The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation presents “Change Your Game”/ “Cambia tu juego."
The 3,500-square-foot, long-term interactive exhibition in the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Hall of Invention at the National Museum of American History explores the central 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 we play historical and contemporary sports, with the additional intention of empowering visitors to identify themselves as inventive problem solvers who can become "game changers" in their daily lives.
Change Your Game includes over 60 sports technology inventions (objects from the nation’s collections) across six areas of exploration: a Starting Line that introduces the exhibition, four Motivation Zones, each highlighting a core motivation for invention in sports—achieving a Competitive Edge, promoting Health and Safety, facilitating Fairness and Accuracy, and enhancing the Fun and Accessibility of sports to diverse participants—and finally, an End Zone. Several hands-on, interactive activities throughout the exhibition challenge visitors to engage directly and creatively in the inventive process while considering the broader impacts of those innovations, both inside and outside sports. The exhibition and its activities aim to provide people of all ages the opportunity to learn STEM-related content and skills as well as practice twenty-first-century skills such as collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, risk-taking, and critical thinking, which support the development of inventiveness.