Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America

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Collection of the Salem Museum

Salem High School 1916 State Basketball Champions

Sports are everywhere in America, with players and fans in every hometown. The Salem Museum celebrates America’s love of sports as it hosts “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America,” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program.

“Hometown Teams” captures the stories that unfold on the neighborhood fields and courts, and the underdog heroics, larger-than-life legends, fierce rivalries and gut-wrenching defeats. For more than 100 years, sports have reflected the trials and triumphs of the American experience and helped shape the national character.

On the day “Hometown Teams” opens, the Salem Museum will also debut its Salem Champions Celebration Gallery. The new, permanent exhibition will include team and individual champions in athletics, academics, the arts, and civic life. Salem's champions' inspirational stories exemplify perseverance, teamwork, and community spirit.

The City of Salem, known as ‘Virginia's Championship City,’ has hosted over 80 NCAA Championships including football, softball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and volleyball. Virginia's Blue Ridge is known for its sporting events and remarkable outdoor adventure opportunities.

Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.