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.
"Sports & Leisure - Overview" showing 465 items.
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"Volito" In-line Roller Skate
- Description
- Before the invention of indoor rinks, ice skaters turned to the Volito when they needed to practice and didn't have access to ice. This in-line skate consisted of a wooden sole, a single row of five wooden wheels, and a curved iron bar at the front that served as a rudimentary brake. What made the Volito superior to other models, however, was the unequal size of its wheels —larger at the center and smaller at the ends. This simple modification allowed the skater to execute turns more easily.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1823
- maker
- Tyers, Robert John
- ID Number
- CL*64.1040
- catalog number
- 64.1040
- accession number
- 270696
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Boxing Gloves
- Description
- Muhammad Ali (b. 1942) "The Greatest" gained fame for his boxing skills, charisma and the controversy he generated outside the ring. In 1976 the Smithsonian acquired Ali's boxing gloves and robe for an exhibition on the American Bicentennial, A Nation of Nations. At the donation ceremony, before a crowd of reporters and cheering spectators, Ali predicted that his Everlast gloves would become"the most famous thing in this building."
- Date made
- ca 1974
- user
- Ali, Muhammad
- maker
- Everlast
- ID Number
- 1977.1073.01
- accession number
- 1977.1073
- catalog number
- 1977.1073.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Boxing Robe
- Description
- Muhammad Ali (b.1942) "The Greatest," gained fame for his boxing skills, carisma and the controversy he generated outside the ring. In 1976 the Smithsonian acquired Ali's boxing gloves and robe for an exhibition on the American Bicentennial, A Nation of Nations. At the donation ceremony, before a crowd of reporters and cheering spectators, Ali predicted that his Everlast gloves would become "the most famous thing in this building."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1974
- user
- Ali, Muhammad
- ID Number
- 1977.1073.02
- accession number
- 1977.1073
- catalog number
- 1977.1073.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat
- Description
- St. Louis Cardinal Stan "The Man" Musial (b. 1920) used this Louisville Slugger to collect his 3,000th hit on May 13, 1958, in Chicago's Wrigley Field. The umpires later presented him with the bat.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1950s
- date made
- 195
- 1958
- associated institution
- Saint Louis Cardinals
- user
- Musial, Stan
- maker
- Hillerich & Bradsby Co.
- Louisville Slugger
- ID Number
- 1979.0620.01
- accession number
- 1979.0620
- catalog number
- 1979.0620.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hockey Gloves, worn by Bobby Orr
- Description (Brief)
- These gloves were worn by NHL defenseman Bobby Orr (b. 1948) while a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Best remembered as a star for the Boston Bruins, Orr did not join the Blackhawks until his final years. While his time in Chicago was undistinguished, it serves as a reminder that even the most venerated professional athletes often play for more than one team over the course of their careers.
- In 1966, Canadian teenager Robert “Bobby” Orr signed the richest contract in National Hockey League History to join the Bruins. Orr promptly won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie, and helped to quickly turn the struggling franchises fortunes around, winning Stanley Cups in 1970 & 1972. Orr’s 1969-1970 campaign, in which he became the first player to win all four major Hockey Awards; the Norris, Art Ross, Hart and Conn Smythe trophies, is generally regarded as the greatest individual season in league history. Orr’s extraordinary offensive prowess revolutionized the role of the defenseman. His exciting style of play promoted his sport, bringing more widespread attention to the NHL.
- Following the dubious advice of an agent, Orr signed with the Blackhawks in 1976. Knee injuries limited his effectiveness, and he played in a mere 26 games before retiring shortly after the start of the 1978 season. While Orr’s brief stint is Chicago is largely forgotten, his remarkable career has not been; in 1979, the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its rules so that Orr could enter early, making him the youngest player yet enshrined. That same year Orr was awarded the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He has stayed involved in hockey since his retirement.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1979.0634.02
- accession number
- 1979.0634
- catalog number
- 1979.0634.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Boston Celtics Jersey, worn by Bob Cousy
- Description
- During his thirteen seasons with the Boston Celtics, Bob Cousy (b. 1928) played in thirteen consecutive All-Star Games and earned two All–Star MVP awards, among many other accolades. This "Houdini of the Hardwood" introduced speed and flamboyant ball-handling skills previously unseen in professional basketball. His ambidexterity launched the playing style that made him one of basketball's first superstars. Making the game fun to watch, "The Cooz" built an avid audience for the struggling National Basketball Association.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1950s
- 1950-1959
- user
- Cousy, Robert J.
- associated institution
- Boston Celtics
- maker
- Wilson Sporting Goods Company
- Horace Partridge
- ID Number
- 1979.1072.01
- accession number
- 1979.1072
- catalog number
- 1979.1072.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Boxing Towel
- Description
- Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis (1914–1981) lost his first bout with Nazi Germany's champion Max Schmeling in 1936, but the return match was a triumph for America. This towel was thrown in by Schmeling's handlers at Yankee Stadium, New York City, June 22, 1938, where Louis pummeled his opponent in the first round. Enforcing a boxing rule that seconds cannot stop a fight, referee Arthur Donovan then threw it out. The towel was thrown in again during the first round, giving Louis the victory in two minutes and four seconds. The story of the fight was later embroidered on the towel.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1930s
- date made
- 1938
- date of the fight
- 1938-06-22
- referenced
- Schmeling, Max
- Louis, Joe
- ID Number
- 1980.0683.05
- accession number
- 1980.0683
- catalog number
- 1980.0683.05
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Billiard Balls
- Description
- This is a set of three Bakelite billiard balls, in its original wooden box. The balls were made by the Hyatt-Burroughs Billiard Ball Co. of Newark, N.J. The date of manufacture is unknown. The label on the box states that "Bakelite Billiard balls are of the same resilience as the best ivory balls. 2-3/8 inch balls weigh exactly seven ounces, are of exact diameter, are perfectly and permanently round and balanced, unaffected by climactic conditions, and are practically indestructible."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1907
- after 1910
- invented hyatt billiard ball
- Hyatt, John Wesley
- patentee of bakelite
- Baekeland, L. H.
- maker
- Hyatt-Burroughs Billiard Ball Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0976.01
- catalog number
- 1981.0976.01
- accession number
- 1981.0976
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Badminton Set
- Description
- This badminton set from the early 20th century was produced by the Abercrombie and Fitch Company. Badminton clubs were organized in the United States as early as 1878, but the sport didn't become truly popular in the nation until the 1930s.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
- ID Number
- 1982.0110.24
- accession number
- 1982.0110
- catalog number
- 1982.0110.24
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Abe Saperstein's … "Magicians of Basketball"
- Description
- The Harlem Globetrotters, organized before African Americans were fielded for professional teams, were known for their exhibition basketball and as "Ambassadors of Goodwill ™."
- date made
- ca 1964
- depicted
- Harlem Globetrotters
- maker
- Harlem Globetrotters, Inc.
- ID Number
- 1983.0782.34
- catalog number
- 1983.0782.34
- accession number
- 1983.0782
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center