(ARA) - The roar of the crowd, the thrill of a last-second victory - few things in life can evoke the excitement of a good sports competition. Passionately supporting the hometown team or proclaiming love for a favorite sport is an increasingly important activity in American culture.

Sports fans have grown to represent roughly 219 million Americans aged 12 and older, according to a recent ESPN research and analytics study. For these sports enthusiasts, the home is an ideal place to display their spirit and team pride.

"Whether sports are a time-honored tradition or a new family passion, there are always moments to remember and stories waiting to be told," says Erinn Valencich, a nationally recognized celebrity interior designer who has been featured on HGTV and in several publications, such as "Good Housekeeping" and "House Beautiful." "Sports-themed wall decor is a great way to showcase team spirit and can serve as a fascinating conversation starter for guests."

Valencich says the first step to showcasing sports and school memorabilia in the home is to choose items that have personal meaning. "When deciding what to display, remember that the items should tell a story about your personal interests or experiences, such as a game you attended or a moment you'll always remember," she says.

Valencich offers these additional tips for creating eye-catching and meaningful sports-themed wall displays.



Get creative with color

"First, work with your local custom framer, who will ensure pieces are framed to the highest quality," Valencich suggests. "Request matboard that matches the team's colors to immediately call the team to mind. The Crescent Select Impact Colors matboard line is ideal for this, as it features exact color matches for every college and professional sports team."

Mix sizes, shapes and materials

"When framing sports pictures, choose different shapes, textures and auxiliary elements in order to create a memorable gallery wall that can become a tribute to a favorite team," says Valencich. "I recommend choosing two to three primary pieces to be the focal point of the wall grouping and supplement them by also framing pennants, jerseys, trading cards, game programs and other meaningful memorabilia for a unique design. It's the mix of sizes, shapes and pieces that really make a collection sing!"

Capture a personal sports experience

Valencich also suggests turning a picture of a sports fan's favorite player, team or stadium into a unique gift. She recommends incorporating several memorable pieces into a single custom-framed piece, such as a photo of the family from a game combined with a ticket stub or program. "By personalizing with a photo, framed sports memorabilia can become a conversation piece that chronicles a special sporting event your family attended," she adds. Professional custom framers can bring individual pieces of memorabilia together in a high-quality, cohesive piece.

Find the perfect place for a sports display

Valencich believes that sports memorabilia makes a much bigger statement when grouped together in one area. "When displaying sports pictures and memorabilia, choose a room that is the most personal to the family's sports enthusiast, such as a children's bedroom, an office, den or entertainment room," suggests Valencich.

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