Sports & Athletic Themes on Playing Cards and Games

Sport has long been a favourite subject for playing cards and family games. Publishers capture teams, tournaments and outdoor pursuits: football and rugby, golf and tennis, skiing and skating, cycling and motor sport, fishing and hunting, as well as traditional events such as sumo and bullfighting. Some packs promote clubs, tours or sponsors; others commemorate Olympic campaigns, local championships or historic victories. This theme brings together photo packs, illustrated courts and advertising issues from many countries and decades, showing how sporting icons, colours and folklore move from stadium and field onto small cards used for play, collecting and publicity.