Sports in the National Archives

From soccer pitches to the Rose Garden, Americans—and their Presidents—take sports seriously.

The National Archives exhibit All American: The Power of Sports (on display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in Washington, DC, from September 16, 2022, through January 7, 2024) explored the impact of sports in American life. Here we've explored the National Archives Catalog to share even more about how sports are featured in our records.

Hockey stick patents? We have them. Shots of legendary Brazilian player Pelé, juggling a soccer ball with at least five U.S. Presidents? We have them. Documentation of how in the direst national moments, like war and mass imprisonment, people found solace in sports? We have that, too.

Take a seat in our virtual bleachers, and join us for the wins and losses throughout more than a century of sports images and stories from the National Archives.