1917 in sports

[American football]

• College football national championship – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
• Camp Randall Stadium, home of the Wisconsin Badgers, opens

  [Association football]

• There is no major football in Europe due to World War I

• Foundation of Rosenborg BK at Trondheim

  Athletics">Track and field athletics">Athletics

• John Zander breaks the world record by running a time of 2:19.1

  [Australian rules football]

• Collingwood wins the 21st VFL Premiership: Collingwood 9.20 d Fitzroy 5.9 at Melbourne Cricket Ground

• not contested due to World War I

• 15 September: South Fremantle 6.5 defeats East Fremantle 3.8 for their second consecutive WAFL premiership.

  [Bandy]

• Championship final – IFK Uppsala 11–2 AIK

  [Baseball]

• 6–15 October — Chicago White Sox defeats New York Giants to win the 1917 World Series by 4 games to 2.

  [Boxing]

• Ted "Kid" Lewis regains the World Welterweight Championship and holds it until 1919.
• Al McCoy loses the World Middleweight Championship title to Mike O'Dowd, who knocks him out in the 6th round at Brooklyn
• Benny Leonard, widely regarded as the greatest-ever lightweight, defeats Freddie Welsh at New York to win the World Lightweight Championship, which he holds until he retires in 1925
• Another great champion, Pete Herman defeats Kid Williams over 20 rounds at New Orleans to take the World Bantamweight Championship, which he holds until 1920

• World Heavyweight Championship – Jess Willard
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – Battling Levinsky
• World Middleweight Championship – Al McCoy → Mike O'Dowd
• World Welterweight Championship – Jack Britton → Ted "Kid" Lewis
• World Lightweight Championship – Freddie Welsh → Benny Leonard
• World Featherweight Championship – Johnny Kilbane
• World Bantamweight Championship – Kid Williams → Pete Herman
• World Flyweight Championship – Jimmy Wilde

  [Canadian football]

• not contested due to World War I

  [Cricket]

• There is no first-class cricket in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or the West Indies due to World War I

• Bombay Quadrangular – Europeans shared with Parsees

  [Cycling]

• not contested due to World War I

• not contested due to World War I

  [Figure skating]

• not contested due to World War I

  [Golf]

• All major championships are cancelled due to World War I

  [Horse racing]

• Grand National – not held due to World War I
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Diadem
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Gay Crusader
• The Derby – Gay Crusader
• The Oaks – Sunny Jane
• St. Leger Stakes – Gay Crusader

• Melbourne Cup – Westcourt

• Queen's Plate – Belle Mahone

• Irish Grand National – Pay Only
• Irish Derby Stakes – First Flier

• Kentucky Derby – Omar Khayyam
• Preakness Stakes – Kalitan
• Belmont Stakes – Hourless

  [Ice hockey]

• 17–26 March — Seattle Metropolitans defeats Montreal Canadiens in the 1917 Stanley Cup Finals by 3 games to 1

• Allan Cup – Toronto Dentals
• 10 November — after Eddie Livingstone, owner of the Toronto NHA team, refuses to sell, the NHA votes to suspend operations
• 26 November — in a secret meeting, several owners of the NHA form the National Hockey League to force out the owner of the Toronto Blueshirts NHA team. Toronto’s Arena Gardens will operate a temporary franchise in Toronto while Quebec Bulldogs becomes a NHL member but is suspended for the inaugural season.
• 19 December — the opening NHL games are played to begin the new league’s inaugural season

  [Motor racing]

• No major races are held anywhere worldwide due to World War I

  [Multi-sport event]s

• Third Far Eastern Championship Games held in Tokyo, Empire of Japan

  Rowing">Rowing (sport)">Rowing

• Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race – not contested due to World War I
• International Eight Boat Race - England v Australia. Rowed Putney To Hammersmith, London, 20th Oct. 1917. Won By Australia by 3/4 length.

  [Rugby league]

• All first-class competitions are cancelled due to World War I

• NSW Premiership – Balmain

• 1917 New Zealand rugby league season

  [Rugby union]

• Five Nations Championship series is not contested due to World War I

  [Speed skating]

• not contested due to World War I

  [Tennis]

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

• French Men's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I
• French Women's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

• American Men's Singles Championship – Lindley Murray defeats Nathaniel Niles 5–7 8–6 6–3 6–3
• American Women's Singles Championship – Molla Bjurstedt Mallory defeats Marion Vanderhoef Morse 4–6 6–0 6–2

• 1917 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – not contested