Blog 63: The NFL Hall of Fame
The famous Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the Super Bowl winner every February
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another fabulous weekly edition of the Brooke In The Air blog.
Recently, I took a trip down south a bit to Canton, Ohio. With such being the case, and to accompany the vlogs I uploaded to my parallel YouTube channel, I thought I would share a bit with you all in my blog section.
MAJOR INTRODUCTION
As any football fan knows, Canton, Ohio is more than just a small town in eastern Ohio; it is revered as truly hallowed ground, since it is home of the NFL Hall of Fame and Museum. Comprising over 25,000 square feet and steadily growing, the Hall of Fame is building the accompanying Hall of Fame Village right next door to the hall and the museum (they have completed Phase I of construction, and started on Phase II) and the Hall of Fame Stadium where two NFL teams regularly have and celebrate the annual preseason Hall of Fame Game just before the regular NFL season begins. Of course, the Hall of Fame Stadium is also home to Canton High School, where they play their home games.
MUSEUM
Moi, Brooke, of Brooke In The Air, excited during the tour of the NFL Hall of Fame
But the museum itself is truly amazing and where we, as fans, come to honor the game we love. We spent at least three hours going through the museum which chronicled the beginning of the game, how it started, who had the idea, the first players, and more up through to the modern era.
HALL OF FAME GALLERY
for full explanation, see blow.
The NFL Hall of Fame Rings, encased in their protective metal (titanium) case in Canton, Ohio in the Hall of Fame gallery
Tom Brady’s game jersey from Super Bowl XXXVI (36) where he led the New England Patriots to vic5tory over the then-St. Louis Rams, the “Greatest Show on Turf”
The actual Hall of Fame is impressive as well, covered with the bronze busts of every player, coach, and owner who had ever made it into the elite and prestigious Hall of Fame. Adjacent to the busts, kiosks are available to look up your favorite team, player, coach, location, or owner, and their contribution to a given franchise team. Arguably, the hall of fame rings were more impressive (and nearly unwearable). Made through a partnership with Kay Jewelers, each ring is adorned with diamonds in the shape of a football, worth at least $4-500,000 USD, and really only vaguely ring-shaped so it can, in fact, be called a ring. Clearly, they are for display purposes, and not meant to be worn by the recipient. Regardless, they were gorgeous to look at and admire.
PLAYER TRIBUTES
Joe Montana’s official game jersey from 1981/82 with the San Francisco 49ers
Along with the Hall of Fame gallery, tributes to players who defined entire eras were presented further down. From Johnny Unitas, and Walter Peyton to Jerry Rice, and Joe Montana, to “Big Ben” Roethlisberger and Tom Brady, the G.O.A.T. and other various players and coaches in between. In addition, virtual reality set ups are available so fans can experience a day on the field with their favorite player.
LAMAR HUNT SUPER BOWL GALLERY & AN EVERLASTING LEGACY
A truly noteworthy inclusion is the Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery. This gallery shows how the super bowl founder, Mr. Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, coined the term “Super Bowl,” the AFL-NFL Merger. Mr. Hunt named the game after a “Super Ball” he watched his kids playing with. This title would come to grace the game after the AFL-NFL Championship Game that preceded the Super Bowl for the first three years.
In 1966, the Super Bowl was born as Super Bowl IV (4) between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs with the first three games (1963, 1964. 1965) being named simply the AFL-NFL Championship Game. The Super Bowl trophy, awarded to the winner, was eventually named after Vince Lombardi, the eponymous and truly legendary Green Bay Packers Head Coach. In many ways, the super bowl defined the modern era of the game of football, in fact the moddern era of football is known as the Super Bowl Era, officially. The Hall of Fame and Museum shows exactly how it did become the Super Bowl Era and continues to do so as the largest sporting event in the western world and the second largest behind the FIFA World Cup.
SPORTS MEDICINE
One of the newest editions to the museum is the sports medicine annex, located towards the end of the tour. This exhibit showcases the latest advancements in athletic medicine and medical physiology. It is truly remarkable how far medical science has come on many fronts. Fans can view simulations of sports medicine techniques and hear from doctors around and outside the league testifying to the effectiveness of the techniques such as how to best treat a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) or MCL, the two most common athletic yet serious injuries in football.
WOMEN BREAKING BARRIERS
see below.
Introduction to the women in football exhibit.
Finally, there was the inclusion of women in professional football exhibit. A needed inclusion as we are often excluded from men’s spaces or what are perceived as men’s spaces. Included are women who have made an impact on professional football and carved out our own niche in what was seen for decades as men’s sphere of influence.
Ms. Catherine Raiche, the first female executive to debut in professional football.
Ms. Maia Chaka, the first African-American female official in the NFL to officiate a regular season game.
CONCLUSION
These are just some of the major highlights of the Hall of Fame and Museum, but there is so much to see. Like a said, we spent about three hours going through the Hall itself. Oh then there is the gift shop, this is one of very few NFL certified pro team ships in the US with apparel and limited edition items for every team and gender. The official shop itself is over 4,500 square feet of space.
I very much recommend the Hall of Fame for any fan, even if they only have a passing interest in the game. They will find it thrilling, I guarantee it.
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