You should combine the two. Write about the history of sports. Right now we've got Cabrera chasing the triple crown, you should write about the history of the triple crown in baseball. I guarantee it would get picked up. It's likely that there are some interesting stories there too. One suggestion, when people read about history it's nice if it is personal. If I'm reading about a woman that helped engineer the Brooklyn Bridge, make it to where I feel like I know her a bit through her actions/accomplishments and when possible the opinions of her contemporaries. Sports can be fascinating. Anything can, I look forward to reading more.
Unfortunately, the only Yahoo! beat I have right now is for the Olympics. I do as much as I can with the subject, especially articles about the history of the Games. Luckily, with the Winter Olympics in January 2014, I'll be able to transition soon to writing about them. I've tried repeatedly to get a baseball beat, but they don't have any openings. I understand your point about the Roebling article. If I'd been paid more than a few dollars and had access to more sources on her life and work, I would've done as you suggest. I like the challenge of writing and the chance to learn more, but there's a limit on how much I'll do for virtually no compensation in the case of a history article. Again, thanks for the comments and I look forward to learning more about Hubski.
You're welcome. What if you wrote about Olympic games during election years? How were the games politicized etc? That could satisfy your historical itch while being about the Olympics too. Hell, I'd read that. Welcome to Hubski.