Professional championships
Western Pennsylvania Championship – Homestead Library & Athletic Club
England
The Football League – Liverpool 45 points, Sunderland 43, Notts County 40, Nottingham Forest 39, Bury 39, Newcastle United 38
FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 Sheffield United at Crystal Palace, London (replay following 2–2 draw at Crystal Palace).
Tottenham Hotspur is the first (and to date only) non-League club to win the FA Cup since the foundation of the Football League.
Brighton & Hove Albion FC founded.
Hungary
Formation of the Hungarian Football Federation (i.e., the Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség or MLSZ)
Peru
Alianza Lima, officially founded on February 15.
Scotland
Scottish Football League – Rangers
Scottish Cup final – Hearts 4–3 Celtic at Ibrox Park
Jack Caffery wins the fifth running of the Boston Marathon.
VFL Premiership
Essendon wins the 5th VFL Premiership – Essendon 6.7 (43) d Collingwood 2.4 (16) at Lake Oval
National championship
National League championship – Pittsburgh Pirates
American League championship – Chicago White Sox
Events
The American League repudiates its minor status and competes with the National League as a second major league. The AL abandons four western cities for Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston. It signs about 30 prominent NL players before the season begins.
The National League violates its constitution in the summer and there will be no major-minor agreement until the 1903 season.
December – numerous minor leagues establish their own National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, commonly called Minor League Baseball (1902 to date).
Events
Barbados Joe Walcott wins the World Welterweight Championship. He is ranked by Nat Fleischer and Charley Rose as the #1 All-Time Welterweight; other sports personalities such as Tad Dorgan, Tom O'Rourke, Dan Morgan and Jimmy Johnston call him "the greatest pound for pound fighter who ever lived".
Young Corbett II wins the World Featherweight Championship, defeating "Terrible" Terry McGovern with a second round knockout
The vacant World Bantamweight Championship is claimed first by Harry Harris, who fails to defend it and increases his weight, so making himself ineligible. The title is then awarded to Harry Forbes following his second round knockout of Danny Dougherty
Lineal world champions
World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Jeffries
World Middleweight Championship – Tommy Ryan
World Welterweight Championship – William "Matty" Matthews → James "Rube" Ferns → Barbados Joe Walcott
World Lightweight Championship – Frank Erne
World Featherweight Championship – "Terrible" Terry McGovern → Young Corbett II
World Bantamweight Championship – title vacant → Harry Harris → title vacant → Harry Forbes
Events
No cricket is played in South Africa due to the Boer War.
England
County Championship – Yorkshire
Minor Counties Championship – Durham
Most runs – Bobby Abel 3309 @ 55.15 (HS 247)
Most wickets – Wilfred Rhodes 251 @ 15.12 (BB 8–53)
Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Len Braund, Charlie McGahey, Frank Mitchell, Willie Quaife, Johnny Tyldesley
Australia
Sheffield Shield – Victoria
Most runs – Clem Hill 620 @ 103.33 (HS 365*)
Most wickets – Jack Saunders 29 @ 17.13 (BB 6–70) and Joe Travers 29 @ 20.75 (BB 9–30)
India
Bombay Presidency – Parsees
South Africa
Currie Cup – not contested
West Indies
Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago
World Figure Skating Championships
World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)
Major tournaments
British Open – James Braid
US Open – Willie Anderson
Other tournaments
British Amateur – Harold Hilton
US Amateur – Walter Travis
England
Grand National – Grudon
1,000 Guineas Stakes – Aida
2,000 Guineas Stakes – Handicapper
Epsom Derby – Volodyovski
Epsom Oaks – Cap and Bells II
St. Leger Stakes – Doricles
Australia
Melbourne Cup – Revenue
Canada
Queen's Plate – John Ruskin
Ireland
Irish Grand National – Tipperary Boy
Irish Derby Stakes – Carrigavalla
USA
Kentucky Derby – His Eminence
Preakness Stakes – The Parader
Belmont Stakes – Commando
Stanley Cup
Winnipeg Victorias defeats defending champion Montreal Shamrocks in a Cup challenge, two games to nil
Winnipeg Victorias wins the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) title over the Winnipeg Hockey Club and successfully defends the Stanley Cup title
Ottawa Hockey Club wins the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) championship but declines to challenge Winnipeg for the Stanley Cup
Events
Sir Donald Mann donates the Mann Cup.
Lord Minto, the Governor General of Canada, donates the Minto Cup.
Ottawa Capitals win the first Mann Cup and the first Minto Cup.
Paris–Berlin Trail
The Paris–Berlin Trail is run on 27–29 June over 1105 km and won by Henri Fournier (France) driving a Mors in a time of 15:33:06. The race is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the VI Grand Prix de l'ACF.
Paris–Bordeaux Trail
The Paris–Bordeaux Trail is run on 29 May over 527.1 km and won by Henri Fournier (France) driving a Mors in a time of 6:10:44. The race incorporates the Gordon Bennett Cup (see below).
Gordon Bennett Cup
The second Gordon Bennett Cup is run from Paris to Bordeaux in conjunction with the Paris–Bordeaux Trail (see above) and won by Léonce Girardot (France) driving a Panhard-Levassor.
Circuit du Sud-Ouest
The Circuit du Sud-Ouest was run in Pau. Some anglophone sources wrongly call it the 'Pau Grand Prix'. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. It was run in four classes around the streets of Pau. The Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the 'Grand Prix de Pau' for his overall victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp. Additionally the Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver (400 à 650 kg 'Light car' class) was awarded to Henri Farman (Darracq); the second Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver for the under 400 kg Voiturettesclass was awarded to Louis Renault (Renault); the Prix du Béarn was awarded to Osmont in a 'De Dion' tricycle.
The Boat Race
30 March — Oxford wins the 58th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
England
Championship – not contested
Challenge Cup final – Batley 6–0 Warrington at Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Lancashire League Championship – Oldham
Yorkshire League Championship – Bradford FC
Home Nations Championship
19th Home Nations Championship series is won by Scotland
Speed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Franz Frederik Wathén (Russia)
England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Gore (GB) defeats Reginald Doherty (GB) 4–6 7–5 6–4 6–4
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Charlotte Cooper Sterry defeats Blanche Bingley Hillyard 6–2 6–2
France
French Men's Singles Championship – André Vacherot defeats Paul Lebreton: details unknown
French Women's Singles Championship – P. Girod defeats Leroux (scores unknown)
USA
American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned defeats Beals Wright 6–2 6–8 6–4 6–4
American Women's Singles Championship – Elisabeth Moore defeats Myrtle McAteer 6–4 3–6 7–5 2–6 6–2
Davis Cup
1901 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – United States walkover British Isles
America's Cup
The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Columbia defeats British challenger Shamrock II, of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, 3 races to 0