New American Sports Museum Planned For Chicago

CHICAGO, IL — Former executives for two of Chicago's leading cultural institutions have formed a team to lay the groundwork for a sports museum in Chicago — a city rich in sports history and major championships for the Cubs, the Sox, the Bulls, the Bears and the Blackhawks.

Marc Lapides, a former chief marketing officer at the Adler Planetarium, and Roger Germann, former executive vice president at the Shedd Aquarium, are leading an exploratory team, including senior leaders from IMG Worldwide, EZLinks Golf, and PlayFusion, who are committed to building a new museum — the American Sports Museum.

A crowdfunding campaign to finance the first phase of the project is under way.

The concept of the American Sports Museum will be designed to be one of the nation’s most innovative museums, combining popular memorabilia, inspiring educational components, hands-on exhibitions, and high-tech experiences—both onsite and virtually—currently unmatched by any existing cultural institution.

“There is something about sports we don’t often consider,” said Lapides. “Sports connect to our lives in so many ways. Sure, it teaches us about teamwork or how to win and lose, but sports are so much more. They can educate us about physics, teach us about our own anatomy and modern medicine, and sports can be the catalyst to breaking down race, gender and social barriers allowing us to ‘play’ better together as humans.”

“For example, imagine walking in to the ASM baseball gallery, seeing an iconic piece of memorabilia from one of the games’ great hitters or fielders, but instead of stopping there, visitors will get a lesson in how a curve ball curves (physics) or learn about athletes who played in the Negro League (race relations),” added Lapides. “The learning possibilities are endless.”

Lapides began working on the concept over a year ago, after the City of Chicago lost the bid to secure the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Lapides and Germann were supportive of the Lucas Museum and paid close attention to marketplace dynamics throughout the process, which confirmed the City, donors, and the public are willing to support a new museum endeavor.

“Chicago is one of the world’s greatest cities. It’s a sports town like no other and is home to one of the greatest collections of museums and cultural attractions anywhere,” said Germann, Principal at Four Lions Strategies who is serving as senior advisor on the project. “Expanding Chicago’s museum footprint to include a one-of-a-kind museum like the American Sports Museum will further enhance the City’s stature as a world-class leader in culture, provide accessible education opportunities for students from across the city and state, attract tourists from across the globe, and create and sustain meaningful jobs for local citizens.”

While the ASM team recognizes there are amazing sports Hall of Fames across North America, as well as a variety of specially designed exhibits that have been offered at museums and sports venues, the team’s research has shown that there isn’t a large-scale museum solely dedicated to sports and education in this manner. The ASM team hopes to collaborate with the Halls of Fames and sports venues to provide a new, dynamic and exciting educational experience under one roof in the heart of the country.

Committed to a rich and unique learning environment, the American Sports Museum will have a strong educational component as the museum hopes to partner with Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, and schools and kids from across the Midwest.

“We’re going to have a Chief Education Officer whose focus is how best to reach kids and school groups. There will even be a large section of the museum dedicated solely to our educational efforts,” said Lapides.

While the team has presented the idea to several key city and community leaders, Lapides, Germann and others will continue to meet with city officials, sports teams, civic and cultural leaders, donors and sponsors, the business community, school officials and community leaders and activists to further secure support and funding.

A website has been created (www.americansportsmuseum.com) and a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo has just been launched to secure funds to support the first phase of the project: https://igg.me/at/americansportsmuseum.

Image Via Pixabay