Derby Field

After 150 Kentucky Derbys, Louisville Knows Sports

Louisville Sports Commission Press Releases

Louisville Sports Commission and Partners Launch Sports Fun(d)

Grant Program will Support ‘More Sports. More Kids. More Places’

Louisville, Ky. – June 9, 2021 – The Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) has teamed with Gill Holland, the Sociable Weaver Foundation and the Humana Foundation, as well as local and national sports organizations, to create SportsFun(d), a grant program that will provide “more sports for more kids in more places.” The initiative’s launch was unveiled today at a press conference in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood.

read more

Three Native Kentuckians to be Inducted into Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame

Pete Browning, Anna May Hutchison, Clarence Wilson Comprise Class of 2020

Louisville, Ky. – Feb. 4, 2021 – Three native Kentuckians from the bygone era have been selected as the 2020 class of the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame fueled by the Kentucky Lottery (KSHOF). Comprising the 43rd KSHOF class are: Pete Browning, one of the most dominant hitters in the early days of major league baseball in the late 1800s and namesake of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat; Anna May Hutchison, a record-setting sidearm pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during the World War II era; and Clarence “Cave” Wilson, a prep and collegiate basketball star at all-black schools and at the time, the longest-tenured player-coach for the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1950-60s.

read more

Alabama’s DeVonta Smith Named 2020 Paul Hornung Award Winner

Award Presented Annually Since 2010 to Most Versatile Player in Major College Football

Louisville, Ky. – Jan. 5, 2021 – Alabama senior wide receiver / return specialist DeVonta Smith, a prolific pass catcher and standout on special teams who scored touchdowns receiving, rushing and returning punts, has been named winner of the 11th annual Paul Hornung Award presented by Texas Roadhouse.

The announcement was made today by the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC), owners and operators of the Paul Hornung Award, presented to the most versatile player in major college football. The LSC created the award in 2011 along with football legend and Louisville native Paul Hornung, who passed away on Nov. 13, 2020, at age 84.

read more

Sports provide normalcy in an abnormal time

I remember asking my mom how she and my four oldest siblings coped during World War II with rationing, uncertainty in the war effort and my father away serving in the Navy. She said, “We learned to make do.”

Louisville’s hospitality and travel and tourism industries have been forced to “make do” during the pandemic while operating in fits and starts for much of 2020 due to COVID-19. And while many sports activities also have been affected, our segment of the industry has been fortunate to fill a critical void and provide a sense of normalcy in an abnormal time.

read more

Urban Bourbon Half Marathon presented by Jim Beam® Again Recognized by BibRave 100

Runner nominations and runner votes decided the Best Races in America for the decade

Louisville, Ky. – December 2, 2020 – BibRave, an online running community that provides race-related information to running race participants worldwide, announced that the Louisville Sports Commission’s Urban Bourbon Half Marathon presented by Jim Beam® (UBHM) was named the number two best half marathon in the country as part of The BibRave 100: A Definitive List of the Best Races in America. The UBHM also was listed among the races with the best bites and bevvies, and best medals and swag.

read more