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The first known game in which fans paid to attend was held at Fashion Race Course in Queens, New York. It was a baseball game between two teams in the New York City area.
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The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was officially formed to govern collegiate athletics.
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Lou Gehrig became the first athlete ever to appear on a Wheaties box.
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The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed while many Major League Baseball players were serving in WWII.
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The first major endorsement deal for a female athlete. Wilson Sporting Goods signed golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias to an endorsement contract worth $100,000 per year.
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Blue Ribbon Sports, an athletic footwear company, was founded by Philip H. Knight. In 1972, this company becomes Nike.
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Title IX is enacted, mandating equal access to educational opportunities for men and women. This legislation creates new opportunities for women in sports as athletes, coaches and administrators.
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Rich Foods becomes the first company to pay for the right to have their name on a venue. Rich Foods agreed to pay $60,000/year for the naming rights to the Buffalo Bills football stadium.
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The United States boycotts the Summer Olympics in Moscow.
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The Olympics became commercialized, and made profitable for the first time under the leadership of Peter Ueberoth.
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The Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia is bombed
