Sports & Leisure

Tennis Racket

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.

Culture: African Americans

Baseball Score Card

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Name
Leonard, Walter F.
ID Number
1981.0123.29
accession number
1981.0123
catalog number
1981.0123.29

Baseball, signed by 1984 All-Star Game Participants

Baseball signed by participants in the 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The exhibition was held on July 10th in Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. It was won by the National League All-Stars by a score of 3-1.
Description
Baseball signed by participants in the 1984 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The exhibition was held on July 10th in Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. It was won by the National League All-Stars by a score of 3-1. The game's MVP was Montreal Expo's catcher Gary Carter. The ball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include Al Holland; Keith Hernandez; Dwight Gooden; Bob Brenly; Tim Wallach; Charlie Lea; Rafael Ramirez; Mike Schmidt; Mario Soto; Dale Murphy; Jesse Orosco; Tim Wallach; Tim Raines; Chili Davis; Jody Davis; Tony Gwynn; Ryne Sandberg.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
maker
Rawlings
ID Number
1996.0342.109
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.109

Photograph of Rebecca Lobo while playing basketball for the New York Liberty

Color photograph of Rebecca Lobo while playing basketball for the New York Liberty is signed in silver pen by Lobo. Lobo was a member of the University of Connecticut basketball team when they won the National Championships in 1995.
Description (Brief)
Color photograph of Rebecca Lobo while playing basketball for the New York Liberty is signed in silver pen by Lobo. Lobo was a member of the University of Connecticut basketball team when they won the National Championships in 1995. After her Olympic appearance she became of member of the WNBA team New York Liberty and went on to play for the Houston Comets and Conneticut Suns.
Location
Currently not on view
depicted
Rushin, Rebecca
ID Number
2004.0164.04
accession number
2004.0164
catalog number
2004.0164.04

Baseball, signed by the 1982 San Francisco Giants

Baseball signed by the 1982 San Francisco Giants. That season the Giants finished 87-75, 3rd in the National League West.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1982 San Francisco Giants. That season the Giants finished 87-75, 3rd in the National League West. The ball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include Frank Robinson; Bob Brenly; Chris Brown; Chili Davis; Jose Barrios; Reggie Smith; Mark Dempsey; Dan Schatzeder; Joe Morgan; Jack Clark.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
presenter
Los Angeles Dodgers
maker
Rawlings
ID Number
1996.0342.107
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.107

Baseball, signed by the 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers

Baseball signed by the 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 79-83, 3rd in the National League West.
Description
Baseball signed by the 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 79-83, 3rd in the National League West. The ball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
Autographs include Dusty Baker; Steve Yeager; Burt Hooton; Von Joshua; Bill Russell; Johnny Oates; Don Sutton; Pedro Guererro; Steve Garvey.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1979
recipient
Fitzgerald, Ella
ID Number
1996.0342.108
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.108

Basketball card of Rebecca Lobo while playing for the 1995 University of Connecticut Huskies

Basketball card of Rebecca Lobo while playing for the 1995 University of Connecticut Huskies. The front of the card is signed in black ink by Lobo who was named Outstanding Player of the 1995 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
Description (Brief)
Basketball card of Rebecca Lobo while playing for the 1995 University of Connecticut Huskies. The front of the card is signed in black ink by Lobo who was named Outstanding Player of the 1995 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Lobo was a member of the University of Connecticut basketball team when they won the National Championships in 1995. After her Olympic appearance she became of member of the WNBA team New York Liberty and went on to play for the Houston Comets and Conneticut Suns.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1995
depicted
Rushin, Rebecca
ID Number
2004.0164.06
accession number
2004.0164
catalog number
2004.0164.06

Basketball card of Rebecca Lobo while playing for the 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team

Basketball card of Rebecca Lobo while playing for the 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team. Lobo was a member of the University of Connecticut basketball team when they won the National Championships in 1995.
Description (Brief)
Basketball card of Rebecca Lobo while playing for the 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team. Lobo was a member of the University of Connecticut basketball team when they won the National Championships in 1995. After her Olympic appearance she became of member of the WNBA team New York Liberty and went on to play for the Houston Comets and Conneticut Suns.
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta, Georgia and marked the first time since 1984 that the United States topped the medal count. These Games saw over 10,000 athletes, from 197 countries, competing in 26 sports, including the debuts of beach volleyball, mountain biking, softball and women’s soccer. This was also the first Games in which American women, who had taken full advantage of Title IX legislation, competed and excelled in Olympic competition. The women’s gymnastics, soccer, softball and basketball teams all won gold, propelling the US women athletes into the global spotlight and beginning their dominance in Olympic competition. Atlanta benefitted from the Games as Centennial Olympic Park led to the revitalization of the downtown area and the Olympic Village became residence housing for area universities.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1996
depicted
Rushin, Rebecca
maker
Upper Deck
ID Number
2004.0164.05
accession number
2004.0164
catalog number
2004.0164.05

Baseball, signed by Louis Gossett and Satchell Paige

Baseball signed by actor Louis Gossett Jr. (b.1936) and former Negro and Major League pitcher Satchel Paige (1906-19182). The ball was signed at the filming of the television movie "Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige," released in 1981.
Description
Baseball signed by actor Louis Gossett Jr. (b.1936) and former Negro and Major League pitcher Satchel Paige (1906-19182). The ball was signed at the filming of the television movie "Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige," released in 1981. In the film, Gosset portrayed the baseball legend.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1981
signer
Paige, Satchel
Gossett, Louis
maker
Wilson
ID Number
1990.0005.01
catalog number
1990.0005.01
accession number
1990.0005

Presentation sculpture given to Simone Manuel during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Presentation sculpture given to Simone Manuel during the medal's ceremony at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. This sculpture was given to all the athletes who won a medal in lieu of the traditional presentation of flowers.
Description (Brief)
Presentation sculpture given to Simone Manuel during the medal's ceremony at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. This sculpture was given to all the athletes who won a medal in lieu of the traditional presentation of flowers. The small plastic sculpture has a green base and a stylized group of three people holding hands which are green, blue, yellow and orange. The base is inscribed in white, "XXXI Olimpiada Rio 2016" and has the Rio Olympic logo in white. The base is also autographed in gold on the base by Simone Manuel. Manuel became the first African American woman in history to win an individual Olympic Gold medal in swimming during the Rio Games.
The 2016 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 207 countries and 11,238 athletes participating. These were the first Olympic Games held entirely in the host country’s winter season and the first to be held in South America. These Games were designed with sustainability in mind and many of the features of the Games were made from recyclable materials. The Refugee Olympic Team entered 10 athletes for competition made up of refugees from the European Migrant crisis. The Zika virus was a factor in competition as many athletes decided to forgo the Games for fear of catching the virus spread through mosquitos. Michael Phelps came out of retirement to compete in the Games and added more medals to his historic count. Katie Ledecky won four gold medals and teammate Simone Manual won two gold and two silver medals becoming the first African American to win an individual swimming gold medal. Simone Biles dominated gymnastics, winning four gold and the women’s team won the all-around competition. The United States won the medal count with 121.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2016
user
Manuel, Simone
ID Number
2016.0329.02
accession number
2016.0329
catalog number
2016.0329.02

Swimsuit worn by Simone Manuel during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Swimsuit worn by Simone Manuel during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is a one piece women's jammer consisting of a one piece swimsuit with fabric to the knee.
Description (Brief)
Swimsuit worn by Simone Manuel during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is a one piece women's jammer consisting of a one piece swimsuit with fabric to the knee. Manuel became the first African American woman in history to win an individual Olympic Gold medal in swimming during the Rio Games.
The 2016 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 207 countries and 11,238 athletes participating. These were the first Olympic Games held entirely in the host country’s winter season and the first to be held in South America. These Games were designed with sustainability in mind and many of the features of the Games were made from recyclable materials. The Refugee Olympic Team entered 10 athletes for competition made up of refugees from the European Migrant crisis. The Zika virus was a factor in competition as many athletes decided to forgo the Games for fear of catching the virus spread through mosquitos. Michael Phelps came out of retirement to compete in the Games and added more medals to his historic count. Katie Ledecky won four gold medals and teammate Simone Manual won two gold and two silver medals becoming the first African American to win an individual swimming gold medal. Simone Biles dominated gymnastics, winning four gold and the women’s team won the all-around competition. The United States won the medal count with 121.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2016
user
Manuel, Simone
ID Number
2016.0329.01
accession number
2016.0329
catalog number
2016.0329.01

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