Started in 1939 as the “Fisherman’s Party,” the first Milwaukee Sports Show was a two-day event held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Eagle’s Club Ballroom.  After the Party ended, two Milwaukee Sentinel sports reporters and a local dog trainer named Orin Benson from Eagle, Wisconsin started planning for an even bigger event organized and owned by the newspaper.  In 1940 “The Milwaukee Sentinel Sports and Travel Show” was held in Mecca Arena in downtown Milwaukee.  Admission to the original show was just 30¢! All proceeds from that show, $4,500, were donated to the Children’s Hospital.  The following year the title changed to the “Milwaukee Sentinel Sports and Vacation Show.” During the spring of 1943, the show was not held because of World War II. It’s due to this break that The Sports Show continues to be one of the strongest sports shows in the Midwest, 66 years after its original commencement.

In the early years the show was eight days long but was soon expanded to its current 10-day format. Today, it is the only 10-day sports show remaining in the country.  With the merger of the Milwaukee Sentinel and The Milwaukee Journal in the mid 1990s the name was changed one final time to the “Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show.” The Sports Show moved to its present location at The Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park in 2003.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show enjoys a strong tradition of outdoor sports exhibits, entertainment and activities going back to the very first show.  Boating, Fishing, Hunting and Camping have always been highlights of the Sports Show.  It has also seen numerous changes and additions throughout the years including popular interactive features like Rock Climbing, Kid’s Activities and multiple Seminar Stages.  The Journal Sentinel Sports Show is currently the largest Sports Show in the country, attracting over 150,000 attendees annually and nearly 500 exhibitors and features.

Enjoy the Photo Gallery and take a look back at many years of sporting tradition with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show.