1942 in sports
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Many sporting events did not take place because of World War II.

Baseball

• January 4: Hall of Fame election: Rogers Hornsby is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, getting 78 percent of the vote. Further selections of 19th century players are delayed.
• January 15: President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives baseball the go-ahead to play despite World War II. FDR encourages more night baseball so that war workers may attend. The Cubs, who had signed contracts to install lights at Wrigley Field, drop their plans because of the military need for the material. There will be no lights at Wrigley for 46 more years.
• World Series: St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeat New York Yankees (AL), 4 games to 1.
• Negro League World Series: Kansas City Monarchs (NAL) defeat Homestead Grays (NNL), 4 games to none.
• The Winnipeg Maroons win the Northern League championship. It would also be their last.

Basketball

• The tenth South American Basketball Championship in Santiago is won by Argentina.

Chess

See, 1942 in chess

Football (American)

• 1 January. The Rose Bowl not being available for war-related reasons, the Oregon State Beavers played the Duke Blue Devils for that championship at the latter's venue of Durham, North Carolina, beating the Blue Devils 20-16.
• Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers share the NCAA National Championship.
• Washington Redskins win their second NFL Championship 14-6 over the Chicago Bears at Washington, D. C..

Football (Australian)

• Victorian Football League - Essendon wins the 46th VFL Premiership (Essendon 19.18 (132) d Richmond 11.13 (79))

Golf

Men's professional

• April 9-13 - Masters Tournament - Byron Nelson
• U.S. Open - not played due to World War II
• British Open - not played due to World War II
• May 31 - PGA Championship - Sam Snead

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - not played due to World War II
• U.S. Amateur - not played due to World War II

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open - Betty Jameson
• Titleholders Championship - Dorothy Kirby

Horse Racing

• May 2 - Shut Out wins the Kentucky Derby

Ice hockey

• National Hockey League:
  • Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs won 4 games to 3 over the Detroit Red Wings
    • The Leafs won the series after losing the first three games, a feat that has only happened twice since then in North American professional sports.
  • NHL scoring leader: Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers
  • Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Tom Anderson, Brooklyn Americans

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Frank Sinkwich, College football
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Gloria Callen, Swimming

Births

January-March

• January 1 — Bruno Arcari, Italian light welterweight boxer
• January 9 — Rose Hart, Ghanian track and field athlete
• January 14 — Gerben Karstens, Dutch cyclist
• January 17 — Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, American heavyweight boxing champion
• January 25 — Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, Mozambique born footballer
• January 28 — Sjoukje Dijkstra, Dutch figure skater
• January 31 — Evy Palm, Swedish long-distance runner
• February 11 — Gian Corrado Gross, Italian breaststroke swimmer
• February 14 — Mike Manley, American middle- and long-distance runner
• February 20 — Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player
• February 23 — Paul Dearing, Australian field hockey player
• February 25 — Betty Heukels, Dutch medley swimmer
• February 27 — Hasse Thomsén, Swedish heavyweight boxer(d. 2004)
• March 8 — Ann Packer, British sprinter, hurdler and long-jumper
• March 13 — André Hermsen, Dutch water polo player
• March 30 — Alva Colquhuon, Australian freestyle and butterfly swimmer

April-August

• May 3 — Vera Caslavska, Czech Gymnast
• May 9 — Mirko Sandić, Yugoslavian water polo player (d. 2006)
• May 13 — Pál Schmitt, Hungarian fencer and politician
• May 18 — Nobby Stiles, English football (soccer) player
• May 26 — Jan Bultman, Dutch water polo player
• June 16 — Giacomo Agostini, Italian motorcycle road racer
• June 25 — Willis Reed, American Pro Basketball Player
• July 2 — John Farrington, Australian long-distance runner
• July 4 — Kevin Rigby, New Zealand field hockey player
• July 4 — Sylvia Ruuska, American medley and freestyle swimmer
• July 24 — Bengt Johansson, Swedish handball player and coach
• August 7 — Carlos Monzón, Argentinian boxer (d. 1995)
• August 7 — Hadriaan van Nes, Dutch rower
• August 22 — Harald Norpoth, German middle and long distance runner
• August 24 — Patty Kempner, American medley swimmer
• August 26 — Hubert Raudaschl, Austrian sailor
• August 31 — Isao Aoki, Japanese golfer

September-December

• September 16 — Dennis Conner, American sailer
• September 16 — Víctor Peralta, Mexican long-distance runner
• September 17 — Brenda Archer, Guyanese high jumper
• September 22 — David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA
• September 25 — Oscar Bonavena, Argentinian boxer (d. 1976)
• September 29 — Felice Gimondi, Italian cyclist
• October 20 — Bart Zoet, Dutch cyclist (d. 1992)
• October 22 — Giancarlo Ferrari, Italian archer
• October 28 — Kees Verkerk, Dutch ice skate speed skater
• October 29 — Jan Pieterse, Dutch cyclist
• November 8 — Angel Cordero Jr., Latin horse racing jockey
• November 17 — Derek Clayton, Australian long-distance runner
• December 2 — Norman Tate, American long and triple jumper
• December 3 — Mike Gibson (rugby player)
• December 20 — Bob Hayes, American Olympic track and field champion and American Football player
• December 25 — Françoise Durr, French tennis player

Deaths

• January 4 — Mel Sheppard, American athlete (b. 1883)
• June 14 — Otto Herschmann (65), Austrian swimmer (b. 1877)
• December 28 — Alfred Flatow (73), German gymnast (b. 1869)