Smithsonian Sports Invention Exhibition Will Have People Rethinking Their Game

Courtesy of Colorado Time Systems, a SwimSwam partner since 2014.

Loveland – CO – March 22, 2024 – Colorado Time Systems, a PlayCore company is pleased to be an object donor to this family friendly, interactive exhibition focused on the intersection of invention, sports, and technology.

Invention and technology can make the difference between victory and defeat as well as expand who can participate in sports. “Change Your Game”/“Cambia tu juego,” presented by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation opened on March 15. The 3,500-square-foot, family-friendly, interactive exhibition in the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will explore the dynamic role of invention and technology in sports from an unexpected perspective: who invents for sports and why?

The bilingual exhibition spotlights how the motivations of diverse inventors, athletes and technologists have changed how historical and contemporary sports are played. It will invite visitors to see themselves as inventive problem solvers who can become “game changers” in their daily lives.

Sports have universal appeal contributing to physical health, social connections, cultural identity, personal development and even national unity. Every sport and every player is mediated by numerous inventions, and this exhibition takes a look at who invented the technology that makes game play possible.

“Every individual has the capacity to be inventive and to develop creative solutions—in sports and in other ar eas of everyday life,” said Anthea M. Hartig, the museum’s Elizabeth MacMillan Director. “As visitors to ‘Change Your Game’ learn from a diverse array of sports inventors and come to understand their motivations, we hope they will begin to see their own potential to be a game changer.”

More than 60 sports technology objects from the nation’s collection will be on view in the new exhibition.

About Colorado Time Systems (CTS)

Colorado Time Systems, a PlayCore company, has established a reputation for precision and innovation in swim timing equipment. Since 1972, premier aquatic facilities have chosen Colorado Time Systems for platinum quality timing, scoring and display systems. Learn more at www.coloradotime.com.

About PlayCore

PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, programs, and partnerships. They infuse this learning into their complete family of brands.
PlayCore combines best in class planning and education programs with the most comprehensive array of recreation products available to create solutions that match the unique needs of each community they serve. Learn more at www.playcore.com.

About the Lemelson Center 

The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center engages, educates and empowers the public to participate in technological, economic and social change. The center undertakes historical research, develops educational initiatives, creates exhibitions and hosts public programming to advance new perspectives on invention and innovation and to foster interactions between the public and inventors. The Lemelson Hall of Invention and Innovation, featuring the Draper Spark!Lab and “Change Your Game”/“- Cambia tu juego,” is a signature part of the National Museum of American History’s 45,000-square-foot space centered on the theme of innovation. For more informa tion, visit the center’s website. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.

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