Best sports photos

I nearly posted this photo last Saturday, but since I am the board's Michigan fan boi, I decided against it, until today. (But really it has nothing to do with Michigan)

http://deadspin.com/5640767/how-a-college-kid-helped-launch-denard-robinsons-heisman-candidacy?skyline=true&s=i

This could be a career-defining photo for this college journalist, and it had me thinking, what are some of the best sports photos around. What's the best sports photo ever taken?

 

I know this one's always discussed as perhaps being the best ever. I wouldn't disagree.



And SI in 1999 published the century's best photos.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/9701/index.htm

You can see the pages in the reader format.

 

I'll post some more later, but I've always love this one. You can see Gehrig handing Ruth a ball so he can sign.

 

I will post some more beauties later.

 

I didn't know the Babe signed with a Red X

 

First one I thought of, complete with open-mouthed Larry Merchant visible between The Champ's legs.

This one's pretty good too....

 

Here's an interesting perspective on the Ali-Liston shot, complete with Mad Men talk.

http://thevisualculture.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-mad-men-rewrote-sports-photo.html

I've heard Leifer talk before about how fortunate he was, but how he also got a kick out of the fact the bald guy behind Ali was another SI photographer, who wanted to sit there because he thought it'd have the best angles. You can see the look of befuddlement, as if he knows Leifer's in perfect position.

There's one from SI with Jordan's shot against the Jazz in Game 6 of 1998. The best part was the Utah crowd. You can see countless people with looks of horror on their face as he releases the shot.

 

What do you mean Red X? The photo works fine for me.

Here are some more beauties.



Look on how big and tall Hank Greenberg was, it's funny when you hear today's fans saying that players were small back in that era. I totally disagree.







Nap Lajoie and Honus Wagner from 1904


Ty Cobb sliding to third base


Now those are some great photos.

 

You have to toss this one in there from Morris Berman at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ... Y.A. Tittle in his final season. If I remember the story correctly, it didn't run in the paper because the sports editor wanted an action photo of the play that happened just before this was taken. The Giants turned the ball over and the Steelers had scored on the play.

 

You can pretty much Google image search "Walter Iooss Jr." close your eyes, point your finger at the screen and land on a great shot.

In fact, I literally did just that and here's what came up: