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Sports

Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks before a game at Wrigley Field, 1957

If Only Ernie Had Seen It. Here’s Why “Mr. Cub” Is Part of the 2016 World Series Win

From Smithsonian Books, a treasure of baseball history for those who can’t wait for spring training

For nearly a decade, scuba divers have been going to the Finger Lakes to carve pumpkins underwater.

Underwater Pumpkin Carving Among the Wrecks in New York’s Finger Lakes

Just in time for Halloween, scuba divers test their Jack-o-lantern-making skills

Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Longest You Can Hold Your Breath?

A dive into the science shows it is possible to override the system

Fans cheer for Team Korea at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

New Research

Athletes Rejoice: Study Shows Sex Before Competitions Is Probably Fine

There’s no evidence that getting down and dirty before sporting events has negative effects—and it may have benefits

Dwight Eisenhower and Arnold Palmer smile before a round of golf at the Gettysburg Country Club in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1960.

Trending Today

How Arnold Palmer and President Eisenhower Made Golf the Post-War Pastime

The charismatic, working-class golfer and beloved president made golf the sport of elites and middle-class duffers for a generation

Celtic Shores, Nova Scotia.

Canada

Canada Is Building a Trail That Measures Almost 15,000 Miles

In 2017, the world’s longest trail will finally be complete

River tracing is a popular way to experience the great outdoors in Taiwan.

Trace a Watery Path Through Taiwan’s Lush Landscape

There’s a reason river tracing has become the country’s newest adventure craze

Babe Ruth pitching for the Boston Red Sox

Cool Finds

This Digital Collection of Babe Ruth’s Scrapbooks Is a Piece of Home Run History

The Baseball Hall of Fame is sharing its collection with the internet

Now, Let the “Olympics” of Sports Startups Begin

Eight companies from around the world specializing in athletics will compete in Rio de Janeiro for a 100,000 Euro prize

The Olympics' highest honor is named for Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games

Cool Finds

This Olympic Medal Is Even Harder to Win Than the Gold

The International Olympic Committee values sportsmanship above all else

Jackie Joyner-Kersee by Gregory Heisler, 1988

Commentary

Why We Have to Play Catch-up Collecting the Portraits of Female Athletes

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery is setting its sights on the future

Scenes from the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

The Paris Olympics

The Rise of the Modern Sportswoman

Women have long fought against the assumption that they are weaker than men, and the battle isn’t over yet

A few of the Olympians pose for a photo upon their return to the U.S. after the 1936 Games. In the back row, on the far right is Tidye PIckett and third from the left is Louise Stokes.

The Paris Olympics

Sports History Forgot About Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes, Two Black Olympians Who Never Got Their Shot

Thanks to the one-two punch of racism and sexism, these two women were shut out of the hero’s treatment given to other athletes

Book carts can already get out of control quickly, so careening them along a twisty course was treacherous indeed.

Cool Finds

Librarians Have an Olympics, Too

Brains met brawn in a bookish competition for the ages

Trending Today

Cupping Isn’t the Only Strange Tactic Olympic Athletes Use to Get a Boost

Those painful cupping “hickies” are only the start—athletes go to great lengths to gain an edge

Gymnast Dominique Dawes competes on the balance beam during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Summer Olympics

Dominique Dawes’ Guide to Watching Gymnastics

The former gold medalist offers a cheat sheet on her sport’s rules, maneuvers and slang

Trending Today

An Insect Could Make Ash Baseball Bats a Thing of the Past

The invasive emerald ash borer is threatening the forests where Rawlings and Louisville Sluggers come from, putting the bats in jeopardy

Pankration scene: the pankriatiast on the right tries to gouge his opponent's eye; the umpire is about to strike him for this foul.

The Paris Olympics

The Ancient History of Cheating in the Olympics

Punishment for cheating and bribery in the Olympics of Ancient Greece could include fines, public flogging and statewide bans from competition

Athletes with Down Syndrome compete in the first-ever Olympic-style competition for people with the condition.

Cool Finds

Italy Just Hosted the First Olympics-Like Competition for People With Down Syndrome

The unique competition drew 1,000 athletes

Pitcher R.A. Dickey is well-known for his knuckleball.

New Research

Physicists May Have Finally Figured Out Why Knuckleballs Are So Hard to Hit

All with the help of a ball-throwing robot

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