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 295 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
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
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
Homemade Baseball
- Description (Brief)
- Handmade baseball made by previous owner's great aunt, Ida Clark. Ms. Clark covered and hand stitched this baseball for an unknown company.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Clark, Ida
- ID Number
- 1989.0665.02
- catalog number
- 1989.0665.02
- accession number
- 1989.0665
- 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
Baseball, autographed by Connie Mack.
- Description
- Baseball autographed by former Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack (1862-1956).
- Born Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy, Mack played in the major leagues from 1886-1896. In 1901 he was named manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, a position he would hold for 50 years. During his tenure he became the sport's all-time winningest manager, accumulating 3,776 victories and leading the A's to 9 American League pennants and 5 World Series Championships.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- signer
- Mack, Connie
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1993.0460.02
- catalog number
- 1993.0460.02
- accession number
- 1993.0460
- 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
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