Summaries

Babe Ruth, orig.

Tom Brady, in full Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. , (born...

Jackie Robinson, in full Jack Roosevelt Robinson , (born Jan....

Lionel Messi, (born June 24, 1987, Rosario, Arg.), Argentine-born...

Stockholm, City (pop., 2020 est.: city, 975,551; urban agglom.:...

Tokyo, Japanese Tōkyō formerly (until 1868) Edo , City (pop.,...

Serena Williams, (born Sept. 26, 1981, Saginaw, Mich., U.S.),...

Roger Federer, (born Aug. 8, 1981, Basel, Switz.), Swiss tennis...

Rafael Nadal, in full Rafael Nadal Parera , (born June 3, 1986,...

St.

Atlanta, City (pop., 2020: 498,715), capital of Georgia, U.S.

ancient Greek civilization, The period between the end of the...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, orig. (Ferdinand) Lew(is) Alcindor , (born...

aerobatics, Sport of performing maneuvers such as rolls, loops,...

Andre Agassi, (born April 29, 1970, Las Vegas, Nev., U.S.),...

Muhammad Ali, orig.

America’s Cup, Most prestigious trophy in international yachting...

Amsterdam, City (pop., 2010 est.: city, 767,457; 2008 est.:...

Antwerp, French Anvers Flemish Antwerpen , City (pop., 2000...

Eddie Arcaro, orig.

Lance Armstrong, (born Sept. 18, 1971, Plano, Texas, U.S.),...

Athens, Greek Athínai , City (pop., 2001: 745,514), capital...

athletics, or track and field also track-and-field games , Variety...

Australian rules football, Variety of football played between...

Roberto Baggio, (born Feb. 18, 1967, Caldogno, Italy), Italian...

chess, Checkerboard game for two players, each of whom moves...

London, officially Greater London , Capital and largest city...

Paris, City (pop., 2005 est.: 2,153,600; metro.

Beijing , or Pei-ching conventional Peking formerly (1928–49)...

Rome, Italian Roma , City (pop., 2007 est.: city, 2,705,603;...

LeBron James, (born Dec. 30, 1984, Akron, Ohio, U.S.), U.S.

Barbie, in full Barbara Millicent Roberts , A plastic doll,...

Barcelona , Seaport city (pop., 2005 est.: 1,593,075), capital...

canasta , Form of rummy, using two full decks, in which players...

Roberto Clemente, (born Aug. 18, 1934, Carolina, P.R.—died ...

Pierre, baron de Coubertin, (born Jan. 1, 1863, Paris, France—died...

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, U.S.

jai alai , (Basque: “merry festival”) Court game resembling...

Garry Kasparov, (born April 13, 1963, Baku, Azerbaijan, U.S.S.R.),...

Mah-jongg , Game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons...

Melbourne , City (pop., 2006: 3,592,590), capital of Victoria,...

Mexico City, Spanish Ciudad de México , City (pop., 2000: city,...

Montreal , City (pop., 2011: 1,649,519), southeastern Canada.

Moscow , Russian Moskva , Capital and largest city (pop., 2006...

Munich , German München , City (pop., 2007 est.: city, 1,311,573;...

philately , Collection and study of postage stamps.

pinochle , Card game.

roulette , Gambling game.

Seoul , City (pop., 2010: 9,794,304), capital of South Korea...

shogi , Strategic board game for two players that evolved in...

tarot , Sets of cards used in fortune-telling and in certain...

Tour de France , World’s most prestigious and difficult bicycle...

Babe Didrikson Zaharias, or Babe Didrikson orig.

Mario Lemieux, (born Oct. 5, 1965, Montreal, Que., Can.), Canadian...

Kobe Bryant, (born Aug. 23, 1978, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died...

Tiger Woods, orig.

Evander Holyfield, (born Oct. 19, 1962, Atmore, Ala., U.S.),...

Usain Bolt, (born Aug. 21, 1986, Montego Bay, Jam.), Jamaican...

Peyton Manning, in full Peyton Williams Manning , (born March...

mountaineering, or mountain climbing , Sport of attaining, or...

Olympia, Ancient sanctuary and site of the Olympic Games, northwestern...

Tim Duncan, (born April 25, 1976, St.

Cristiano Ronaldo, (born Feb. 5, 1985, Funchal, Madeira, Port.),...

Jack Kemp, (born July 13, 1935, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.—died...

Romário, orig.

Eric Cantona, (born May 24, 1966, Marseille, France), French...

Michael Phelps, (born June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Md., U.S.),...

Zinedine Zidane, byname Zizou , (born June 23, 1972, Marseille,...

Thierry Henry, (born Aug. 17, 1977, Châtillon, France), French...

Pete Rose, (born April 14, 1941, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.), U.S.

Shoeless Joe Jackson, in full Joseph Jefferson Jackson , (born...

Nolan Ryan, Jr., (born Jan. 31, 1947, Refugio, Texas, U.S.),...

bridge, Card game similar to whist.

Jerry West, in full Jerome Alan West , (born May 28, 1938, Cheylan,...

boxing, Sport involving attack and defense with the fists.

gardening, Laying out and tending of a garden.

Sydney, City (pop., 2006: 4,119,191), capital of New South Wales,...

Los Angeles, City (pop., 2000: 3,694,820), southern California,...

poker, Any of several card games in which a player bets that...

rugby, Football sport made up of two variant codes—rugby union...

cricket, (from Middle French criquet, “goal stake”) Game played...

golf, Game in which a player using special clubs attempts to...

Berlin, City and state (pop., 2002 est: city, 3,388,000; metro.

bowling, Game in which a heavy ball is rolled down a long, narrow...

bullfighting, Spanish corrida de toros , Spectacle, popular...

football, or association football or soccer , Game in which...

Vladimir Kramnik, (born June 25, 1975, Tuapse, Russia, U.S.S.R.),...

Bobby Fischer, orig.

Izaak Walton, (born Aug. 9, 1593, Stafford, Staffordshire, Eng.—died...

baseball, Game played with a bat and ball between two teams...

falconry, Sport of employing falcons or other hawks in hunting...

Olympic Games, Sports festival.

curling, Game in which two teams of four players each slide...

figure skating, Sport in which ice skaters, singly or in pairs,...

Sony Corp., Major Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronics.

basketball, Court game between two teams of five players.

buzkashi, (Persian: “goat dragging”) An equestrian game in which...

camel racing, Sport of running camels at speed, with a rider...

foxhunting, Chase of a fox by horsemen with a pack of hounds.

table tennis, or (trademark) Ping-Pong , Game similar to lawn...

go, Chinese weiqi or wei-ch’i Korean baduk , Game that involves...

Secretariat, (foaled 1970) U.S.

Masters Tournament, Invitational golf competition held annually...

gridiron football, Game played, predominantly in the U.S.

Joe Louis, in full Joseph Louis Barrow , (born May 13, 1914,...

J.

Bill Russell, in full William Felton Russell , (born Feb. 12,...

Ted Turner, orig.

Mike Tyson, in full Michael Gerald Tyson , (born June 30, 1966,...

Ted Williams, orig.

Joe Montana, in full Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr. , (born June...

Diego Armando Maradona, (born Oct. 30, 1960, Villa Fiorito,...

Charles Barkley, (born Feb. 20, 1963, Leeds, Ala., U.S.), U.S.

ice hockey, Game played on an ice rink by two teams of six players...

lacrosse, (French: “the crosier”) Outdoor goal-scoring sport...

skydiving, Sport of jumping from an airplane at a moderate altitude...

tennis, Game played with rackets and a light, elastic ball by...

Man o’ War, (foaled 1917) U.S.

Christina, Swedish Kristina , (born Dec. 8, 1626, Stockholm,...

field hockey, or hockey , Game played with curve-ended sticks...

harness racing, Horse-racing sport.

horse racing, Sport of running horses at speed.

gymnastics, Competitive sport in which individuals perform optional...

Kentucky Derby, One of the classic U.S.

polo, Game played by teams of players on horseback.

softball, Game resembling baseball but played on a smaller diamond...

surfing, Sport of riding breaking waves toward the shore, especially...

rackets, Game for two or four players with ball and racket on...

rodeo, Sport involving a series of contests derived from North...

roller-skating, Recreation and sport in which the participants...

rowing, Propulsion of a boat by means of oars.

squash (rackets), Singles or doubles game played in a four-walled...

swimming, In recreation and sports, the propulsion of the body...

quilting, Process of stitching together two layers of fabric,...

art collection, Works of art accumulated by an individual or...

blackjack, or twenty-one , Card game whose object is to be dealt...

canoeing, Use of a canoe or kayak for recreation or competition.

Citation, (foaled 1945)U.S.

cockfighting, Contest in which gamecocks, often fitted with...

cribbage, Card game, usually for two players, in which each...

cycling, Use of the bicycle in competitive sport or in recreation.

dice, Set of small cubes (each called a die) marked on each...

dogsled racing, Sport of racing sleds pulled by dogs over snow-covered...

dominoes, Game of several variations played with a set of flat...

drag racing, Form of motor racing in which two contestants race...

judo, Martial art that emphasizes the use of quick movement...

kite, Light frame covered with paper or cloth, often provided...

lottery, Drawing of lots in which prizes are distributed to...

motorcycle racing, Sport of running motorcycles on tracks, closed...

skateboarding, Form of recreation, popular among youths, in...

ski jumping, Skiing event in which contestants ski down a steep...

snowboarding, Sport of sliding downhill over snow on a snowboard,...

soaring, or gliding , Sport of flying a glider or sailplane.

toy, Plaything for a child or infant.

weight lifting, Sport in which barbells are lifted competitively...

wrestling, Sport in which two competitors grapple with and strive...

billiards, Any of various games played on a cloth-topped, cushion-railed...

automobile racing, Sport practiced in a variety of forms on...

biathlon, Winter sports event combining cross-country skiing...

bobsledding, Sport of sliding down a winding ice-covered run...

checkers, or draughts , Board game for two players, each with...

fencing, Sport involving attack and defense with a light sword,...

fishing, or sport fishing , Sport of catching fish—freshwater...

hunting, Pursuit of game animals, principally as sport.

matador, In bullfighting, the principal performer, who works...

Negro leagues, Associations of teams of black baseball players...

playing cards, Small rectangular cards used for playing games...

rummy, Family of card games.

skiing, Sport and mode of transportation involving moving over...

waterskiing, Sport of planing and jumping on water skis, broad...

whist, Card game.

coin collecting, Systematic accumulation and study of coins,...

Seattle Slew, (foaled 1974)U.S.

volleyball, Game played by two teams of six players each, in...

gladiator, (Latin: swordsman) Professional combatant in ancient...

Microsoft Corp., U.S.