1950 in sports

1950 in Sports describes the year's events in world sport. Popular sports during the 1950s were badminton and soccer. Also, 1950 was a huge year for horse racing – horse racing tripled in spectators and prize pools increased.

American football

 * NFL Championship: the Cleveland Browns won 30–28 over the Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Stadium
 * Coaches Poll established to rank top 20 American college football teams..

Association football
FIFA World Cup England France
 * 1950 World Cup held in Brazil. Uruguay are the winners after beating Brazil in the final group decider.
 * United States defeats England 1–0 in one of the great upsets in sports history
 * First Division – Portsmouth win the 1949–50 title.
 * FA Cup – Arsenal beat Liverpool 2–0.
 * Olympique Lyonnais, officially rename from Lyon Olympique on August 3.

Athletics
The 4th European Athletics Championships were held from 23 August to 27 August at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

Australian rules football

 * The Victorian Football Association began playing as an affiliated member of the Australian National Football Council and playing under the same rules as the rest of the country. This ended a decade-long schism which had begun in 1938, during which the VFA had played under its own rival set of rules under which throwing the football in general play was legalised.
 * Victorian Football League
 * Essendon wins the 54th VFL Premiership (Essendon 13.14 (92) d North Melbourne 7.12 (54))
 * Brownlow Medal awarded to Allan Ruthven (Fitzroy)

Baseball

 * The Japanese Baseball League is reorganized, creating the modern Nippon Professional Baseball.
 * World Series – The New York Yankees sweep the Philadelphia Phillies four games to none.
 * Japan Series – In the inaugural Japan Series, the Mainichi Orions defeat the Shochiku Robins 4 games to 2.

Basketball
NBA Finals
 * Minneapolis Lakers over Syracuse Nationals (4–2)

Boxing

 * January – Joey Maxim wins the light-heavyweight world title, stopping champion Freddie Mills in 10 rounds.
 * September 27 – Ezzard Charles retains his World Heavyweight Championship with a 15-round unanimous decision over Joe Louis in New York City.

Canadian football

 * Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts win 13–0 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Cycling

 * Giro d'Italia – Hugo Koblet of Switzerland
 * Tour de France – Ferdinand Kubler of Switzerland
 * Vuelta a España – Emilio Rodriguez of Spain
 * UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Briek Schotte of Belgium

Figure skating

 * World Figure Skating Championships –
 * Men's champion: Dick Button, United States
 * Ladies' champion: Aja Zanova, Czechoslovakia
 * Pairs skating champions: Karol Kennedy & Michael Kennedy, United States

Golf
Men's professional Men's amateur Women's professional
 * Masters Tournament – Jimmy Demaret
 * U.S. Open – Ben Hogan
 * PGA Championship – Chandler Harper
 * British Open – Bobby Locke
 * PGA Tour money leader – Sam Snead – $35,759
 * British Amateur – Frank Stranahan
 * U.S. Amateur – Sam Urzetta
 * Thirteen women golfers found the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
 * Women's Western Open – Babe Zaharias
 * U.S. Women's Open – Babe Zaharias
 * Titleholders Championship – Babe Zaharias
 * Babe Zaharias named Woman Athlete of the Half–Century by the Associated Press.
 * LPGA Tour money leader – Babe Zaharias – $14,800

Harness racing

 * Little Brown Jug for pacers – Dudley Hanover
 * Hambletonian for trotters – Lusty Song
 * Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship for pacers – Captain Sandy

Horse racing
Steeplechases Hurdle races Flat races
 * The United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is founded in Saratoga Springs, New York.
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Cottage Rake for the third successive year
 * Grand National – Freebooter
 * Champion Hurdle – Hatton's Grace
 * Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Comic Court
 * Canada – King's Plate won by McGill
 * France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Tantieme
 * Ireland – Irish Derby won by Dark Warrior
 * English Triple Crown Races:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Palestine
 * The Derby – Galcador
 * St. Leger Stakes – Scratch
 * United States Triple Crown Races:
 * Kentucky Derby – Middleground
 * Preakness Stakes – Hill Prince
 * Belmont Stakes – Middleground

Ice hockey

 * Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Ted Lindsay, Detroit Red Wings
 * Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Charlie Rayner, New York Rangers
 * Stanley Cup – Detroit Red Wings win 4 games to 3 over the New York Rangers
 * World Hockey Championship
 * Men's champion: Canada's Edmonton Mercurys
 * NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Colorado College Tigers defeat Boston University Terriers 13–4 in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Nordic skiing
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
 * 13th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1950 are held in the United States at Lake Placid (ski jumping) and Rumford, Maine (cross-country skiing). These are the first world championships since 1939.

Rowing
The Boat Race
 * 1 April — Cambridge wins the 96th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league
Australia
 * 1950 NSWRFL season

England
 * 1949–50 Northern Rugby Football League season/1950–51 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union
Five Nations Championship
 * 56th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker

 * World Snooker Championship – Walter Donaldson beats Fred Davis 51–46.

Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
 * Men's All-round Champion – Hjalmar Andersen (Norway)
 * Women's All-round Champion – Maria Isakova (USSR)

Tennis
Australia England France USA Davis Cup
 * Australian Men's Singles Championship – Frank Sedgman (Australia) defeats Ken McGregor (Australia) 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–1
 * Australian Women's Singles Championship – Louise Brough (USA) defeats Doris Hart (USA) 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Budge Patty (USA) defeats Frank Sedgman (Australia) 6–1, 8–10, 6–2, 6–3
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Louise Brough Clapp (USA) defeats Margaret Osborne duPont (USA) 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Budge Patty
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Doris Hart
 * American Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Larsen
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Osborne duPont
 * 1950 Davis Cup – 4–1  at West Side Tennis Club (grass) New York City, United States

Multi-sport events

 * 4th British Empire Games held in Auckland, New Zealand