Christopher Brown's Game Plan: Turning Sports Art into a Living Legacy

For nearly two decades, Christopher Brown's portraits have greeted visitors to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches. Since 2009, the Texas-based artist has been the sole illustrator of inductees, capturing not just their likenesses but their stories.

His portraits, now numbering in the hundreds, have become the face of the museum. But while the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame established his name, Brown is quietly building something broader: a platform where sports, art, and business meet.

His website, chrisbrownsportsart.net, serves as the hub of that vision. More than an online gallery, it's a catalogue of his career: Hall of Fame portraits, private commissions, experimental illustrations, and personal projects. "For me, it's just about getting it out there, letting people see it," he explains. "If somebody wants to reach out, they can. If they want to commission something, the door's open."

Unlike many artists, Brown isn't interested in flooding the market with constant sales. His originals, particularly those signed by athletes, are held back for gallery shows.

What he does offer, instead, is exclusivity. When he does release a piece or a print, it comes with a sense of rarity, an approach he believes adds value. "It's not every day. I put up something online, and if someone wants to purchase it, that's their only chance," Brown adds.

The philosophy stems from his unique position as both artist and former athlete. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs and spending six years in the minor leagues, Brown knows firsthand the sweat and sacrifice behind the portraits he paints. That perspective influences how he approaches business. "As a former athlete, I really dislike it when artists have players sign something and then sell it, and the athlete doesn't get anything for it," Brown says. "That bothers me a lot. I want them to know, if I'm selling it, they're getting their cut."

The website also gives space to his other projects. Brown has also displayed Life Lessons from the Diamond, his illustrated book pairing wisdom from Major League Baseball players and coaches with his distinctive artwork. The book boasts illustrations that show a different side of his creativity, including humorous sketches. Brown also creates clothing featuring his logo, with plans to eventually expand into prints, apparel, and other merchandise.

What makes Brown's site different is the way it straddles two audiences at once. For the art crowd, it offers the chance to see traditional portraiture elevated by storytelling, with backgrounds that capture the athlete's achievements alongside their faces.

"For the first fifty years, all the portraits at the Hall of Fame were just head and shoulder shots," he says. "When I came in, I wanted to give more. One of the first inductees I painted was a motocross racer, so I put a motorcycle turning into the background. From then on, it became the standard."

For sports fans, meanwhile, the site is an archive of familiar heroes reimagined through brushstrokes, as well as a peek into collaborations with athletes off the field.

Though Brown has already built a loyal following, he sees the website as key to growing beyond Louisiana. "Soccer is getting bigger, gymnastics is booming, we've already had LSU gymnasts inducted," he says. "There's always going to be new stories to tell." His long-term goal is to use the site as a platform not just to display art but to create new revenue streams, expand his collaborations, reach audiences globally, and host international art viewings.

Still, at the heart of it all, the mission remains simple: to honor athletes by capturing their legacy in paint. "The Hall of Famers are the face of the Hall of Fame," Brown says. "I just get to make sure they're remembered." With his website as the central hub, Brown is ensuring that both his art and the stories of the athletes he paints live far beyond the walls of a museum.