Sports Together is a program by the Hudson Oral History Project to collect interviews with community members about the role of sports in their lives.
As part of Sports Together, we will organize and participate in a series of local sports-focused events to conduct interviews with community members about the role of sports in their lives. This program is part of a larger national effort called By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, which was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. We were selected as one of the groups representing New Jersey by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
Events (Spring and Summer 2026)
Cricket
In February and March 2026, Hudson County Community College hosted a few watch parties for a major sporting tournament. It was an unlikely sport for an American college, cricket, and an unlikely time, 8:30 in the morning, because the event, the ICC T20 Men's World Cup, was being held in India and Sri Lanka.
Baseball
On March 11, 2026, Hudson County Community College hosted a watch party for a World Baseball Classic match featuring the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The event was held in the evening in the Student Center at the Journal Square campus, and attendees included students eager to watch the whole game as well as many passers-by, including students, faculty, and staff.
Basketball
A panel discussion on basketball in Hudson County, New Jersey featuring local coaching icon, Bob Hurley, and representatives of Hudson County Community College’s newly relaunched athletics program. The panel was held at HCCC on June 23, 2026. It was part of Sports Together, a program by the Hudson Oral History Project to collect interviews with community members about the role of sports in their lives, which was itself part of a larger, national effort called By the People: Conversations Beyond 250.
Soccer
In summer of 2026, World Cup soccer came to the U.S. And for those of us in Hudson County, New Jersey, it came practically to our backyards, since several games, including the final, were played in MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands. Or as FIFA officially called it, New York, New Jersey Stadium. We set out to gather some interviews with fans in our community to show what the World Cup and international soccer means in an area with the incredible diversity of Hudson County.
By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 is a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
