DREAM BIG

A few months before turning 4 years old, I watched the epic 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds. I was mesmerized. Living in New England, I cheered with my father and older brother as the BoSox battled to force a Game 7. Exactly one year later, a month shy of what would’ve been his 6th birthday, my brother passed away from a rare liver disease. One year apart in age, we were inseparable—when my parents told me he’d gone to heaven and would be living in one of the stars, I told them I wanted to go with him. To deal with our overwhelming grief, my Dad and I would go in the backyard and have a catch. I was never happier than when I had a glove or bat in my hands, and my Dad was there, ready to throw or pitch to me.

At 7, I started playing Little League Baseball. When I was 11, I convinced my Dad to coach my team. He had been a decent third baseman in his day until he started playing competitive tennis in high school and became a tennis pro in the summers. That first year we came in last place, but our team was young. We were in a rebuilding year, as my Dad and I would say over the dinner table. The next year we won the league championship, and I was selected to the Little League All-Star Team where I was named team MVP. To this day, I still have the trophy my Dad and I won together when I was 12.

My childhood taught me that sports offer a singular outlet for setting goals, striving for personal excellence, overcoming negativity, healing a loss, and bringing families together. Many people have similar stories.

NSM Exhibit: Dream Big, National Sports Museum’s first exhibit, showcases star athletes as children just starting to dream of their future greatness. The exhibit features a diverse group of inspirational athletes on their journey from childhood dreamers to big league idols and influential role models. Many were forced to overcome adversity in childhood; sports became their pathway to survive and eventually thrive.

SPORTS+ (PLUS: PERSONAL LEARNING USING SPORTS) 

The summer after my freshman year in college I worked as a baseball coach at a sports camp called Sports PLUS (Personal Learning Using Sports). I loved the name and ended up using it when I worked for the New York City Teaching Fellows Program during my first years in New York City. I was assigned to a public school in Brownsville, Brooklyn (where Mike Tyson grew up), teaching eleven kids who were designated as special education students due to a range of learning disabilities and emotional disorders. I quickly realized the best way to communicate with them was to use sports analogies, especially basketball. For example, in geometry class I’d say, “If Charlie Ward’s running the point and passes to his big man in the paint, who then kicks it out to Allan Houston for a corner three, what kind of angle did the ball’s path create?”

NSM’s Educational Programming: Sports+. All local schools will be invited to participate in school field trips. The aim is to create hands-on experiences for students to actively discover and apply knowledge from all different subjects utilizing information and data generated from their favorite sports. Along with the underlying notion of making learning as fun as possible, these programs will be designed to capture the attention of students by weaving subjects such as math, science, technology, analytics, history, social studies, journalism, civil rights, and others into the contextual framework of sports.

FAN CULTURE

After realizing lesson plans and IEPs were not my ultimate calling, a sales and marketing position with a sports technology startup promised a fresh start. Part of my role was to travel to professional sports leagues’ fan-fests to show off our multi-sport simulator, giving fans the ability to compete in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and soccer, using real equipment against virtual, life-size professional athletes reacting in real time. It was very cool technology at the time, and a great gig being involved with fan engagement at MLB Fan Fest, NFL Experience, NBA Jam, and NHL Fantasy. After doing this circuit for a full year, it dawned on me: there should be a permanent multi-sport fan-fest, a place where fans of multiple sports could immerse themselves in an athletic wonderland.

NSM Exhibit: Fan Culture, part of the museum’s Sports as National Identity section, allows sports fans to indulge in a 360-degree array of engaging activities—from voting on their favorite sports movies, tv shows, commercials, songs, and video games, to playing the role of sportscaster; or stepping into the ring to go toe to toe against a legendary boxer, trying to throw a game-winning touchdown, or hitting a walk-off home run.

NEW YORK CITY — SPORTS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

After a few years with this sports technology startup, I decided to enroll in business school. The first few days of the academic year were impacted by something catastrophic: 9/11. When my first year ended, I decided to dedicate my summer working for the city. I took an internship with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, researching and writing an extensive report on the tragedy’s effects on lower Manhattan’s small business community. Meeting the resilient business owners of Tribeca during this tumultuous time was inspiring. I developed a deep appreciation and love for New York City’s small business community, and was proud to secure a collective grant for these businesses via the September 11th Fund.

That experience led me to another startup sports venture, called Sports Museum of America, where I interned throughout my second year at NYU Stern. Although this project proved unsuccessful, I learned from the experience. First, I realized a national sports museum needs to be a non-profit. NSM is a 501(c)(3) with an educational charter from the NYS Education Department. Second, it needs validation from athletes. NSM is appealing directly to athletes, especially those linked to charitable causes, as opposed to relying on support from the halls of fame and sports organizations. Third, over the past 15 years, technological advancements, such as holographic imagery, extended reality, sports simulations, immersion theaters, and QR codes allow NSM to employ interactive technology to engage visitors in uniquely compelling ways. NSM will fuse education and entertainment based on an “attraction-museum” model, which is defined as entertaining, themed experiences using multimedia and other techniques which appeal directly to visitors’ personal and shared experiences. Fourth, from a marketing standpoint, social media is ubiquitous today and will allow NSM to run athlete-supported digital marketing campaigns to generate enthusiasm.

BUILDING THE PERFECT ATHLETE

Over the years, I’ve been an assistant coach at the youth, high school, and college levels. As much as drilling them on proper technique and physical conditioning, my players know me as a coach that emphasizes the mental and psychological aspects of the game as well. From my experiences as a player and teacher, I appreciate all the characteristics that an athlete must cultivate to excel in sports and life.

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NSM Exhibit: Building the Perfect Athlete features critical training tips for improved performance. It explores three key components of athletics: physical, mental, and psychological, synthesizing shared characteristics of all world-class athletes. In a cross-generational, multi-sport look at athletic accomplishment, visitors will have the opportunity to make comparisons and decisions regarding their favorite player attributes on the way to virtually “building the perfect athlete”.

A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME

In 2016, the Smithsonian’s “Muhammad Ali: A Force for Change” exhibit in Washington, DC opened my eyes to the possibility of creating a comprehensive venue where everyone can explore the fascinating intersection between athletic achievement and social change. Since that exhibit, the heightened focus on social justice issues, particularly due to the remarkable outpouring of activism among pro athletes, has taken hold of our national consciousness. As such, the concept of building a National Sports Museum has been growing in meaning and momentum. This attraction-museum—combining elements of a multi-sport celebration along with thoughtful narratives about sports’ role as a catalyst for social change, would not only honor athletic achievement but also bring people together around the unifying aspects of sports.

NSM Exhibit: A Whole New Ballgame, highlights the correlation between sports and social change, specifically how sports have played an important role in shifting political, social, and cultural perspectives. Starting in the late 19th century, this exhibit depicts seminal moments in sports history alongside the multi-faceted civil rights movements for race, gender, and sexuality. It is a powerful exhibit that celebrates the pioneers who stood at the intersection of sports and social justice, manifesting cultural and societal breakthroughs through their courage to persevere—and speak out.

MORE THAN A GAME

In 2019, I had the privilege of working as a consultant for Players for the Planet, a non-profit started by former MLB outfielder Chris Dickerson, which now consists of 250+ professional and amateur athletes who are passionate about environmental sustainability. I saw how powerful their collective platform of athletes was in addressing critical environmental, social, and cultural issues. Countless athletes have causes they’re passionate about, lending their voice and positive influence to their communities; several leverage their platform to create foundations for even greater long-term impact.

NSM Exhibit: More Than a Game highlights sports-themed charitable causes backed by athlete-activists. These foundations help lift up communities, foster understanding, support development of underprivileged kids, promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, fight climate change, and generally serve to make the world a better place. We’re collaborating with nine non-profit co-founders, but this exhibit will highlight many more.

ATHLETES AS INFLUENCERS

During the pandemic, I was watching the 2020 ESPYs when Russell Wilson, Megan Rapinoe, and Sue Bird gave an impassioned introductory speech about doing more to unite this country. Russell even addressed “his white teammates and friends”, imploring them to get involved. I’m not saying I’m his friend, but it struck a chord with me. I felt it was time to develop this landmark attraction-museum that combines the passion and celebration permeating throughout our American and global sports communities with the influence of athletes to effect meaningful change. The next day I started writing the business plan you see throughout this blog and website. We’ve already attracted a great team of co-founders, advisors, strategic partners, and athlete ambassadors, including our friends Richard Lapchick, Roy Firestone, Chris Dickerson, Jessica Mendoza, James Blake, Allyson Felix, Pat LaFontaine, Bill Walton, Lindsey Vonn, and many others.

NSM Exhibit: Athletes as Influencers highlights athletes focused on advancing causes of social justice, demonstrating how sports have the power to elevate us to greater racial, gender, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion, respect, and equality.             

So, what’s the answer to the question, “Why National Sports Museum?” Because sport is a powerful force for good. Our society and culture crave positivity and compassion. NSM will be a vital hub for education and a well-respected cultural institution to tell uplifting stories and impart valuable lessons. By serving as a forum to celebrate our passion for athletic excellence, it will unify all of us in a way only sports can.

National Sports Museum focuses on using the power of sports to advance social justice, empower diversity, equity, and inclusion, inspire personal excellence, and unite us as a nation. In collaboration with nine leading sports-themed non-profits, NSM will be a central gathering place and welcome environment for the American and global sports communities to come together to address a multitude of social and cultural issues, all centered around sports as a unifying force.

More from National Sports Museum

For more content like this  — Museum Exhibit Design EBook

To meet our non-profit co-founders — Our Co-Founders

To sign up for updates / opportunities to get involved — Show Your Support

To view our signature mural created for the museum lobby — Iconic Athletes

To shop with a new retail app and give back to National Sports Museum  — iSponsor (NSM)