Sports + balanced humanity + empathic conversations
one curated public space at a time
Interpreting Sports at Museums and Historic Sites, an edited compilation from thirty two contributors throughout the sports public history field, serves as the backdrop of the conversation we are having here. This comprehensive study provides analytical direction and practical application for interpreting sports history at a variety of sites; guiding sports and non-sports museum professionals alike. A robust series of essays illuminate the innovative, forward thinking nature of sport exhibition and programming that is an active part of the American museum experience. Practitioners are encouraged to consider museums as safe spaces to approach empathetic, complex, enthralling conversations that allow for both celebratory and challenging topics. Museums can and should be places of advocacy and inclusion for all athletes and sports figures: young & old, ametuer & professional, past & present.
Focus
A study of the interpretation of sports history for the public
history in sport museums…
sports in history museums…
and everywhere else it appears
Sports seem to have a reverberating effect throughout history.
People often react to the emotions and ideas of sports in a very dramatic fashion.
Towns, individuals, organizations, and nations interpret it in their own unique way.
And that is what we talk about here.
Because sports can be all fun & games, and sometimes we are playing for keeps.
Contributors
Kathryn Leann Harris is a writer and public historian who specializes in commemoration studies, specifically in relation to sports, war, and politics. She has professional experience at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama, International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, and adidas History Management Department in Nuremberg, Germany.
Douglas Stark served as the museum director at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. He successfully directed the museum’s pursuit of accreditation by AAM resulting in the ITHF becoming the first sports hall of fame to be accredited and the first independent sports museum to be a Smithsonian Affiliate. He has also held positions at the United States Golf Association Museum in Far Hills, New Jersey and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Connect
Instagram: @interpretingsports
Interpreting Sports 
Congrats on the launch of your new blog, Kathy! I love how the intersection of your passions is coming together here. Look forward to reading your posts.
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Thank you Wendy! It’s fun to have a place to write about something I find myself thinking about ALL the time! I hope you enjoy it too. If you want to make sure you don’t miss one you can follow the blog by putting in your email address on the top right. Look forward to hearing your perspective!
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Hi Kathy, this is a beautifully written and documented expression of an event that will definitely live in history. We are looking forward to more – keep writing and connecting the present to the past in such a thoughtful way. Congratulations!!! Ken and Maris
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Ken and Maris,
Thank you for your kind words. The Boston Marathon bombing had such an immediate affect on the whole community. I look forward to hearing your perspective on future posts! If you want to make sure you don’t miss future posts you can get posts sent straight to your email by following the blog on the top right of this page. Until next time…
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