Beaverton- Nike and the Oregon Historical Society announced today that they have joined to bring one of the most popular Smithsonian traveling exhibits ever to the Society's downtown museum. The exhibition, "Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers," focuses on 35 athletes and their performances in 17 different sports. Artifacts selected emphasize such issues as women's changing roles, racial and ethnic integration, the emergence of sports celebrities and superstars, perceptions about human physical limitations and technological breakthroughs that enhanced performance and participation.
Barbara Bowerman's waffle iron inspired husband Bill to create a new running sole using it as his mold. He created an inverse waffle outsole pattern of nubby spikes and glued them onto shoes. A dozen upper were hand-sewn to the new Waffle soles and given to several athletes at the 1972 Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene.
The exhibit opens Saturday, June 9 and runs through August 25, 2007 at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave. Portland. As part of its sponsorship, Nike is creating a special and unique 3,000 square foot exhibition of items from its archives that will complement the Smithsonian display.
"Our ability to showcase these athletes and tell their amazing stories is something we take great pride in at Oregon Historical Society," said George L. Vogt, the Society's executive director. "We are excited that Nike is joining us in presenting the exhibit as well as sharing very special items from their sports collection. The exhibit will be the " 'must see' event of the summer."
Nike's portion of the exhibit will include the story of its founding in Oregon by former University of Oregon distance runner Phil Knight and his coach, Bill Bowerman as well as Nike's history of helping athletes such as Oregon distance runner Steve Prefontaine break both physical and social barriers. It will also focus on running, the sport that first inspired Nike, and on the company's evolution in both performance and social innovation.
"Nike is inspired by athletes, and has always pushed to help them break barriers - whether they are physical or social barriers," said Nike's CEO Mark Parker. "Whether it's supporting Title IX or advocating for the first women's Olympic Marathon in 1984, Nike is proud of its tradition of helping sports affect social change. This exhibit wonderfully captures that spirit."
"Sports" was developed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Audi is the exclusive national sponsor of the exhibition.
"The exhibition vividly portrays the men and women who pioneered, performed better, influenced their sport, championed their country, race or sex, and helped others to achieve," stated Ellen Roney Hughes, the exhibition's curator and a cultural historian at the Museum of American History. "These individuals broke records for themselves and broke barriers for all."
Using her own design, Hamilton, a paraplegic, twice won the U.S. Women's Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. National Museum of American History, Courtesy of Sports 'N Spokes Magazine Spotlighting the Smithsonian's sports collection, the exhibition opens with Abraham Lincoln's handball and closes with Michael Jordan's basketball jersey. Gertrude Ederle's English Channel swim goggles, Roberto Clemente's batting helmet, Lance Armstrong's yellow jersey and a "Miracle on Ice" hockey shirt are among the dozens of artifacts.
The exhibition also features a short video that further explores the athletes featured in the section "More than Sports Champions." Produced and donated by The History Channel, the video is narrated by basketball legend Bill Russell. It looks at the athletes, such as Billie Jean King, Roberto Clemente and Muhammad Ali, who take their roles as public figures seriously and move beyond being sports champions to become champions for a cause.
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