Hall of Fame to Salute Baseball’s Last Half Century in ‘Whole New Ballgame’

Museum’s Newest Exhibit to Open Nov. 7 as Conclusion of Second-Floor Timeline

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – Baseball remains unchanged as the National Pastime, a label it has worn for more than 100 years. But the game is also forever changing, reflecting its days and adapting to its time.

Those changes have never been more evident than in the past five decades, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will tell the story of baseball’s most recent era in its Whole New Ballgame exhibit, opening Nov. 7 in Cooperstown.

The Museum’s newest permanent exhibit, located in the Janetschek Gallery on the Museum’s second floor, will feature more than 300 artifacts and Library items while exploring iconic moments like Carlton Fisk’s home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, game-altering rules changes like the designated hitter and labor challenges that redefined the fiscal boundaries of the sport.

“The last half century of baseball has included some of the game’s most iconic moments and significant changes, while also leaving an indelible imprint on America’s social history,” said Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson. “Whole New Ballgame takes a holistic approach to baseball history, using all types of storytelling, from artifacts and photographs to technological interactive and audio-visual productions, putting into context the ever-changing modern game while vividly telling the unforgettable stories of our National Pastime. Thanks to the generosity and vision of the Janetschek family, Whole New Ballgame is a game-changer for the Museum.”

Featuring new video displays and the implementation of interactive elements not seen before at the Cooperstown shrine, Whole New Ballgame chronicles the changing nature of baseball from the 1970s to the present by examining the game and its culture as a whole. The game’s athletic achievements and evolving nature will be celebrated and explained as well as the fans’ presence and the far-reaching social implications of the sport.

Whole New Ballgame was made possible by a donation from Bill Janetschek, Jr. to honor his late father. The Janetscheks have been passionate fans of baseball dating back to Bill Sr.’s first Dodgers games at Ebbets Field in the 1940s.

“It’s thrilling, it’s interactive and it stretches far beyond the experience of the Museum’s previous modern-era timeline,” said John Odell, the Museum’s lead curator on Whole New Ballgame. “Every single element features a story that resonates with the baseball fan.”

Focusing on post-1970 baseball, the new exhibit will be an expansive re-design of the last portion of the Museum’s historical timeline; a reimagining of the last 40-plus years of the National Pastime that features an interactive look at how the sport has evolved into the game we see today.

The exhibit features four interactive media walls, allowing visitors to choose highlight reels from the 1970s, 1980 through 1986, 1987 through 1994 and 1995 through the present. Whole New Ballgame will be the most interactive and video-based exhibit in the Museum’s 76-year history, capitalizing on the technology of today that has allowed video from the last four decades to be shared by millions of baseball fans.

The exhibit also features images from the Museum’s unparalleled collection of art and photographs, an in-depth look at the labor struggles that reshaped the game in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as well as the expansion and franchise movement that brought the game to every corner of North America.

From examples of ground-breaking baseball books like Ball Four and The Bronx Zoo to the ever-growing participation of women in baseball, Whole New Ballgame examines the cross-cultural impact of the game on society in America and around the world. Focus cases in the exhibit feature themes that include:

Sport surgeries that have extended players’ careers;

Dynastic teams of the era like the Big Red Machine and the 1990s Blue Jays;

Rules and strategy changes such as the designated hitter and the rise of specialized relief pitcher roles;

Baseball moments like the Phillies’ first world title in 1980 and the longest-ever pro game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Redwings in 1981;

The changing demographics of the game as it spread world-wide, including the influx of Latin American and Asian players into the game at the big league level;

The impact on the game of performance-enhancing drugs

Whole New Ballgame will be a major part of the continuing Museum lineup and is included with regular Hall of Fame admission. For more information, please visit www.baseballhall.org/whole-new-ballgame.