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  • Travel was Linda's love; sports her husband's.
  • Travel was Linda's love; sports, her husband's.

Should there be a comma after sports here?

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  • Punctuation, especially the comma, is a matter of style, not grammar. I personally would put a comma after "sports" in that sentence, but the writer is under no obligation to add one. Understand, though, that the sentence is easier to read with one, and that it is incumbent on the writer to aid the reader with cues (e.g., commas) to facilitate reading.
    – Robusto
    Commented 12 hours ago

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A “gapping comma” to mark the gap (in your case the elided was) is only necessary when confusion would otherwise ensue. From The Chicago Manual of Style:

6.58: Commas to indicate elision

A comma is sometimes used to indicate the omission of a word or words readily understood from the context. Note that the number of an omitted verb can be different from the number of the other verbs in the sentence (as in the third example below, where sixth would take the verb has chosen).
In Illinois there are seventeen such schools; in Ohio, twenty; in Indiana, thirteen.
Thousands rushed to serve him in victory; in defeat, none.
The first five candidates have chosen mathematics; the sixth, hermeneutics; and the seventh and eighth, volleyball.

The comma may be omitted if the elliptical construction is clear without it.
One student excels at composition, another at mathematics, and the third at sports.
Jasper missed her and she him.

Source: The Chicago Manual of Style (18th Edition) (login required)

Your sentence seems clear enough without the comma:

Travel was Linda’s love; sports her husband’s.

On the other hand, you might want one here:

Travel was Linda’s love; eating her husband’s.

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