Sports Museum of America Now Open!
In case you haven’t heard, The Sports Museum of America opened May 7 to snaking lines of fans paying homage to all things sports. Near the tip of Manhattan, across the street from the famous "Charging Bull," this vast 87,000-square foot showplace inside the iconic Standard Oil Building at 26 Broadway is the first museum in America to focus exclusively on sports. Sure there are halls of fame and other exhibits across the country that cover a particular sport but this one covers them all! From the biggies like baseball and football to tennis and boxing, to the SportsNation exhibit showcasing more accessible pastimes like bowling, softball, and horseshoes, there is something for even the extremely uncompetitive non-fans like myself to enjoy. Beyond the expected emblems of glory like the original Heisman Trophy, Derek Jeter’s pennant winning jersey, and golf clubs used in tournaments by Jack Nicklaus, exhibits focus more on the lives and inspirational stories behind the games.
Billie Jean King’s report card from November 1952 is on display with a teacher’s note complimenting her "excellent sense of fair play and respect for others’ rights and opinions." Then and now footage shows Chris Paul driving up to the basket as an 8-year-old, and also as an NBA All-Star. Films relive Jesse Owens’s triumph in the 1936 Olympics, the Miracle on Ice of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, and Tiger Woods as a toddler hitting golf balls. 25 interactive exhibits such as Intensity on Ice allow you to step behind a goalie mask and experience what it feels like to have a 100-mph slap shot hurdling toward your face. In Auto Racing: The Need For Speed, strap yourself in the driver’s seat and feel the roar of the Daytona 500 beneath your feet.
In arguably the most humanizing exhibit, Heart Breaks reflects on moments of failure where despite the best efforts and preparation, all does not go as expected for would be stars.
Comments Off