The History Center in Tompkins County

110 N. Tioga St, Located INSIDE the Tompkins Center for History & Culture on the Ithaca Commons

For more information please go to thehistorycenter.net thehistorycenter.net/sporting-chance

A Sporting Chance: On and Off the Field

A Sporting Chance explores the stories of local athletes, teams, and the community that cheered them on. From league tournaments to pick-up games in the park, our community history of sports balls, paddles, and skates traverses water, ice, air, and land. Sports and athleticism allow us to explore narratives of achievement and empowerment, even as they are complicated by stories of erasure and exclusivity. As we consider what it means to be an athlete in Tompkins County today, or two hundred years ago, we also get to celebrate the crowds that cheered, parents that drove our youngest athletes to early morning practices, and camaraderie and community both on the field and off. Join us for memories familiar and forgotten as we highlight the history of sports across Tompkins County. Exhibit is on display through December 2024, W-Sat 10am-6pm. Learn more at thehistorycenter.net/sporting-chance and follow @TompkinsHistory.