Blog Post: Empty stadiums resonate with history

Grade Range: 8-12
Resource Type(s): Reference Materials
Date Posted: 12/30/2020

“On a night in late April of 2015, I was travelling down I-95 with my museum colleagues Mike and Ryan. We were tired but still elated from the once-in-a-lifetime experience of touring ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut. The purpose of our visit was to collect an incredible object for the museum’s collections: the NCAA tournament bracket filled out by the president of the United States, avid basketball fan, Barack Obama. We were collecting the brackets to show how sporting events such as the NCAA tournament bring Americans together, with millions filling similar brackets whether they are sports fans or not. We knew the historical significance of Obama’s presidency added additional resonance and interest to the artifact.”

Click on the resource to continue reading.


Instructional Strategies