A powerful exhibit, Breaking Barriers celebrates athletes who have overcome issues of race, gender, sexuality, etc., as well as those who have helped shape and manifest cultural and societal breakthroughs through their courage to speak out. This exhibit would start in the early 20th century, showing seminal historical moments in sports history alongside the rise of the civil rights movement (for both race and gender) in America. For example: how Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier (1947) had a strong influence on President Harry Truman issuing an executive order to end segregation in the Armed Services (1948) as well as the eventual Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education, mandating the end of racial segregation in public schools (1954). As another example, we will look at women athletes who set the stage for the passage of Title IX (1972) in college sports, followed shortly thereafter by the socially significant Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs (1973). The Breaking Barriers exhibit is particularly important, timely and poignant due to the recent boycotts where athletes took a stand for social justice and racial equality and used their voices and their actions to continue to advocate for meaningful change.

Over the past few decades, American sports have evolved from being national in scope to becoming truly international, attracting talented athletes from all corners of the globe. A digital map of the world will display how many athletes from each country have competed at the highest level across a wide variety of sports. The exhibit will also showcase individuals who have brought their talent to America and have made an indelible impact on their sport, particularly the pioneers and game-changers.