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 250 items.
Page 1 of 25
"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
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
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
Tennis Racket
- Description
- This racquet was used by American tennis player Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) while winning the Wimbledon Men’s Singles championship in 1975. With the victory, Ashe became the first African-American to win the prestigious event, defeating fellow American Jimmy Connors three sets to one.
- Ashe, a native of Richmond, Virginia, was the also first African-American to be named to the U.S. Davis Cup Team (1963) and to win singles titles at the U.S. and Australian Opens (1968 and 1970.)
- Ashe was a vocal advocate for civil rights, both in the United States and abroad, and was involved in many humanitarian efforts, including the opening of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. He has been recognized with honors such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and has had a statue erected on Richmond’s Monument Avenue.
- In 1997, the U.S. Tennis Association’s opened the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadow, New York. The court serves as the principal stadium for the U.S. Open.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1975
- associated dates
- 1991-04-09
- 1970-1980
- user
- Ashe, Arthur
- maker
- Head
- ID Number
- 1991.0178.01
- catalog number
- 1991.0178.01
- accession number
- 1991.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Odyssey 1 Dobsonian Reflecting Telescope
- Description
- This is a Dobsonian-type reflecting telescope. It was made commercially in the 1980s as part of the "Dobsonian revolution" in amateur astronomy.
- John Dobson began developing this form of telescope in 1956. At the time he was living in a monastery in San Francisco, working as a gardener. Although he had a degree in chemistry, Dobson had always been interested in spiritual issues. Seeking a way to directly experience a fundamental reality, he became obsessed with seeing the "deep sky"—the distant realm of nebula and galaxies.
- Unfortunately, to actually see these astronomical objects required large telescopes that were generally only available to astronomers and were too expensive for average people, and especially for Dobson, who had taken a vow of poverty.
- Undeterred, Dobson began teaching himself telescope making. In time he developed a new telescope design and a new approach to telescope making. Compared to the typical amateur telescope of the time, what came to be known as the "Dobsonian" telescopes were large, easy to use, inexpensive, and portable. They were also easy to make. The mirrors were ground from simple porthole glass. The mounts were made from common construction materials. Although comparatively crude, these strange new telescopes worked. Thrilled by his success, Dobson put them on wheels and pulled them around the streets of San Francisco, offering to show the wonders of the sky to anyone he met.
- Around 1967 Dobson helped found the Sidewalk Astronomers. They became famous for touring the United States, setting up their telescopes (affectionately known as "light buckets") and inviting passers-by to look through them. Telescope design continues to evolve and today the majority of amateur telescopes (like this one) are precise and commercially made. However, many active amateur astronomers credit an early encounter with a Dobsonian for starting their interest in astronomy and changing the way they view the sky.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1988
- patent holder
- Dobson, John L.
- maker
- Coulter Optical Co.
- ID Number
- 1994.0399.01
- accession number
- 1994.0399
- catalog number
- 1994.0399.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Kodak Petite Camera
- Description
- Since Kodak introduced the Brownie in 1900, a variety of easy-to-use cameras have been marketed, especially to women. The Kodak Petite from 1935, part of the Kodak Coquette set, came with a matching compact and lipstick case in a variety of color choices so that one might use it as an accessory to fashionable outfits.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1935
- maker
- Eastman Kodak Company
- ID Number
- 1995.0046.01
- catalog number
- 1995.0046.01
- accession number
- 1995.0046
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball
- Description
- Baseball covered in white adhesive tape with a nail inserted through the center. The ball is marked "FOR THE SMITHSONNIAN [sic] MUSEUM - 6 - 4 - 93." Accessioned with a baseball diamond diagram with names of baseball players and marked "HAVANA CUBA, 1946 to 1956."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 1995.0330.01
- catalog number
- 1995.0330.01
- accession number
- 1995.0330
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Curling Stone
- Description
- Developed in Scotland and played in the northern United States, curling debuted as a medal sport at the 1998 Winter Olympics. This curling stone belonged to 75-year-old curler Rudy Senich, of Duluth, Minn., who has been curling three nights a week for the past 35 years. According to Senich's curling club rulebook, "Curling is a game of skill and traditions . . . Curlers play to win, but never to humble their opponents. A true curler would prefer to lose, rather than to win unfairly!"
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1950
- ID Number
- 2000.0121.01
- accession number
- 2000.0121
- catalog number
- 2000.0121.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Double Kick Tail Santa Cruz Skateboard, used by Tim Brauch
- Description (Brief)
- Inspired by his dad’s love of skateboarding, Tim Brauch (1974-1999) began his career in the late 1980s. He rode for the Sessions team early in his career and picked up sponsors Vans, Independent and New Deal. In 1992 Santa Monica Airlines (SMA) gave Tim his first pro model and shortly after Tim established the Este line of shoes and clothing with his friend and fellow skater Salman Agah. Using the “Es” from Salman and the “Te” from Tim to form “Este”, they were among the first pro skaters to branch out into the shoe and clothing market. At this point Tim left Vans for Etnies footwear and in the mid 1990s switched to Santa Cruz skateboards. In 1998 Tim won first place in the Vans Triple Crown Street Competition with this Santa Cruz deck. Tim’s career was cut short when he passed away suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 25. His family holds the Tim Brauch Memorial Contest each year to celebrate Tim’s love of skateboarding. They have also established the Tim Brauch Memorial Fund which promotes skateboarding as “a safe, healthy and fun activity.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1998
- maker
- Santa Cruz
- ID Number
- 2000.0240.01
- accession number
- 2000.0240
- catalog number
- 2000.0240.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Skateboard, used by Tim Brauch
- Description (Brief)
- Inspired by his dad’s love of skateboarding, Tim Brauch (1974-1999) began his career in the late 1980s. He rode for the Sessions team early in his career and picked up sponsors Vans, Independent and New Deal. In 1992 this deck made by Santa Monica Airlines (SMA) was Tim’s first pro model and shortly after Tim established the Este line of shoes and clothing with his friend and fellow skater Salman Agah. Using the “Es” from Salman and the “Te” from Timto form “Este”, they were among the first pro skaters to branch out into the shoe and clothing market. At this point Tim left Vans for Etnies footwear and in the mid 1990s switched to Santa Cruz skateboards. In 1998 Tim won the Vans Triple Crown Street Competition although Tim’s career was cut short when he passed away suddenly of cardiac arrest at the age of 25. His family holds the Tim Brauch Memorial Contest each year to celebrate Tim’s love of skateboarding. They have also established the Tim Brauch Memorial Fund which promotes skateboarding as “a safe, healthy and fun activity.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1990s
- maker
- Santa Monica Airlines
- ID Number
- 2000.0240.02
- accession number
- 2000.0240
- catalog number
- 2000.0240.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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