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The Historic New Orleans Collection

Crescent City Sport

A silver trophy cup with ornate handles and floral engravings. The inscription reads: Benz & Gass, along with Lespies N.O. Grand Winter Sports Assn. The trophy has a decorative base and an elegant, antique appearance.

Crescent City Sport

Stories of Courage and Change

Objects on loan and from HNOC’s holdings tell tales of sporting life and civic communion in New Orleans.

November 22, 2019 to March 8, 2020

520 Royal Street
Tricentennial Wing
3rd Floor

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 HNOC’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.

Gallery views

20200116 Crescent City Sport KM103 o6
20200116 Crescent City Sport KM012 o6
20200116 Crescent City Sport KM108 o6

Support

Lead Sponsor
The Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation
Sponsors
Tulane University
Tulane Green Wave
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Additional Support from
Amy and Chuck Lapeyre
David P. Schulingkamp
Linda and Tommy Westfeldt II

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