With deep roots in the Olympics games, trading pins have long been associated with sporting events. The first known use of trading pins was at the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece, when the athletes, officials and members of the news media were issued cardboard disks that they pinned to their clothing for identification purposes. After the games were over, many of the Olympians exchanged their pins with their rivals as a show of good will, and thus, a tradition began.

During the 100-plus years since, the trading pins have outgrown their initial, solely utilitarian purpose. No longer made of cardboard, trading pins today feature colorful designs in soft or hard enamel and bear the year and city where the games were held as well as an Olympic logo such as the five interlocking rings or a torch. Some pins feature the names and logos of sponsors of the games, venues, sporting competitions or even the pin trading tradition itself. The pins also no longer are limited to game officials, athletes and media. Spectators now have a large interest in gathering as many pins as possible to keep as souvenirs or to trade with others they have met at the games. Thanks to the immense popularity of pin trading at the Olympics, the tradition now has a place in other sporting events as well.

Today, trading pins have a presence at baseball, softball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse and wrestling tournaments as well as competitions featuring noncontact sports, including track and field events, swimming, gymnastics, dance and cheerleading. At the youth sports level, the pins may bear the team name, mascot and colors or may have the date, name and place of a particular tournament. They serve as keepsakes for the participating athletes, their friends and family members, coaches, game officials and spectators. Some coaches also have pins designed to mark an individual competitor's accomplishments, such as making the most three-point shots in basketball, hitting the most home runs in baseball or softball and showing outstanding leadership at a cheerleading competition.

Oftentimes, tournament organizers will schedule a pin trading ceremony to take place once all games have been played. During the ceremony, coaches present each player with several pins for their participation in the competition as well as any pins awarded for special achievements. Sometimes, coaches will have members of the team present the MVP pins to their honorees. Once all pins are distributed, the athletes then may give pins to teammates, umpires, referees, judges, organizers, and family members or exchange even them with new friends made on rival teams. The exchange shows good sportsmanship as well as team spirit.

At the college level, pin designs often center around playoffs, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Final Four basketball playoffs or the Bowl Championship Series games in college football. In professional sports, trading pins feature team names, team colors and mascots or may commemorate major competitions such as the National Football League's Super Bowl or Major League Baseball's World Series. The pins appeal both to sports fans who want to take home a souvenir of their attendance at the competition and to collectors who scour the hobby shops and the Internet hoping to gather pins representing each Super Bowl championship game, every Wimbledon competition or all National Basketball Association teams.