Roaming the Halls

CELEBRATE THE HISTORY OF SPORTS AND THE FEATS OF PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES AT HALLS OF FAME ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BY NEAL LEARNER

Americans love sports. Some aspire to be professionals, others play for recreation, and even more gather to cheer on their home teams. Fans get a thrill out of seeing star athletes’ extraordinary levels of speed, strength, grace and skill.

These are the men and women of which legends are made. They inspire new generations of talent to push their bodies to the limit and provide sports trivia buff s with hours of enjoyable debate. (Who is the greatest slugger of all time: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth… one has to wonder.)

Fortunately for sports lovers, the American landscape is dotted with shrines that honor the best that the games have to offer.

The granddaddy of all sports halls of fame is the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum (web.baseballhalloffame.org) in Cooperstown, NY (174 miles from Rochester). Opened in 1939, it honors the nation’s pastime through a three-pronged mission: “preserving history, honoring excellence and connecting generations.” “We like to say this hall of fame and our museum is about much more than baseball. It’s also about American culture,” says Craig Muder, director of communications. “Because the two have been closely intertwined since the 1820s—when baseball first surfaced in this country and became popular—it is a history lesson on the culture of America.”

This lesson comes through in the “Sacred Ground” exhibit, which explores the connection that fans feel to their favorite ballparks through sights, sounds and smells. The exhibit features more than 200 artifacts spanning 125 years of baseball history. Visitors’ eyes never fail to light up when they see such treasured artifacts as a Joe DiMaggio jersey or a Babe Ruth bat.

Baseball’s connection to America’s culture is further reflected in a rare political cartoon lithograph in the museum that explains the 1860 election—in which Abraham Lincoln was elected—using baseball terms. “You really get a feeling for how special this is. It’s not just the history of baseball,” Muder says.

A grand sport that traces its roots back even further than baseball’s is on display at the World Golf Hall of Fame (www.wgv.com) in St. Augustine, fl(40 miles from Jacksonville). The hall is part of World Golf Village, which touts itself as the “ultimate golf vacation destination.” The hall of fame is the perfect place to learn about a sport that is thought to have originated in mid-15th-century Scotland. Among the highlights is a special exhibit that celebrates Jack Nicklaus’ contributions, both on and off the course. The museum also features historical artifacts, memorabilia and an 18-hole, natural-grass putting course.

Fans who enjoy a little more noise in their sports may want to zoom over to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (www.mshf.com) in Novi, MI (53 miles from Flint). The hall of fame, in the namesake city of “Novi Special” race cars built from the 1940s through the 1960s, is unique in that it incorporates all motorized vehicles, says Ron Watson, the hall’s president.

“When people think of motorsports, they think of particular types of car racing,” Watson says. “We have all kinds of car racing: drag racing, sports cars, stock cars, Indy cars. But we also have inductees who are aviators, powerboat racers and motorcycle racers as well. The broad subject matter is what makes it unique.”

Visitors can peruse memorabilia from motorsports’ early days through to the present. At the end of the tour, visitors can test their mettle with model cars on a slot-car track.

Speed of the flesh-and-blood variety is the focus of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame (www.armorytrack.com) in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. Along with honoring the sport’s top athletes, the interactive museum teaches visitors how great athletes train, what they eat, how technology has changed the sport, and even what the great Olympians think about when they are competing.

Discipline and determination are also on display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame (www.tennisfame.com) in Newport, RI (75 miles from Boston). Located in the city where American tournament tennis began in 1881, the hall of fame chronicles the sport from its origins in the 12th century through today. The exhibits, which are spread throughout the elegant 1880 Newport Casino, feature thousands of memorabilia of tennis champions past and present.

Football is a team sport that requires the explosive speed of a sprinter, the precision of a tennis ace and the massive brut force of a line of 350-pound men. The Pro Football Hall of Fame (www.profootballhof.com) in Canton, OH—which recently opened two new galleries—uses interactive technology to immerse visitors in the lives of the game’s greatest players.

“We have a tremendous asset in Nfl films, so we have linked all of the artifacts that we have in our two new galleries to an audio and/or video presentation,” says Joe Horrigan, vice president of communications and exhibits. “You not only get your traditional written message about the significance of the artifact, but you also have the principal telling the story in his own words and the game action where applicable.”

Artifacts on display in the new galleries include the 1922 Canton Bulldogs helmet worn by Hall of Famer Wilbur “Pete” Henry, and the shoes worn by Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett during his record 99-yard run on Jan. 3, 1983.

A figure skater’s graceful moves are about as far from grunts on the gridiron as one can get. The World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame (www.worldskatingmuseum.org) in Colorado Springs, CO (73 miles from Denver) features photographs, videos and other memorabilia—including a collection of costumes—connected to the sport’s most renowned skaters.

No less graceful are the gravity-defying twists and turns of the world’s best basketball players. The Basketball Hall of Fame (www.hoophall.com) in Springfield, MA (90 miles from Boston) celebrates heroes of the hard court in grand fashion.

The museum resembles a basketball swishing into a hoop. The mezzanine at the top of the domed building is devoted to hall of famers, while the second floor gallery—shaped like the gym where basketball was invented—presents historic and current artifacts.

Other highlights include a media gallery where visitors can be sportscasters, and a coaches gallery that details strategies. On the bottom level is a regulation-size basketball court.

“You’re so inspired about this game and the players who came before, and you can actually play basketball for as long as you want aft er your tour,” says marketing and communications manager Molly Large.

While sports provide a healthy dose of fun and competition, there is one sport that can also save your life: swimming. The International Swimming Hall of Fame (www.ishof.org) in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, traces the history of the activity in Africa and Asia, among other places. Swimming is especially hot in the wake of Michael Phelps winning eight Olympic gold medals in Beijing, which prompted the hall of fame to begin making changes to one of its most popular exhibits. “We had a very big exhibit about Mark Spitz [former record-holder for gold medals], with films and photographs and a wax figure, and his starting block and uniforms from 1972,” says president and CEO Bruce Wigo. “We had it up there as the greatest accomplishment in Olympic history. We are [now] designing a comparison between him and Phelps.”

The hall of fame also provides a window into the tremendous impact that swimming has had on US society— particularly women’s rights. Swimming became an acceptable activity for women in the Victorian era as a result of drownings when ships crashed, Wigo says. “It was recognized that women needed to learn how to swim when a man wasn’t around to protect them,” he says.

A testament to women’s achivements is Gertrude Ederle, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim the English Channel (and beat all previous times held by men). She received a parade in New York City that two million people attended. “She proved that women can do physically strenuous activities, and she happened to be a swimmer,” Wigo says.

One of the hall’s most popular exhibits is the history of women’s swimwear. It chronicles the development from the early 20th-century bathing costumes, which required women to wear a hat, long sleeves with frills, a dress, stockings and bloomers made out of wool, to the sleek, form-fitting suits of today.

No matter your sport of choice, a visit to a hall of fame may inspire you to drag the old equipment out from the attic—or maybe you’ll finally decide who really is the greatest slugger in the history of baseball.

MORE FAN FAVORITES

Celebrate less mainstream sports at these museums of achievement.

THE INTERNATIONAL BOWLING MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME
ST. LOUIS
How many strikes constitute a “turkey”? Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge of bowling trivia—or already know the answer (three) without hesitation—this spot may be right up your alley. www.bowlingmuseum.com

MARTIAL ARTS HISTORY MUSEUM
LOS ANGELES
Get your kicks while honoring the significant individuals who have made it big in the martial arts community. This museum is also a great place to gain an understanding of various Asian cultures. www.martialartsmuseum.com

COLORADO SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME
VAIL, CO (100 MILES FROM DENVER)
The photographs of and old ski equipment from athletes who have made winter sports history provide the boost of adrenaline you need before you hit the slopes. www.skimuseum.net