Iditarod Trail and it is this rich history which the Iditarod race celebrates today. In 1978 Congress designated the 2300 mile Iditarod Trail as a National Historic Trail recognizing its importance in the shaping of America. Through its beginnings as a regional story, the Iditarod provides us the opportunity to explore the American Experience through the origins of the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the transformation of the Alaskan sled dog culture into an international sport. The Iditarod is now the largest and most prominent sled dog race in the world, attracting international competitors and world-wide media attention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2011
depicted
Anderson, Ken
ID Number
2013.3023.04
nonaccession number
2013.3023
catalog number
2013.3023.04

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