Most sports equipment in common use today represents highly developed engineering structures. Many of the equipment items have evolved empirically, but nonetheless can be used to illustrate basic principles of materials engineering, applied mechanics and kinetics. Using the most common items of sports equipment (footballs, tennis racquets, vaulting poles, etc.), a new course has been developed which introduces first year science and engineering students to materials science and engineering, as well as basic engineering, using a medium they can relate to personally—sports. Emphasis is placed upon the factors which make the equipment functional. These factors include both the basic materials from which the equipment is made and its fundamental design. Detailed treatment is given to the origin of the various species of materials. The processing used to produce the full spectrum of properties required of the various equipment items and the important structure-property relations in the equipment's use are presented. “Hands-on” experiments, guest lectures by world authorities in several fields of sporting activities and equipment use demonstrations compliment the lecture-recitations of the course.