Story is central to our love of sport. Tales of improbable upsets, fallen champions, and bitter rivalries that span generations are all familiar and compelling narratives. Sports also transcend the personal experiences of players and fans, mirroring broader economic and cultural phenomena and serving as a laboratory for social change.

Since the end of the Civil War, they have played a vital role in New Orleans’s slow (and often reluctant) progress toward gender equality and racial inclusivity. A critical component of the city’s tourism economy, sports emerged as a fiscal and spiritual necessity as the city recovered from Hurricane Katrina.

Drawing upon THNOC’s rich sports-related holdings and enhanced by loans from local collections, Crescent City Sport: Stories of Courage and Change tells 20 tales of sporting life and civic communion in New Orleans.

This exhibition is sponsored by