Experience the beauty and power of African American athletes’ stories through NMAAHC’s groundbreaking book of sports photography.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) published a dynamic new book on Sept. 17, tracing the history of sports through photographs from the turn of the 20th century to the present day with Game Changers: Sports Photographs from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This publication marked the first in the Double Exposure series to include photographs from the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, co-owned by the museum and the Getty Research Institute. The 84-page softcover book showcased 57 black-and-white and 11 color images.
“The Black athlete has long served as a symbol of excellence, a figure of change, and an image of the otherwise impossible,” wrote Kevin Young, Andrew W. Mellon Director of NMAAHC, in the book’s foreword. “We soared when they did, we rooted for them even as we doubted; we won even when they lost, as long as the attempt proved as noble as the victory. More than 20 of the photographs in this book, spanning almost 40 years, came from the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, remarkable for its ability to get inside athletes’ homes and experiences, documenting ordinary moments in often extraordinary lives.”
Organized around key moments in the history of African American sports, Game Changers explored the sometimes-complex world of athletes, their sports, and their impact on American culture on and off the field. While football, basketball, baseball, and boxing were prominently featured, the book also included images of male and female athletes, amateur and professional, competing in gymnastics, track and field, skiing, golf, tennis, and other sports.
Images of iconic moments in sports history included Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries during the 1910 “Fight of the Century,” Jackie Robinson stealing home in 1952, and Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in 2016. Also presented were more personal moments—Larry Doby teaching his son how to hold a bat, Wilt Chamberlain in class at the University of Kansas, Wilma Rudolph standing outside her charitable foundation office, Muhammad Ali in conversation with Fannie Lou Hamer, and a young Venus Williams smiling after a practice session.
Among the 40 featured photographers were Ernest C. Withers, Roderick J. Lyons, Walter Iooss Jr., Maurice Sorrell, Ozier Muhammad, and Moneta Sleet Jr.
Game Changers featured three essays followed by four sections of photographs:
Survival and Community Building: 1900-1945
This section explored how African Americans created a vibrant yet diverse sporting culture in the face of segregation and other constraints. It also covered how the Great Migration shaped youth athletics in Chicago and the role of historically Black colleges and universities, such as Samuel Huston College and Tuskegee Institute, in promoting sports at the collegiate level.
Struggle and Breakthrough: 1945–1968
The period between the end of World War II and the Civil Rights Movement focused on various athletes, starting with Robinson in 1945, who integrated sports, and how some let their accomplishments speak for themselves, while others used their platforms to support the movement. Featured athletes included Willie Mays, Althea Gibson, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Disruption and Acceptance: 1968-1980
The post-Civil Rights Movement era saw an increase in athletes as activists on the national and international stage, pushing for equal pay, representation, and opportunities in all levels of sports. This section featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar executing a slam dunk, Debra Kay Thomas playing in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, and Lee Elder, the first African American to play in the Master’s Tournament.
Innovation and Dominance: 1980-Today
The final section examined the progress African Americans made since 1980, focusing on the emergence of prominent women athletes, including Gail Devers and Briana Scurry, and the participation of Black athletes, such as Kaepernick, in the social justice protests of the 2000s.
The editors of Game Changers were Michèle Gates Moresi and Laura Coyle, both at NMAAHC. Contributors to the book included Damion L. Thomas, NMAAHC curator of sports; Kevin Young, Andrew W. Mellon Director at NMAAHC; David K. Wiggins, professor emeritus of sport studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; and Domonique Foxworth, commentator, retired American football cornerback, and former president of the National Football League Players Association.
Published by NMAAHC in collaboration with D Giles Limited of London, the book retailed for $16.95. It was supported by the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts and funded by the NMAAHC’s Sport Leadership Council.
Game Changers became the ninth volume in the museum’s Double Exposure series, which showcased the museum’s growing photography collections. Previous volumes focused on areas ranging from civil rights and military history to fashion and spirituality.
About the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Since opening on Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture welcomed 11 million in-person visitors and millions more through its digital presence. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum became the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting, and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. The museum also launched and continually expanded its reach with the Searchable Museum portal and other efforts to bring African American history into the world’s hands and homes.
Game Changers is the ninth volume in the museum’s Double Exposure series, which showcases the museum’s growing photography collections. Previous volumes focused on areas ranging from civil rights and military history to fashion and spirituality. For more information, visit nmaahc.si.edu/publications.
About the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Since opening Sept. 24, 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has welcomed 11 million in-person visitors and millions more through its digital presence. Occupying a prominent location next to the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the nearly 400,000-square-foot museum is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history. The museum has also launched and is continually expanding its reach with the Searchable Museum portal and other efforts to bring African American history into the world’s hands and homes. For more information about the museum, visit nmaahc.si.edu, follow @NMAAHC on X, Facebook and Instagram or call Smithsonian information at (202) 633-1000.
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