An Evening with Sports Broadcasting Legends Bob Costas and Michael Wilbon at the National Archives
Press Release · Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Washington, DC

This Public Program is an extension of All American: The Power of Sports Exhibit. 

The National Archives and Records Administration and the National Archives Foundation present “A Celebration of Sports: An Evening with Bob Costas and Michael Wilbon” on Tuesday, September 26, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The program features a conversation with Costas and Wilbon, highlighting iconic sports moments drawn from the exhibition All American: The Power of Sports and connecting those moments with the power of athletes to move social issues forward. Archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen Shogan, and Governor James J. Blanchard, Chair and President of the National Archives Foundation, will give opening remarks. 

"From the playground to the major leagues, sports and sportsmanship are part of America’s DNA, and inextricably linked to our society and culture," said Dr. Colleen Shogan, Archivist of the United States. “It’s an honor to have two of the nation’s most respected sports journalists join us at the National Archives for a celebration of the power of sports. I expect they have a lot of fun stories to share.” 

Bob Costas has won 29 Emmy awards, and he has been recognized with awards and nominations in the categories of hosting, play-by-play, writing, journalism, interviewing, news, and entertainment. Bob’s peers have named him the “National Sportscaster of the Year” a record eight times, and in 2012, he was elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. From the “Baseball Game of the Week” in the 1980s through his hosting of the Olympics, the late-night interview program “Later…with Bob Costas,” his programs on HBO, and more, Bob has been a prominent part of the coverage of every major sport over the past three decades. His thoughtful commentaries on a variety of issues have established him as one of his generation’s most distinctive voices.

Michael Wilbon is one of the nation’s most respected sports journalists and an industry-wide presence as a decorated sportswriter who broadened his career to include television, radio and news media. A co-host of ESPN’s Emmy award–winning Pardon the Interruption and an analyst on NBA Countdown, Wilbon left The Washington Post in December 2010 after 31 years to assume an expanded role for the network and regularly contributes to NBA news and information programming across ESPN and ABC platforms. Wilbon has been recognized with a number of distinguished awards throughout his career, including the highest honor of being named the Curt Gowdy Media Award recipient for print journalism by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. Other top honors include being named to the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame and receiving the National Press Club's most prestigious prize, the Fourth Estate Award.

“We are thrilled to have these two broadcast icons take the stage at the National Archives and discuss the impact sports has played in American history. This will be a fantastic conversation emphasizing the voice of the athlete as a role model and a catalyst for change in our society and is perfectly timed with the current National Archives exhibition All American: The Power of Sports, which runs through January 2024,” said Chair and President of the Board Governor James J. Blanchard.

To register for the program, visit www.archivesfoundation.org/events. The event will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives Museum, located at 701 Constitution Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC, and livestreamed to audiences nationwide on the National Archives YouTube channel. Museum attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. Metro is accessible on the Green Line at the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. The All American exhibit will be open for viewing prior to the panel discussion. 

Members of the media who are interested in attending the program should contact the National Archives Public and Media Communications staff at public.affairs@nara.gov.

About the National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent federal agency that serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our government so people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. From the Declaration of Independence to accounts of ordinary Americans, the holdings of the National Archives directly touch the lives of millions of people. The agency supports democracy, promotes civic education, and facilitates historical understanding of our national experience. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries and online at www.archives.gov.

About the National Archives Foundation
The National Archives Foundation is an independent nonprofit that increases public awareness of the National Archives, inspires a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage, and encourages citizen engagement in our democracy. The foundation generates financial and creative support for National Archives exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, introducing America’s records to people around the U.S. and the world. Learn more at www.archivesfoundation.org.

About All American: The Power of Sports
The power of sports has many applications. Sports unite people, teach values, and inspire hope and pride. In the United States, sports have powered efforts to bring citizens together, shape them, and project a vision of what it means to be American. But sports convey power to athletes, too—power to break social barriers and protest injustice. All American explores the power of sports both to embody our national ideals and to challenge us to live up to them. All American is free and open to the public and is on display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, through January 7, 2024. This 3,000-square-foot exhibit showcases more than 75 items, including original records, artifacts, and photographs. Highlights include original sports equipment and jerseys given by star athletes to Presidents, early 20th-century tobacco baseball cards, trophies, rare pictures and film footage, patents, and more. All American: The Power of Sports and programs presented in conjunction with the exhibit are made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support has been provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family. The National Archives Foundation All American: The Power of Sports Honorary Committee includes past and current athletes, members of Congress, leaders of sport-related nonprofit institutions, corporate executives, journalists, and other distinguished dignitaries who support the ideals of the National Archives exhibition.