1942 in sports

Years in sports:	1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
Years:	1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945

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.

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..

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

Men's professional

Men's amateur

Women's professional

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

January 1 — Bruno Arcari, Italian light welterweight boxer
January 14 — Gerben Karstens, Dutch cyclist
January 17 — Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, American heavyweight boxing champion
January 28 — Sjoukje Dijkstra, Dutch figure skater
February 11 — Gian Corrado Gross, Italian breaststroke swimmer
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

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

Years in sports:	1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
Years:	1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945