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The White House has long been a site for celebrating and engaging in sports. Past presidents have enjoyed playing basketball and tennis, swimming, and bowling, all on White House Grounds, and many have thrown the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game as a way to salute this American pastime.
Throughout history, various athletes and sports teams have visited the White House for receptions and celebrations. In this collection, explore the significance of sports and White House history.
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No sport is more closely tied to the American presidency than baseball. One of Washington’s first baseball fields was located practically in the president's backyard — and as the game’s popularity grew, so did its connection with the White House. In this collection, we will examine the bond between these two quintessentially American institutions. We will also discover who was re
Honoring some of the greatest moments in sports history has become a tradition at the White House. Presidents and their families have long recognized athletes as well as the cooperation, competition, and national pride displayed during the summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Over the years, this has taken on a variety of forms from opening the games to
There has been a long tradition of presidents welcoming Team USA Olympic Athletes to the White House. This continues a long legacy of celebrating cooperation, competition, and national pride displayed during the Olympic Games.
Featuring Former White House speechwriter and author Curt Smith, former sports reporter and author Fred Frommer, and sports lawyer and former PA announcer Phil Hochberg
Nearly 150 years after its beginnings college football season is in full swing. The sport has attracted countless players and even more fans, and presidents have belonged to the ranks of both. Although Theodore Roosevelt never played collegiate football because of his nearsightedness, he had more impact on the sport than any other president. In the early 1900s he joined a
When people think of President Herbert Hoover and baseball, many recall the famous story from 1930, when Babe Ruth signed a contract that paid him $80,000 a year. When Ruth was asked if he thought he deserved to be making more money than President Hoover, he said, “'Why not? I had a better year than he did.” Yet Hoover’s enduring delight in bas
Although the presidency is an often all-consuming job, many presidents have found solace in their various hobbies and pastimes. When not shaping the path of our nation, presidents can be found fishing, painting, watching baseball, and riding horses. With each new administration comes a new set of hobbies, some of which are examined in this collection.
After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became locked in a global battle for economic, political, and cultural dominance. This rivalry touched on many different facets of life—social and political issues, national security, international relations, popular culture, and even sports—including the Olympic Games. Athletes from the world’s two superpower countries compet
In the summer of 1984, United States gymnast Mary Lou Retton triumphed at the Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California. Retton went head-to-head with one of the best gymnasts in the world, Ecaterina Szabo of Romania, in the individual all-around competition. After scoring a perfect ten on both floor and vault, she bested Szabo by just 0.05 points, becoming the “fi
The 1936 Summer Olympics were unlike any other. In Berlin, Germany, under the shadow of Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, an African-American track and field athlete rose to stardom: Jesse Owens.1 Owens’s record-breaking athleticism carried him from the cotton fields of the South to the White House and made him one of the most famous athletes in American history. Jame
Wilma Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. As a child, she suffered from several serious illnesses, including pneumonia, polio, and scarlet fever. She wore a leg brace until the age of nine. After recovering the use of her leg, Rudolph turned to sports. She excelled at basketball in high school, earning an All-American designation and setting a