11/21/24
August 18, 2003
Ten superb pics.: That's all. As you were.
posted by Fat Buddha to culture at 12:24 PM - 32 comments
Very nice. 4/10 being boxing related is probably a bit much, but what can you do? That Maradonna pic is classic. I hate the fucker, but he was good.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:39 PM on August 18, 2003
good stuff. too bad the pics are relatively small when the photographers and going on about the details that make the pics so good. shoulda bought the OSM i guess.
posted by gspm at 12:41 PM on August 18, 2003
There are 50 of the buggers in the OSM, all superb, and of an appropriate size. If you can lay your hands on it, do so.
posted by Fat Buddha at 12:45 PM on August 18, 2003
Schmeichel saves!!! Great pic... The Maradona one is hilarious...
posted by StarFucker at 12:46 PM on August 18, 2003
OSM?
posted by garfield at 12:47 PM on August 18, 2003
Where's the picture of Pele and Bobby Moore embracing at the end of a Brazil vs England game? Two superb players showing the respect they held each other in. That would have made my top ten anyday.
posted by squealy at 12:50 PM on August 18, 2003
But - they're all futball and boxing - the rugby one is good though. Eat some knuckle, bee-yotch. Yeah - that Maradona one is a story unto itself. The looks on the defender's faces range from 'time for the challenge we've been practicing all week to face', to 'oh shit'.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 01:50 PM on August 18, 2003
Fat Buddha, great link. The Ali-Liston one is framed on my wall at work, I'm looking at it right...NOW. Get up, bear! One of my favorite things about the Sunday New York Times is when there's some big event on Saturday, usually a college football game or a horse race. After the Derby, for instance, you can always count on a color, full size shot of the ponies. Brilliant stuff. Photography was made for sports. More links like this one won't break my heart.
posted by vito90 at 02:01 PM on August 18, 2003
Obviously a Euro-sport-centric collection, but no list of great sports photos can be considered complete without including the most famous hockey photo of all time: 
posted by grum@work at 02:07 PM on August 18, 2003
For those that don't recognize it, that is a photo of Bobby Orr (one of the 4 greatest players in hockey history) after scoring the Stanley Cup (NHL championship) winning goal and getting tripped by the opposing player during the act. The "captured in time" freeze-frame moment, the look of joy on Orr's face and the crowd erupting in the background makes this picture a classic.
posted by grum@work at 02:11 PM on August 18, 2003
There you go Squealy.
posted by Fat Buddha at 02:14 PM on August 18, 2003
That's a nice one, FB. Gorgeous. The sheer smallness and blankness of the image underline the grandeur and majesty of the moment. A statement for the ages.
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:19 PM on August 18, 2003
Nice one FB. I like grum's photo too. The horizontal bloke looks a bit happy.
posted by squealy at 04:20 PM on August 18, 2003
OSM is Observer Sports Monthly. A once a month magazine in the Observer which is the Sunday buddy of the Guardian. I couldn't think of a good hockey photo off hand but yeah, grum brings up the best one evah.
posted by gspm at 05:14 PM on August 18, 2003
or 
posted by mbd1 at 06:06 PM on August 18, 2003
This is a great link, and I love the Ali vs. Sonny Liston and Maradona ones in particular. I like Jackie Robinson stealing home in the 1952 World Series. And my favorite baseball photo would be something like this one of Hank Aaron hitting a home run, except showing more of the crowd, so you could tell where the ball is by the reaction of the crowd.
posted by kirkaracha at 06:25 PM on August 18, 2003
Oh, and given the fact that Sonny Liston mocked Ali because Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay, I'm pretty sure Ali's yelling, "What's my name, bitch?"
posted by kirkaracha at 06:29 PM on August 18, 2003
mbd1: if I had to pick a Duke pic, I'd actually go with one that was in SI a few years back, from Ed Cota's final game in Cameron, of Cota shooting a (wideright) free throw against a crowd background that was all students holding up fake Cota mug shots. It was a full two-page spread in SI- classic image. Can't find a link, though. [I also love 
but I'm biased :)
posted by tieguy at 07:00 PM on August 18, 2003
kirkaracha - somebody correct me if I'm wrong but the Clay/Ali question was never a subtext of any Ali/Liston fights. That picture was taken after a first round knockdown in their second fight in Lewiston, Maine, and supposedly Ali was telling Liston to get off the canvas..."Get up, you big, ugly bear". The two boxers who would not acknowledge Ali's name change, and were subsequently tortured in the ring were Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrel.
posted by vito90 at 08:30 PM on August 18, 2003
Maybe I'm misremembering the fight because of the movie, but this somewhat bears me out. Anyways, I will freely admit I live in the land of the better story, regardless of whether or not the story is true. For example, I will always believe Babe Ruth called the home run in the 1932 World Series. I honestly don't care about the facts; I like the world in which he called the home run better than I like the alternative.
posted by kirkaracha at 01:51 AM on August 19, 2003
for basketball photos there is one of MJ sinking the winning basket to beat the Utah Jazz in 98 for the 6th Bulls title. Awesome ending of that game. Jordan strips the ball from Malone at one end. In the offensive set he fakes Byron Russell off of him and hits the go ahead (and subsequent winning) shot (QT video). What a great ending to a career that used to be. I remember reading about the photo of the shot in an article in the New Yorker The version I can find isn't quite detailed enough but you get the idea: 
The description I read suggests that there is a look of horror on the Utah fans' faces because they know what is coming and there is a Bulls fan in there somewhere who is already ecstatic because he too knows what is coming. In terms of a good sports photo it is a little busy to stand as a good clean photo the way some of the others do. But while it lacks something in the clean photo sense there is a story in there, some drama. Plus it was Michael Jordan's final shot, for a few years at least.
posted by gspm at 04:03 AM on August 19, 2003
I think it was Joe Frazier who recieved that particuar taunting, kirkaracha. There's a great documentary on that first fight, though the name of the piece slips my mind. I found this looking for the title. See mom, I did gone and learned myself good watching the television. Thanks for lessening my ignorance of british publications, gspm. I find it a tad puzzling that american football hasn't made an apperance, or mention, on this thread. For a sport squeezed into 4 second bursts, I would think it a perfect subject for capturing visual drama. I guess the NFL keeps a tight leash on their brand.
posted by garfield at 08:54 AM on August 19, 2003
The most famous american football pic I can think of is Morris Berman's famous shot of a dazed and bloodied Y. A. Tittle: 
Hey look, some other folk are discussing this article too. A website for sports photography at that.
posted by gspm at 10:19 AM on August 19, 2003
gspm - That Tittle shot is great. The only football one I can think of that would compare is the one where Ben Davidson of the Raiders launches himself at Joe Namath and breaks his jaw. I remember searching for it awhile ago and not finding it.
posted by vito90 at 10:31 AM on August 19, 2003
Tittie shot? Wha?
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:23 AM on August 19, 2003
I hate this one, as a Cowboys fan, but it rates a mention: 
posted by rcade at 12:00 PM on August 19, 2003
My favorite boxing image ever. Rocky Marciano is getting beat silly for twleve rounds, and this one punch in the thirteenth sends Jersey Joe Walcott to the emergency room.
posted by chmurray at 12:16 PM on August 19, 2003
This site found 3 more of the 50 images. here Anyone with an actual copy of OSM care to list what the pictures were ? .. and for an English magazine i am surprised that Maradonas other image made it to only 33. As a Scot i am so sick of the whining that goes on about that incident ; if anyone mentions that HOG to you make them describe the other goal Maradona scored in that game if they can.
posted by stuartmm at 12:37 PM on August 19, 2003
I can't imagine why you would want to bring it up stuartmm. Do you have a chip on shoulder about something?
posted by Fat Buddha at 01:28 PM on August 19, 2003
Best NFL photo ever was LT standing over Theisman with Theisman's bloody stump laid out. I hate Theisman. Did then, do now.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:07 PM on August 19, 2003
*shudder* I still can't even think about that replay.
posted by garfield at 04:09 PM on August 19, 2003
Awesome stuff FB! That Liston pic is a personal favorite.