Sporty

Meet Sporty, a flipperless electro-mechanical pinball machine from Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company, produced starting April 26, 1940. It carries a broad sports theme spanning archery, baseball, golf, sailing, swimming, and tennis, and had a confirmed production run of 2,200 units.

Sporty's gameplay is characterized by 14 spring bumpers that add challenge to play. The machine also features a red post in the lower playfield that lights from within but does not spin, unlike traditional lamp posts of the era — a detail showcasing Chicago Coin's attention to visual design. Notably, Sporty includes a mechanism allowing locations to pay off players by deleting free plays when a button on the underside of the cabinet is pressed.

While specific design credits are unknown, the game's broad multi-sport theme suggests it was intended to appeal to a wide audience of players. Beyond its technical specifications and gameplay features, little additional information survives about Sporty, making it an interesting but only partially documented piece of pinball history.