Sports and Recreation

Topical Reference Page
Postal hockey team jersey

Albany District Dutchmen hockey jersey

The National Postal Museum proudly celebrates the rich legacy of American sports including its athletes, events and accomplishments through a variety of online resources. Explore the links below to discover how stamps and postal history objects showcase this important thread of the American cultural quilt.

Postal Inspector Dan Mihalko holding a baseball
Learn firsthand from Postal Inspector and Postal Museum Docent Dan Mihalko about real postal crimes involving fraudulent sports memorabilia and forged autographs!
October 20, 2010 - July 10, 2011
Exhibition

On view was original art produced by Kadir Nelson for the creation of the Negro Leagues Baseball stamps, which pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to approximately 1960.

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Exhibition

American Sports and Athletes on Stamps
This virtual exhibition highlights several different sports, professional and amateur athletes, and monumental moments in American athletics as depicted on U.S. postage stamps.

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Object Spotlight

There are numerous sports teams and leagues across our nation, entirely comprised of working adults looking for a fun way to relax after a long day. Postal employees have been no different.

April 1, 2001 - January 25, 2002
Exhibition

The Great One
This exhibition featured one of baseball's great icons — Roberto Clemente Walker (1938-1972), who was honored on two U.S. postage stamps.

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Magazine article about a bowling team
Research Article
Postal workers have had a long tradition of participation in sports teams.

Related Blogs

Roberto Clemente 1966 Pittsburgh Pirates Home Uniform

Two Puerto Rican players reached the big leagues in the early 1940s, but the doors flew open in the 1950s. Baseball fever in Puerto Rico reached unprecedented heights, and the island’s greatest star was Roberto Clemente.

Roy Campanella 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Road Jersey

Campanella made the fewest plate appearances of any Hall of Fame position player, but his impact was unforgettable.

Ty Cobb 1910-1915 Louisville Slugger Game Used Bat

If baseball is akin to war, its most ferocious warrior must have been Ty Cobb. Here we present Cobb's main weapon: his Louisville Slugger bat.

Roberto “Momen” Clemente 1960 Louisville Slugger Professional Model Game Used Bat

The most prized and desired bats are those which exhibit physical markings that reveal personal traits associated with use by that ballplayer. This Louisville Slugger professional model bat perhaps epitomizes this phenomenon the most—all of its physical markings pertain to use by Clemente.

Related Content

Baseball-Related Objects in Smithsonian Collections

America's “greatest pastime” as captured in these Smithsonian Institution museum collection objects.