WALL OF WINNERS: The Heisman Trophy winners memorialized at the Sports Museum of America. (Jonathan Weeks/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—New York’s Sports Museum of America (SmA) is unique in the nation. The museum is unique in that it is the first to include all sports. Cooperation with over 50 sports museums, halls of fame, and national governing bodies nationwide has created a fan’s dream come true. SmA presents the most comprehensive public collection of multiple sport memorabilia in the country.

The museum opened earlier this year with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by New York Giant Eli Manning in May 2008. The SmA exhibits are arranged in ways that immerse the visitor in every sport.

“If you are a die-hard sports fan, this is the place,” said Duwaine, who works at the museum. “It covers every sport, it is beautifully decorated, and it is wonderfully interactive.”

Upon entry, the first thing one sees is the Heisman Hall, named for college football’s most coveted award. The hall honors athletes, including the likes of Steve Spurrier, Herschel Walker, and Barry Sanders, all recipients of the award. The walls are hung with plaques and information covering every winner of the prized trophy.

TOUCHDOWN! Detail of the original Heisman Trophy (Jonathan Weeks/The Epoch Times)

After Heisman hall is a dedication to great past and present Olympians. The exhibit takes you on a trip through great Olympic moments, including Kristi Yamaguchi’s Costume from her 1992 gold medal performance and Jim Thorpe’s 1912 gold medal for the Decathlon and Pentathlon.

The 1992 Olympic basketball “Dream Team” display included greats like tributes to Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Karl Malone. The display contains Jordan’s number 9 jersey. A wide variety of sports are represented—even Joe Frazier’s 1964 boxing shoes are there.

The Baseball exhibit has a wooden seat section from the original Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Stadium switched to plastic seats in 1977. It also has one of Ken Griffey’s Louisville Sluggers that can be picked up.

s you walk into the racing hall the floor consists of bricks from the 1909 Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They are part of the 3 million bricks the racetrack was paved with, giving it the name “The Brickyard”.

tep into the basketball room and Shaquille O’Neal’s gigantic 22EEE sized shoes confront you. There’s a case containing six Chicago Bulls championship rings and three jerseys belonging to Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and Scottie Pippen. You can also see a 1985 Patrick Ewing Jersey.

he hockey room has interactive virtual reality-like helmets that put you in a goalie’s skates as a 120 mph slap shot flies at you. Go in an adjacent room and you can sit on a bicycle in front of a screen and compete head to head against a professional bicyclist.

There are also multiple showcases highlighting defensive and offensive NCAA greats. Visitors can also see a feature about college rivalries that contains everything from a Naval Academy bathrobe lost over a bet, to an Ohio State helmet complete with buckeye stickers.   

In the last room of the exhibit the floors are video screens projecting images of an Olympic-sized pool with swimmers passing you by underfoot or a soccer field with balls being kicked in your direction.