13,239 articles
Hockey puck
Hockey puck: the vulcanized rubber disc of ice hockey, 3 in (7.6 cm) diameter, 1 in (2.5 cm) thick, 156–170 g, kept frozen for games; modern design dates to the early 1940s; now also built with tracking chips.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (北海道日本ハムファイターズ), NPB Pacific League club in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido; owned by Nippon Ham since 1973; moved from Tokyo Dome (1988-2003) to Sapporo Dome (2004-2022), then Es Con Field Hokkaido (2023); 7 pennants, 3 Japan Series titles.
Hole in one
Hole in one (ace): a golf score of 1 on a hole, holing the tee shot. Odds about 12,500 to 1 for amateurs, 3,000 to 1 for tour pros; first recorded by Tom Morris at Prestwick in 1868; commonly insured as prize indemnity.
Holger Rune
Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune, Danish tennis player born 2003; career-high ATP No. 4 (2023); 2022 Paris Masters champion over Djokovic; 2025 Barcelona winner; ruptured Achilles in October 2025.
Hollie Webb Pearne
Hollie Webb Pearne (Hollie Pearne-Webb), English field hockey defender born 1990 in Belper; Rio 2016 Olympic gold via decisive shootout goal, Tokyo 2020 bronze as GB captain, Paris 2024 quarter-finalist, 274 caps, retired 2025.
Hollywood Smothers
Hollywood Smothers, college football running back for the Texas Longhorns (formerly Oklahoma, NC State), Charlotte NC native; 2025 First-Team All-ACC with 939 rushing yards, scored game-winning TD in Texas's 24-23 upset of No. 1 Ohio State in 2026.
Home run
Home run (HR): baseball play where the batter hits a fair ball and scores without being put out; also called homer, dinger, tater. Includes over-the-fence and rare inside-the-park versions, affected by park, wind, and temperature.
Home Run Derby
MLB All-Star Home Run Derby, annual power-hitting contest since 1985; swing-based format (20/15/15 swings) replaced the 2015 timer in 2026; Jordan Walker is reigning champion; Griffey Jr. won three titles.
Home Team (2022 film)
Home Team is a 2022 American sports comedy directed by Charles and Daniel Kinnane, starring Kevin James, Taylor Lautner, and Rob Schneider, released on Netflix in January 2022.
Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays, Negro leagues baseball franchise founded 1910 near Pittsburgh, later splitting home games with Washington, D.C. Won nine straight pennants and three Negro World Series titles (1937–1948); Josh Gibson's team; folded May 1951.
Homosexuality in American football
Homosexuality in American football: 16 gay or bi NFL players have come out, from Dave Kopay (1975) to Carl Nassib, the first active player (2021) and only one to play a regular-season down; Michael Sam was the first drafted (2014).
Hong Jeong Ho
Hong Jeong Ho (홍정호) names two South Korean athletes: a handball player born 1974 with Olympic gold (1992), silver (1996), and bronze (2008), and a footballer center back born 1989, 2021 K League 1 MVP.
Hong Kong Sevens (香港国际七人榄球赛)
Hong Kong Sevens (香港国际七人榄球赛), also called Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in Hong Kong since 1976, organized by Hong Kong China Rugby, now at Kai Tak Stadium and opening the HSBC SVNS World Championship.
Honkbal Hoofdklasse
Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the Dutch top baseball division (hoofdklasse), founded 1922, run by the KNBSB; 42 weekend games April-September, best-of-seven Holland Series final, closed league, Curaçao Neptunus and Amsterdam Pirates the leading clubs.
Honolulu Stadium
Honolulu Stadium, the Termite Palace, was a wooden multi-purpose stadium in Moʻiliʻili, Honolulu, opened 1926 and demolished 1976; home of UH football, the Hawaii Islanders PCL team, and the WFL Hawaiians.
Honus Wagner
Honus Wagner (Johannes Peter Wagner, 1874-1955), "The Flying Dutchman," was a Hall of Fame shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Louisville Colonels; eight NL batting titles, 3,420 hits, inaugural 1936 Hall class, and the famous T206 card.
Hooley Smith
Reginald Joseph "Hooley" Smith, Canadian ice hockey forward (born Toronto; birth year 1903 or 1905; died 1963): 1924 Olympic gold with the Toronto Granites, Stanley Cups 1927 and 1935, Hockey Hall of Fame 1972.
Hoosier hysteria
Hoosier Hysteria is Indiana's statewide obsession with basketball, centered on the IHSAA high school tournament (first held 1911, Crawfordsville champion). Known for the single-class era, the 1954 Milan Miracle, Crispus Attucks, and the 1997-98 shift to four classes.
Hoosiers (film)
Hoosiers is a 1986 American sports drama written by Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh, loosely inspired by the 1954 Milan Indians' Indiana state basketball title; Gene Hackman stars as coach Norman Dale of the fictional Hickory Huskers.
Hopman Cup
Hopman Cup, ITF's official mixed-nation tennis team event (one man, one woman per country; singles and mixed doubles). Founded 1989 in Perth, played there 1989-2019, revived 2023 in Nice, Canada champions 2025 in Bari.
Horace Grant
Horace Grant (born 1965), NBA power forward from Clemson, drafted 10th overall in 1987 by the Bulls; four-time champion (1991-93 Bulls, 2001 Lakers), 17 seasons, 11.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Hou Yuzhu
Hou Yuzhu (侯玉珠), Chinese volleyball outside hitter born 1963 in Yongtai, Fujian; Fujian club player and national team member 1983–1988 who won 1984 Olympic gold and 1988 Olympic bronze.
Houston Astros
Houston Astros, MLB American League West team founded 1962 as the Colt .45s, renamed Astros in 1964. Play at Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park) since 2025; World Series champions 2017 and 2022.
Houston Astros sign stealing scandal
Houston Astros sign stealing scandal: MLB rules violation in which the 2017 World Series champions used cameras, monitors, and the Codebreaker algorithm plus trash can bangs to steal signs in 2017-2018, exposed by The Athletic in 2019 and punished in 2020.
Houston Comets
Houston Comets, WNBA team 1997-2008, one of the original eight franchises; won the league's first four championships (1997-2000) with Cooper, Swoopes, Thompson; disbanded 2008; name revived via Connecticut Sun relocation for 2027.
Houston Cougars football
Houston Cougars football: University of Houston's FBS team, founded 1946, also called UH Cougars. 479-386-15 all-time, 11 conference titles, 1989 Heisman (Andre Ware), Big 12 member since 2023, plays at 40,000-seat TDECU Stadium.
Houston Cougars men's basketball
The Houston Cougars men's basketball team is the University of Houston's Division I program, best known for the Phi Slama Jama teams of the early 1980s.
Houston Nutt
Houston Nutt (born 1957), American college football coach and former Arkansas quarterback; head coach at Murray State, Boise State, Arkansas (75-48, three SEC West titles), and Ole Miss; career 133-86.
Houston Oilers
Houston Oilers, American football team of Houston, Texas, 1960-1996; charter AFL member, two AFL titles, now the Tennessee Titans, which keeps its history; Oilers name retired, Houston's NFL team is the Texans.
Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets, NBA Western Conference team founded 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, moved to Houston 1971; back-to-back champions 1994 and 1995; play at Toyota Center, owned by Tilman Fertitta.