Editing Bing Crosby (section)

==Sports==
Crosby had a keen interest in sports. In the 1930s, his friend and former college classmate, [[Gonzaga Bulldogs football|Gonzaga]] head coach [[Mike Pecarovich]], appointed Crosby as an assistant football coach.<ref>[https://www.gonzaga.edu/academics/libraries/Foley-Library/Departments/Special-Collections/Collections/Bing-Crosby-Collection/CrosbyandGonzaga2.asp Bing Crosby and Gonzaga University: 1925&nbsp;– 1951] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219112102/http://www.gonzaga.edu/academics/libraries/foley-library/departments/special-collections/Collections/Bing-Crosby-Collection/CrosbyandGonzaga2.asp |date=February 19, 2016}}, Gonzaga University, retrieved June 6, 2011.</ref> From 1946 until his death, Crosby owned a 25% share of the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]. Although he was passionate about the team, Crosby was too nervous to watch the deciding Game 7 of the [[1960 World Series]], choosing to go to Paris with Kathryn and listen to its radio broadcast. Crosby had arranged for [[Ampex]], another of his financial investments, to record the [[NBC]] telecast on [[kinescope]]. The game was one of the most famous in baseball history, capped off by [[Bill Mazeroski]]'s [[walk-off home run]] that won the game for Pittsburgh. Crosby apparently viewed the complete film just once, and then stored it in his wine cellar, where it remained undisturbed until it was discovered in December 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/throwback-thursday-bing-crosby-took-718437 |title=Throwback Thursday: Bing Crosby Took a Swing at Baseball in the 1940s |website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 17, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/sports/baseball/24crosby.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/sports/baseball/24crosby.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited |title=In Bing Crosby's Wine Cellar, Vintage Baseball |first=Richard |last=Sandomir |work=The New York Times |date=September 23, 2010 |access-date=September 25, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The restored broadcast was shown on [[MLB Network]] in December 2010.

Crosby was also an early investor in Bob Cobb's [[Billings Mustangs]] baseball club in 1948, joining other Hollywood stars [[Cecil B. DeMille]], [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]], and [[Barbara Stanwyck]] who were also shareholders in the club. Crosby was also the honorary chairman of the club's board of directors.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bighaus |first1=Bill |title=Old scrapbook from 1948 tells story of first Billings Mustangs team |date=July 18, 2023 |url=https://406mtsports.com/baseball/pioneer-league/montana-sports-billings-mustangs-pioneer-league/article_14a2f1b4-2515-11ee-9dbf-2328b4e44aec.html |publisher=The Billings Gazette |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>

Crosby was also an avid golfer. He first took up golf at age 12 as a caddy. Crosby was already spending much time on the golf course while touring the country in a vaudeville act or with Paul Whiteman's orchestra in the mid to late 1920s. Eventually, Crosby became accomplished at the sport, at his best reaching a two handicap. Crosby competed in both the [[The Amateur Championship|British]] and [[United States Amateur Championship (golf)|U.S. Amateur]] championships, was a five-time club champion at Lakeside Golf Club in Hollywood, and once made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole at [[Cypress Point Club|Cypress Point]].

In 1937, Crosby hosted the first 'Crosby Clambake', a pro-am tournament at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in [[Rancho Santa Fe, California|Rancho Santa Fe]], California, the event's location prior to World War II. After the war, the event resumed play in 1947 on golf courses in Pebble Beach, where it has been played ever since. Now the [[AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am]], the tournament is a staple of the [[PGA Tour]], having featured Hollywood stars and other celebrities.

In 1950, Crosby became the third person to win the William D. Richardson award, which is given to a non-professional golfer "who has consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gwaa.com/gwaa-awards-and-contests/william-d-richardson-award/ |title=William D. Richardson Award |date=March 30, 2019 |publisher=Golf Writers Association of America |access-date=July 23, 2021 }}</ref> In 1978, he and Bob Hope were voted the [[Bob Jones Award]], the highest honor given by the [[United States Golf Association]] in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship. Crosby is a member of the [[World Golf Hall of Fame]], having been inducted in 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/bing-crosby/ |title=Bing Crosby |publisher=World Golf Hall of Fame |access-date=July 23, 2021 }}</ref>

Crosby also was a keen fisherman. In the summer of 1966, he spent a week as the guest of [[John Wyndham, 1st Baron Egremont|Lord Egremont]], staying in [[Cockermouth]] and fishing on the [[River Derwent, Cumbria|River Derwent]]. Crosby's trip was filmed for ''[[The American Sportsman]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], although all did not go well at first as the [[salmon]] were not running. He did make up for it at the end of the week by catching a number of [[sea trout]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://trouthotel.co.uk/journal/bing-crosby-came-stay/ |title=When Bing Crosby came to stay |publisher=Trout Hotel Web |date=April 18, 2017 |access-date=May 13, 2017}}</ref>

In [[Front Royal, Virginia]], a baseball stadium was named in Crosby's honor. The Front Royal Cardinals of the Valley Baseball League play their home games here. The Bing is also home to both of the county's high schools' baseball teams.