Sports Museums: Their History and Relevance Today

This course provides an overview of sports museums from a global perspective, focusing on the history of sports museums in the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Attention is paid to the uniqueness of sports museums and halls of fame as it relates to administration, sponsorship, collections management, events, induction, programming, and public relations and marketing. A particular focus of the course is interpretation and the ways in which sports provide a vehicle to understand society and our shared heritage. On-site visits to two of Boston's most iconic sporting venues—Fenway Park and TD Garden—offer behind-the-scenes tours by museum professionals of incorporating a museum into the fan experience. Lectures, guest speakers, readings, and films offer students a comprehensive portrait of sports museums, their history, practical considerations, how sports museums serve as a lens to better understand culture and society, and how they fit within the larger framework of museums worldwide.