 | |
| Established | May 7, 2008; 17 years ago (2008-05-07) |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | February 20, 2009 (2009-02-20) |
| Location | 26 Broadway (Standard Oil Building),Manhattan,New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Type | Professional sportshall of fame |
| Accreditation | For-profit |
| Collection size | 1,100 photographs and 800 artifacts |
| Visitors | 125,000 |
| Founder | Philip Schwalb and Sameer Ahuja |
| CEO | Philop Schwalb |
| Owner | Meaningful Entertainment Group[1] |
| Public transit access | Bowling Green station |
TheSports Museum of America (SmA) was theUnited States' first national sports museum dedicated to the history and cultural significance ofsports in America. It opened in May 2008 and closed less than nine months later, in February 2009.
The Sports Museum of America was the nation's first major museum incorporating most major sports. In addition to becoming the official home of theHeisman Trophy and its annual presentation, the museum also housed the first-ever Women's Sports Hall of Fame. Among its board of directors wereMario Andretti,Martina Navratilova,Joe Frazier,Bob Cousy,Billie Jean King,Paul Hornung, and fifty other Hall of Fame athletes.
The museum was located inLower Manhattan at the end of theCanyon of Heroes, at26 Broadway, across fromBowling Green, close to theStatue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry, theWhitehall Terminal of theStaten Island Ferry,Wall Street, and theWorld Trade Center.
The Museum became the official home of theHeisman Trophy[2][3] and theWomen's Sports FoundationInternational Women's Sports Hall of Fame within the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center.[4][5]
Other sports halls of fame and museums, including theNational Baseball Hall of Fame, loaned numerous artifacts. Additional artifacts were secured via private collectors.[6] The Sports Museum featured more than 20 original sports films, numerous interactive exhibits, with its 25,000-square-foot exhibition space[7] housing more than 1,100 photographs and 800 artifacts.[8] Individual objects includedMichael Phelps' goggles,Dara Torres'swim cap,Sandy Koufax's1963Cy Young Award; the ball fromTy Cobb's 3,000th hit,Lou Gehrig's jersey, and the flagJim Craig wrapped himself in after the U.S.Miracle on Ice during the1980 Winter Olympics.[9][7]
The event space on the second floor of the museum featured a mural tribute to sports by famed sports artistLeRoy Neiman.[10]
Tickets to the Sports Museum of America costs $27 for adults and $20 for children.[7]
Founder Philip Schwalb[9] developed the concept in September 2001 following a visit to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[6] The museum's plan was to celebrate all sports, and theCanyon of Heroes where New York City's famedticker-tape parades originated was chosen as the location.
The decision was made to be a commercial organization, rather than a non-profit as many museums are, due to a desire to participate in New York's post-9/11Liberty bond financing program (available only to for-profit businesses). Ultimately the museum received support from the requisite government officials, most importantly in the form of Liberty bonds issued by the City and the State to support projects aiding in the revitalization ofLower Manhattan.[11] Schwalb and co-founder Sameer Ahuja raised $93 million over a three-year period to finance the museum, which included the aforementioned $57 million in Liberty bonds, as well as $36 million in private funds.[9]
To ensure the museum was collaborative, Schwalb and Ahuja struck agreements with sixty non-profit partners, including every major sports hall of fame in North America and every notable national sport governing body (e.g.USTA,USGA,U.S. Soccer,USA Hockey). They also secured over 200 private investors, primarily Wall Street executives, to finance the museum––getting them to agree to donate 2% of revenues to charity.[12]
Nearly 100 hall of fame athletes attended the May 7, 2008, opening, with speakers including New York City MayorMichael Bloomberg,Billie Jean King (speaking on behalf of theWomen's Sports Foundation),Tony Dorsett (speaking on behalf of the Heisman Trophy), andNew York GiantsSuper Bowl-winning quarterback,Eli Manning.[7]
Although it received some recognition, includingNickelodeon's Parents' Pick Award for best museum in New York City for children,[citation needed] the museum failed to meet its projected attendance. Pre-opening projections were that one million people would visit during the first year; fewer than 125,000 actually attended.[13] Surveys indicated that 95% of New Yorkers were unaware of its existence.[1] The museum's low-traffic location, coupled with a lack of exterior signage on the nondescript entrance in the Standard Oil Building, added to the museum's relative anonymity.
On February 20, 2009 – open less than a year – the museum closed its doors, citing low attendance and $6 million in cost overruns. Management blamed theGreat Recession and the related atmosphere in the Lower Manhattan/Wall Street area.
The final tally in overall monies devoted to the effort was $93 million.[14] In March 2009, Schwab offered to sell the museum's collection for $5 million.[1]
HP Newquist, founder of theNational Guitar Museum — which has no permanent location — specifically cited the Sports Museum's poor showing in his decision not to locate the National Guitar Museum in New York.[15]
In an effort to be truly national and collaborative in its representation of all sports, the Museum partnered with more than 60 sporting organizations throughout theUnited States,[16] and theHockey Hall of Fame in Toronto (with 30 of those signed up to participate during the concept phase).[17] Exclusive partners included:
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