Hello everyone! As some of you may recall, my thesis questions are: Why build a sports museum in Buffalo, New York? How will a museum add to the city of Buffalo’s revitalization project? I wanted to provide a brief recap of my senior thesis topic and the progression of my research process. I began my research by studying the history of Buffalo, New York. Then I dove into reading materials that reminisced about various sports teams that developed in Buffalo over the years. Lastly, I will look at studies that were conducted on the topic of regional identity through sports.
So far I have learned that Buffalo was a mega-industrial city in its prime, due to its natural harbor, the power source of Niagara Falls, and the construction of the Eire Canal. The features previously mentioned turned Buffalo into a major merchant/transportation hub, because of its role in international trade with Canada and connection to the mid-west. Industries flourished under these conditions such as Lackawanna Steel, Larkin Soap company, George N. Pierce’s automobile company, and several flours, cereal, and beer companies throughout the city. While reading a book called The Golden Age of Buffalo Sports, I found out that Jackie Robinson played in Buffalo frequently and people were quite excited to see him play. Also, Buffalo’s baseball team, the Bisons, had two uniquely deaf players. I have just begun to read about the case studies that were conducted on sports fans, stay tuned for updates.
What I still need to research on, is the sports teams, the Sabers, the Bandits, Braves, and the FC Buffalo. I want to conduct a survey where Buffalo Sports fans answer questions pertaining to a possible creation of a Buffalo Sports Museum. The survey will be a collection of 5 questions available on both paper and online. I plan on attending the Bills and Sabers tailgate parties that happen before home games. Then I can add this survey to my research paper!
