| Isabel Migoya Iriso
When it comes to sports innovation, what is fair? And which innovations should be banned? Clearly a motorized running shoe would cross a line, but shoes with springboard-like carbon plates that have improved runners’ times are deemed fair game. So where do we draw the line? These questions don’t come with easy answers. But during my visit to the Change Your Game exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., these big questions turned into creative, hands-on challenges that were as entertaining as they were thought-provoking.
Part of the museum’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Change your Game is an interactive exhibition that explores how inventive thinking has reshaped the way we play, compete, and experience sports. It’s not just about gear or gadgets, it’s about the minds behind the ideas and the real problems they set out to solve. Whether the goal was fairness, accessibility, or performance, the motivations behind innovations such as Arielle Rausin’s wheelchair racing gloves or Tahira Reid’s double-Dutch rope-turning machine are as varied as the sports themselves.
The exhibition is divided into four zones: Competitive Edge, Health and Safety, Fairness and Accuracy, and Fun and Accessibility, plus an introduction (Starting Line) and a conclusion (End Zone). Each area highlights inventions that might seem ordinary today, like running shoes or electronic scoreboards, but were once groundbreaking. I was honestly surprised to discover that Jane Fonda’s iconic workout videos started as a creative way for her to stay fit at home while recovering from an injury.
Designed for visitors of all ages and fully bilingual, the exhibition mixes traditional museum displays with hands-on activities. One station dares you to design the fastest swimsuit possible, while another gives you 90 seconds to invent a completely new sport using three random elements. My challenge? Bowling, two chairs, and a sidewalk. The result? Let’s just say you won’t see it at the Olympics anytime soon.
Visitors are invited to become inventors themselves by identifying a real-world problem and coming up with a solution. The ideas left by previous visitors are both hilarious and brilliant. Deserving a special shoutout is the brilliant mind behind the self-making bed.
So, what is fair? And can innovation go too far? Change your Game gives you the space to explore these questions, spark your creativity, and reimagine what’s possible. And who knows? Perhaps you can be the next game-changer.