Talking a Big Game: The Art of Sports and the Sport of Art

We’ve been taught by high school movies and pop culture at large that art and sports are diametrical opposites. You know the trope: The sporty jocks and the nerdy theater kids are all relegated to separate lunch tables, and never the twain shall meet, save the occasional High School Musical. But a recent exhibition, Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture, takes this stereotype to the mat. In this episode of the Hyperallergic Podcast, Hrag Vartanian sits down with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) curator Jennnifer Dunlop Fletcher and independent curator and former Hyperallergic Senior Editor Seph Rodney, who designed this exhibition together with renowned art historian and SFMOMA Research Director Katie Siegel. Their conversation illuminates the striking parallels between the crafts of art and sports, whether it’s the tension between talent and persistence, the grand stages of sports arenas and museums, or countless hours of hidden labor. And, of course, people in both disciplines always talk a big game. As SFMOMA’s largest show to date, Get in the Game took up an entire floor of the museum when it was installed there, with 200 works by over 70 artists and designers meditating on themes around sports and athleticism. Over a third of these artists are either current or former athletes, from former football players like Shaun Leonardo to Olympians like Savanah Leaf. If you missed the show in San Francisco, start planning your trip to the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where it will be on view later this year, or an early 2026 trip to Florida to catch it at the Pérez Art Museum Miami. The unconventional catalog that accompanies the exhibition is also on sale now, replete with vivid comic illustrations by AJ Dungo. SFMOMA is also continuing its exploration of art and sports with three current exhibitions: Count Me In and When the World Is Watching, both on view through April 2, and Unity Through Skateboarding, on view through May 4. The museum’s Bay Area Walls series also features three new murals by David Huffman, Jenifer K Wofford, and Gene Luen Yang, all meditating on the topic of sports. Subscribe to Hyperallergic on Apple Podcasts, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. This episode is also available with images of the artwork on YouTube.—Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersThis podcast is made possible by the support of our members. Join us today at hyperallergic.com/membership.