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Sports

Sports and recreation are an integral part of human history, from the ancient Olympics to the Kentucky Derby, Jackie Robinson, Negro League Baseball, the Super Bowl and more.

Featured Articles

How Althea Gibson Faced Racial Barriers—Even as a Tennis Champion

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How Althea Gibson Faced Racial Barriers—Even as a Tennis Champion

Between 1956 and 1958, Gibson became the first Black player to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals. But none of it came easy.

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Moses Fleetwood Walker, Six Decades Before Jackie Robinson, This Man Integrated Major League Baseball

6 Decades Before Jackie Robinson, This Man Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier

Moses Fleetwood Walker played for a Major League Baseball team in the 1880s.

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Czech cross country skier Pavel Koltsjin trains on a thin patch of snow on January 28, 1964 in Seefeld, near Innsbruck, Austria. Because of the lack of snow, Olympic officials had to call in Austrian soldiers to bring snow by military trucks to help prepare the tracks for the Games.

How Winter Olympics Have Dealt With Snow Shortages

Olympic organizers through history have hired snow dancers, called in the military and helicoptered in snow to ensure the Games go on.

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Team USA celebrates its shocking upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

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Winter Olympics History

The First Winter Olympics In 1924, the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, with approximately 250 athletes competing for 16 countries in 16 events. Women were only allowed to participate in figure skating (11 competed). Other events included bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, hockey, military patrol, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating. The […]

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The only non-sellout for a Super Bowl was the first game, played in Los Angeles between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers.

Super Bowl History

History of the Super Bowl Though the NFL officially formed in 1920, the Super Bowl wasn’t played until more than 40 years later. In 1960, a group of businessmen who wanted to own football franchises—but were denied by the NFL—launched an alternative league, known as the American Football League (AFL). For several years, the NFL […]

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Negro League Baseball, Chicago Giants, 20th century Black history

Negro League Baseball

Formation of Baseball’s Color Line As the expanding popularity of baseball in the United States led to the formation of amateur clubs in the second half of the 19th century, African Americans were among those joining the action. Records exist of an abbreviated game between two Black teams as far back as 1855, and by […]

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A general view of the Olympic Rings in front of the Bolshoy Ice Dome prior to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games, which originated in ancient Greece, were revived in the late 19th century. Now the world’s preeminent sporting competition, they are held every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games.

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Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

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5 Extraordinary Ancient Stadiums That Influenced Future Arenas

Ancient Greek and Roman stadiums were built to impress—and their designs are seen in many college football stadiums today.

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Who Invented Hockey?

Who Invented Hockey?

Its true origins are murky. But Canada, beginning in the 19th century, gets credit for modernizing—and popularizing—the game we know today.

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Basketball, football and baseball are the three most popular sports in the United States.

The Origins of 7 Popular Sports

Their backstories may surprise you.

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Alice Coachman performs in the high jump competition at the 1939 National Women's Track and Field meet.

The First African Americans to Win Olympic Medals

Starting in the early 20th century, African American athletes began competing in the Games—and shattering records.

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1:03 minTV-PG
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History Shorts: Getting Back to Sports After a 1918 Pandemic (Forged in Crisis)

Faced with the Spanish Flu pandemic, sports across America were forced to adapt, setting themselves up to come back stronger than ever.

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3:00 minTV-PG

Flashback: Soap Box Derby Mania

Hundreds of thousands tuned in on the radio to the 1936 All-American Soap Box Derby, held in Akron, Ohio. This was only the Derby’s third year in existence, but its popularity soared as America was looking for something to root for, still struggling from the Great Depression. The All-American Soap Box Derby has been held […]

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1:31 minTV-14

The Dictators

The 1978 World Cup was hosted by Argentina, which was under a brutal military dictatorship at the time. Discover what really motivated the Argentine players to win the tournament, and some of the controversies they dealt with on their journey to victory.

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1:31 minTV-14

The Nearly Men

English Hooliganism had placed a black cloud over the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Find out how the team’s inspiring journey, and heartbreaking loss to West Germany in the semi-finals, helped turn perceptions around.

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This Day in History

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1929

Cleveland becomes first MLB team play with  numbers on back of jerseys

Sports
1878

First US cycling club formed

Sports
1940

NHL game televised in US for first time

Sports
1998

US women win the first Winter Olympics hockey gold medal

Sports
1953

Albright becomes first female US figure skater to win world title

Sports
1975

Lee Elder becomes first Black golfer to play in Masters

Sports
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