Sports & Leisure - Overview
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 23 items.
Page 1 of 3
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
Baseball, signed by the 1951 St. Louis Browns
- Description
- Baseball autographed by Satchell Paige and the 1951 St. Louis Browns.That season the Browns went 52-102, 8th in the American League.
- Autographs include Satchel Paige; Ken Wood; Bob Young; Matt Bates; Fred Marsh; Sherm Lollar; Hank Arft; Frank Saucier; Jack Maguire; Bill Jennings; Jim Suchecki; Jim Delsing; Bob Mahoney.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1951
- signer
- Paige, Satchel
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 2005.0195.01
- accession number
- 2005.0195
- catalog number
- 2005.0195.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Official League Ball adopted by the National League
- Description
- Spalding brand baseball, marked "Official League Ball - Adopted by the National League." It was patented Feb 27, 1883 (U.S. Patent 272984). The National League formed in 1876 and the American League, formed in 1901, compromise modern Major League Baseball.
- Benjamin F. Shibe (1838-1922), of Philadelphia, received the patent for his improvement in the manufacture of baseballs. Shibe was an American sporting goods and baseball executive and part owner of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1922.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1883
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1979.1152.01
- catalog number
- 1979.1152.01
- accession number
- 1979.1152
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
- Description
- Baseball signed by the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 97-65, 1st in the National League, winning the World Series over the Minnesota Twins 4 games to 3.
- Autographs include Ron Fairly; Nate Oliver; Howie Reed; John Kennedy; Sandy Koufax; Don LeJohn; Maury Willis; Ron Perranoski; Hector Valle; Bill Singer; Jim Lefebvre; Derell Griffith; Jeff Torborg; Bob Miller; Lefty Phillips; Nick Willhite; Claude Osteen; Wally Moon.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1965
- associated institution
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1984.0228.01
- accession number
- 1984.0228
- catalog number
- 1984.0228.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by Don Drysdale
- Description
- Baseball autographed by Don Drysdale (1936-1993). The right handed pitcher played for the Brooklyn/ Los Angeles Dodgers from 1956-1969. Drysdale finished his career with a win-loss record of 209-166, having been named to nine All-Star Teams and receiving the Cy Young Award in 1962. He was a contributor to three World Series Champion Dodger teams (1959, 1963 and 1965). Drysdale has had his number 53 retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was elected into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1984.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1960s
- associated institution
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- signer
- Drysdale, Don
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1984.0228.02
- accession number
- 1984.0228
- catalog number
- 1984.0228.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Official National League Baseball
- Description
- Official National League Baseball. It is imprinted with the signature of Ford Frick (1894-1974) who served as President of the National League from 1934-1954. Frick later served as Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951-1965.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1950
- signer
- Frick, Ford
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1986.0702.02
- accession number
- 1986.0702
- catalog number
- 1986.0702.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Babe Ruth Autographed Baseball
- Description
- The New York Yankees' legendary "Sultan of Swat" signed this baseball for a fan during a visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania.
- A neglected and delinquent child, George Herman Ruth, Jr. (1895-1948), best known as Babe Ruth, discovered his love for baseball while living at St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore. He began his major-league career as a star pitcher, but was reassigned to the outfield due to his powerful swing. With his record-setting home runs—60 in one season, 714 career total—and larger-than-life personality, Ruth thrilled fans and redefined the character of America's national pastime.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- signer
- Ruth, Babe
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1993.0460.01
- catalog number
- 1993.0460.01
- accession number
- 1993.0460
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1957 St. Louis Cardinals
- Description
- Baseball, signed by the 1957 St. Louis Cardinals. That season the Cards finished 87-67, 2nd in the National League.
- Autographs include Dick Schofield; Billy Muffett; Bobby Smith; Herm Wehmeier; Bob Miller; Del Ennis; Hobie Landreth; Wally Moon; Von McDaniel; Don Blasigame; Hal Smith.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1957
- associated institution
- St. Louis Cardinals
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1996.0208.01
- accession number
- 1996.0208
- catalog number
- 1996.0208.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1971 Los Angeles Dodgers
- Description
- Baseball autographed by the 1971 Los Angeles Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 89-73, 2nd in the National League West. The autographed baseball was collected by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), who was also an avid baseball fan.
- Autographs include Bill Sudakis; Willie Crawford; Jim Lefebvre; Bill Grabarkewitz; Jim Brewer; Sandy Vance; Don Sutton; Willie Crawford;
- Bill Buckner; Bill Singer; Hoyt Willhelm; Bob O’Brien; Al Downing; Pete Mikkelsen; Maury Wills; Bill Russell; Tom Haller.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- performing artist; recipient
- Fitzgerald, Ella
- associated institution
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1996.0342.105
- accession number
- 1996.0342
- catalog number
- 1996.0342.105
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Baseball, signed by the 1974 Chicago Cubs
- Description (Brief)
- Autographed baseball signed by the 1974 Chicago Cubs. That season the Cubs finished 66-96, 6th in the National League East.
- Autographs include Bill Bonham; Ken Frailing; Carmen Fanzone; Lou Boudreau; Burt Hooten; Billy Williams; Tom Lundstedt; Lou Gonseca; Vic Harris; Jim Tyrone; Horacio Pina; Whitey Lockman; Ray Burris; J.C. Martin; Jerry Morales; Don Kessinger; Andre Thorton.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1974
- signer
- Williams, Billy
- maker
- Spalding
- ID Number
- 1999.0265.068
- accession number
- 1999.0265
- catalog number
- 1999.0265.068
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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