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CTE is believed to be caused by repeated head injuries.

At Least One in Four Former NFL Players Who Died Between 2016 and 2021 Had the Progressive Brain Disease CTE, Study Suggests

The true prevalence of the neurodegenerative disease—which is associated with repeated head injuries—among the deceased football players might be much higher. CTE affects other athletes too, including hockey players, soccer players and wrestlers

Diego Maradona and Peter Shilton both jumped for the contested ball when the Argentine star infamously knocked it into the goal with his left hand.

The Soccer Ball Used for Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ World Cup Goal Sells for $3.35 Million at Auction

Despite its role in one of the most famous games in soccer history, the historic piece of sports memorabilia fell short of its $10 million pre-sale estimate

Wrigley Field was the last Major League Baseball stadium to install lights: The Cubs first played under them on August 8, 1988, versus the Philadelphia Phillies. Photographer Ronald C. Modra captured the scene from a helicopter.

America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

With a Few Tweaks, the Country’s Favorite Sports Went From Pastimes to Part of the Fabric of Our Culture

Can you imagine a football game where there was never a passing play? The forward pass is just one of the innovations that made these contests into events

Young football players locked in a huddle in the 1960s, jealously guarding their strategy for the next play.

How a Deaf Quarterback Changed Sports Forever By Inventing the Huddle

Paul Hubbard called for the football team at Gallaudet University to circle around him back in 1894

A photo of the 124th Army-Navy Game, which was held on December 9, 2023

On This Day in History

When Instant Replay Debuted During the Broadcast of a College Football Game in 1963, It Revolutionized the Way We Watch Sports

Piloting the new technology was a risky move in front of the national audience that watched the Army-Navy showdown on this day in 1963

Muhammad Ali

These 17 Pictures Tell the Stories of Black Athletes in America

A new book from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture shows the images and impacts of athletes on and off the playing field

"Change Your Game / Cambia tu juego" looks at scores of innovations that improve performance, ensure safety and more accurately score games.

From the JogBra to Gatorade to Breakaway Basketball Rims, Sports Are a Field for Invention

A new exhibition at the National Museum of American History aims to inspire the next generation of innovators

Sports psychology research has increased dramatically in the last decade or so. 

What We’ve Learned Through Sports Psychology Research

Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressure

A little rain doesn’t stop the show, and neither does a worldwide pandemic. Just months after Covid-19 gripped the globe, high school football players—and referees—were back on the field.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Are You Ready for Some Football? Prep for the Super Bowl With 15 Thrilling Photos of Americans Tossing the Pigskin

Celebrate the cherished American sport before the big game

Jack Trice (second from left) and three of his teammates on the varsity football squad

Untold Stories of American History

This Black Football Player Was Fatally Injured During a Game. A Century Later, a College Stadium Bears His Name

Rival athletes trampled Jack Trice during his “first real college game.” He died two days later at age 21

Taylor Swift performed at Lumen Field in Seattle on July 22 and 23.

Taylor Swift Concerts Are Generating Seismic Activity

The artist’s two recent shows in Seattle shook the ground so much that they registered on a nearby seismometer

A ram's thick skull protects its brain from serious injury.

Ten Reasons Rams Might Be the Perfect Football Mascot

They’re light on their feet, and they aren’t afraid to butt heads

A view of Progressive Field, the team's home arena, in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2008

Cleveland Baseball Team to Rebrand as the Guardians

The new name references the “Guardians of Traffic”—larger-than-life statues that appear on the city’s Hope Memorial Bridge

Taken in 1922, the ship Jose Gaspar passes the Lafayette Street Bridge in Tampa during the Gasparilla Festival

The True History and Swashbuckling Myth Behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Namesake

Pirates did roam the Gulf Coast, but more myths than facts have inspired the regional folklore

The film fictionalizes the night that Cassius Clay (seated, wearing a bow tie) became the world's heavyweight boxing champion. Three of his friends—Malcolm X (holding a camera at far left), Jim Brown (standing with his hand on Clay's shoulder) and Sam Cooke (raising a glass to the right of Clay)—joined the young athlete for a post-fight celebration.

Based on a True Story

The True History Behind ‘One Night in Miami’

Regina King’s directorial debut dramatizes a 1964 meeting between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown

Effective immediately, the franchise will be known as the "Washington Football Team."

After Retiring Its Racist Name, D.C. Football Team Announces Temporary Moniker

A new title will be announced once trademark issues are resolved

In December, Your Call technology will be used during the Liberty Bowl.

In This Interactive Football League, Fans Pick the Plays

Your Call Football’s streaming app platform lets fans control the actions of real live players, earning points and winning prizes

Players who sustained a high number of subconcussive hits suffered more midbrain tissue damage

One Concussion-Free Football Season Can Still Damage Players’ Brains

A new study found that more than two-thirds of subjects experienced a decrease in structural integrity of the brain by the end of the college season

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum was co-founded by two friends who have been collecting the figures for the past 16 years

Milwaukee Museum Features More Than 6,500 Collectible Bobbleheads (and Counting)

The duo behind project find the art in the unblinking figurine, displaying bobbleheads from all walks of life, including sports, pop culture and politics

The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in what came to be known as Super Bowl I.

Pop History

What the Earliest Super Bowl Commercials Tell Us About the Super Bowl

The inaugural title game in 1967 would not have been getting kudos from the media for representing women

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