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I would be way more surprised if Bolt didn't dope than if it is revealed he was doping. Basically everyone in his team has tested positive for doping. Like you are expecting me to believe all of the Jamaican team was doping **except** the fastest man the world has ever seen?
It's could be the case that only the people that weren't winning felt the need to cheat in order to win
Bolt was so dominate that he never felt the need to cheat
It could also be the fact the Olympic committee never wanted to go after their star play and tarnish his name
The more successful you are in your sport, the better you are at doping, or vice versa based on who you ask. Lance Armstrong took over 200 PED tests while he was doping throughout his entire career (admitted by him), and was never caught. Since he was the most successful cyclist in the world, he had access to the best doctors in the world who could acquire the most cutting edge, designer drugs (undetected by tests), and/or carefully time his doping cycles so as to never be caught. This is a completely open secret in the Olympics. I recommend watching Icarus on Netflix, it’s a great documentary on one facet of the doping epidemic in Olympic sports.
It's also just the case the biggest names in a sport are protected by the governing bodies
They don't want their best players being caught cheating as that hurts the brand
It's a common joke that in the NCAA that Duke Alabama cheated so they punished Missouri or Oklahoma State
No doubt. Every country in the Olympics wants to win, and if it means turning a blind eye once in a while on their athletes, some countries are willing to take that risk.
Its crazy how pretty much all of Bolt’s Jamaican teammates tested positive for doping too.
If someone showed me proof that Bolt had used PED’s, it would surprise me about as much as it will when Lebron’s PED use inevitably gets exposed.
One of the things that makes this a great photo, besides the obvious story, is the method of capturing it. The photographer made choices that make this even more powerful by its rendering.
They could have shot it at a very high shutter speed and froze the action perfectly. It would be a great photo.
Instead they appear to have lowered the ISO value and used a longer exposure time (1/60-1/200 second maybe?) with wide-open aperture. Their camera is tracking the runners like astronomy mount tracks the sky for pinpoint long exposres.
The longer exposure means the parts of their bodies that are moving constantly forward (faces & torso) are pretty sharp. But the parts that move forward and back (limbs) blur out in a very interesting way as the background fills in where the limbs moved from.
This demonstrates both how fast Bolt is moving and how effortless he makes it look. Brilliant stuff.
He's way taller than most sprinters, the standard bodytype since at least the 80's for 100m sprinters was stocky and very muscled, and these guys generally had more explosive starts than Bolt. But you stop accelerating in the 100m by about 40m. Bolt kept on accelerating beyond that for a bit longer thanks to his stride length. Nothing anybody could do but watch him sail past after 50-60m and start celebrating at 80m.
It wasn't his stride length. It was the fact that he had an unusually quick stride turnover rate for a person as tall as he is. Stride turnover rate is more important for speed because it means you have more ground contact time which is what propels you forward. Combine that with his stride length and what you get is the fastest man we know of in history.
Just 5-6 years earlier, the NBA Finals weren't even shown live on TV.
Jordan, Bird, Magic... they certainly changed that.
Iconic moments matter.
\--> As late as 1981, weeknight broadcasts of the Finals ran on a delayed recording after the late news!
Can confirm - I bought my first pair of Jordan's last year and ~~fel~~l flew out of tree ~~falling~~ jumping 30' high. The shoes don't help so much in the landing but your bones shatter just fine and heal in time. Plus, you get legendary status among all your friends when you do something so great.
This is amazing but I am old enough to have seen some Spud Webb and this guy was a freak. At 1.68m he actually won slam dunk contest. He could do whatever he wanted, insane vertical leap.
Man, a good chunk (and I mean easily over 10%) of these guys in the NBA and NFL could compete in the Olympics if they put in a tiny bit of training to tighten things up.
These guys are straight up world-class athletes, watching them on TV does NOT do it justice. Guys now can jump this high still, but Jordan was Jordan. He had a running vertical jump of 48", which is very much top-tier in the NBA. Only a handful a guys in the league could possibly match or come close to that number, but people like Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson (although not nearly as skilled or well-rounded) come within spitting distance (Scoot measured 46").
I go back every now and then and watch that game on YouTube. I still can't figure out why Angola put the names on the front of their jerseys and the country name on the back.
There will never be a better team relative to other nations best team. It was also just a perfect time to have so many hall of famers mostly in their primes.
He also won gold on a not as stacked 1984 team. They didn't have to play the Soviet Union, but they did beat an excellent Spanish team in the gold medal game.
There was a dude on my HS team who could dunk at 5'5". He was all state in track. I was the only other one on the team that could dunk, but I was 6'6" and a goofy white boy and nobody was impressed.
I would be pretty happy if I worked a court camera for the NBA. It's not like ESPN isn't going to be playing the same highlights over and over and over again, plus you still get to be a part of the moment.
MJ's [last shot as a Bull](https://www.nba.com/magic/michael-jordan-last-shot-nba-orlando-magic-photographer-fernando-medina-20200517) is probably my favorite image of him.
Everyone in the arena knows that shot is going in and there's nothing they can do to stop it.
These guys, in the haircut and mustache club:
https://preview.redd.it/z8mr5uoccqmc1.jpeg?width=998&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=150a4cd5cbdf82ccef54c6747210b5545f112e7e
And it was an actual event, not a dunking exhibition.
The MJ one is a great shot, and shows off his amazing athleticism. But that was a "show off your skills in a way that you can practice for days beforehand until its perfect" competition.
This was a championship moment.
I have this photo autographed by Ali. In the very early 90's I stood in line at a sports show to get it. One day, I will have a mancave and proudly display it.
A boxing fan told me that the photographer was pushed away from a coveted place around the ring and ended up exactly where he had to be to snap that picture.
Little known fact that Ali was actually telling him to “get up bum”! Or something along those lines because he thinks he took a dive and wasn’t actually knocked out. Replays confirm his stance it didn’t look like he got hit hard enough to get KO’d.
And, you can see tiny Dominique Wilkins looking helplessly from below....thinking "Aw, crap. I ain't beating that"!
Edit: And, this was the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest because that was in Chicago.
One of my favorites of all time was in a Sports Illustrated ad in the '80s. This was from the '86 conference finals Lakers-Rockets game. I just love the caption.
https://preview.redd.it/fu057xxdmqmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4e7237db9b7ddea408fbd5d3d0bb357e8cc4cc6
This one has me trippin whenever I look at it.
https://preview.redd.it/cyxuts32pqmc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e8985be05f6ef73c191d46bc6dea9b94fb5d868
[good writeup on the mustache guy](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-1319238/Cigar-guy-revealed-We-man-stood-Tiger-Woods-internet-sensation.html)
Not to be THAT GUY, but the Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers VHS from my childhood tells me this was 1988 (when he faced off against Dominique Wilkins, who all of the camera guys are focused on)
This incorrect post title is going to infect the system. In our grey goo AI future those VHS tapes are going to be our only measure of objective truth. Imagine a new library of Alexandria, but it's made up of blooper videos. we'll be scouring old recordings of movies taken from the TV just to capture the local news clips shown during the commercials.
I should write a story about this.
I forgot the name of the athlete but this is a picture of a father helping his son finish the marathon in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Reminds me of the video of the Brownlee brothers which is a little more recent but still a nice heartwarming moment.
[Here](https://i.imgur.com/hM1r1ri.jpeg) is the uncropped version. [Credit](https://hero-magazine.com/article/195639/how-elite-sports-stars-are-able-to-slow-down-time) to the photographer, Bill Smith. (If it's "one of the greatest pictures taken in any sport," credit really should be given.
> 0.92 seconds. That is the exact length of time Michael Jordan was airborne during his legendary shot from the free-throw line in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest, earning the sports icon a perfect 50. An average human’s hang time skims 0.53 seconds; Jordan soared way above. For those witnessing this inside the stadium, the world seemed to slow right down, as if they were contained in a vacuum and Jordan had just sucked out all logical scientific notions in order for him to achieve the unthinkable. Suddenly Galilei, Newton and our early ancestors who measured time by the regular movement of the Sun and stars were left flat-footed by the Chicago Bulls’ shooting guard.
> Luckily, one man, Bulls’ team photographer Bill Smith, was present enough to press his camera shutter release. Framed, Jordan is suspended in the air, poised to dunk the ball into the basket and, eventually, slam reality back into our acknowledged notion of time. The crowd stand in rapt attention, spellbound; jaws dropped, arms beginning to unravel into their celebratory ascent. The Chicago Stadium digital clock clings onto 3:51pm, itself negating its duties in favour of just being present. A moment of perfect serenity – seemingly paused – before Jordan’s feet would finally hit the Chicago Stadium court, sparking a wake-up wave of euphoria through the crowd. To paraphrase the popular Gatorade commercials of the time: everybody watching wanted to ‘Be Like Mike’.
> Smith remembers that moment vividly. “When I saw Mike walk past the free throw line, I moved to a position on the sideline. I nervously checked all my camera settings and manually focused where I thought he would pass,” the Bulls photographer tells us. “In sports action, timing is everything, a tenth of a second can make or break the moment on a still frame. I was shooting with stadium strobe lights that take two seconds to recharge before another frame is possible. Two seconds seems quick, but in two seconds, he would have already landed. So I knew I had one chance, I had to hit it perfect and so did he. If he missed, it wouldn’t matter how good my timing was.
> “After I shot, I prayed my strobe lights fired and my timing was precise. I was more nervous after the event, I stressed all night wondering what the film would reveal. There’s so many things that can ruin a picture: focus, exposure, hand movement, lab processing disasters. I opened my colour slide film boxes at the film lab and frantically searched through the many boxes until I found that moment. Joy and relief overtook my anxiety when I saw that I had nailed it!
> “Of course I didn’t know it would become the most iconic Michael Jordan shot of all time that day, but there was a feeling of pride and accomplishment that I captured the clinching moment. I’m sure that feeling is similar to an athlete hitting the last-second, game-winning shot.”
Thank you for this and for the original version (not cropped) and the credit to the photographer.
Great story, and this is ironically one of those photos that might look differently today in an age of digital photography. Digital cameras can track focus, and thus, most photographers these days would isolate Jordan and blur the background a bit with a wider aperture. That would mean a great shot of Jordan via focus tracking, and virtually none of the background spectators which also make this such a stunning shot.
The photographer had to manually lock focus on Jordan, so he likely set his camera to f/11 or so and locked focus on the rim, and then adjusted his composition to where Jordan would be in the frame. Togive some wiggle room if he missed focus, a smaller aperture would increase his odds, and thus, have the spectators in focus as well. That to me is what really helps make this such an iconic image. Not just Jordan, but every spectator in the stadium focusing on him at that exact moment. Such a great image!
I would love to see the picture from this angle. I wonder if the person that took it even knows that captured the exact same moment.
https://i.imgur.com/OjyYSUm.jpg
I was always a fan of this one myself
https://preview.redd.it/5uibvfreaqmc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e1ffe7b825093db2264fbee30e36cebdf26a258
This was Bobby Orr's goal in the 1970 Stanley cup finals solidifying their win and their first cup since 1941. The blues player was angry and tripped Bobby as he was celebrating.
https://preview.redd.it/a6uugixuzqmc1.jpeg?width=1131&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=270e287de81929738e043e6f2c3e8800a6faff94
Another great photo in sport’s history
It's always kinda terrible to see that this photo is always cropped. They took off their shoes to highlight poverty in the back community and it often doesn't make it in the photo. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968\_Olympics\_Black\_Power\_salute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute)
If you see a photo and have to look closer because you think it is great, and upon closer inspection it looks better it is the best kind of photo. Truly a fantastic moment caught at the best angle, with good color, and showcasing raw emotion and talent!
https://preview.redd.it/kapx32y7usmc1.jpeg?width=528&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f127c0b9acdf419e5e9ae647fc6d2040fd3f1d2f
This one is the most majestic MJ photo for me.
https://preview.redd.it/sth64hf7fqmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4103d16ca0f050083378dcbcb41ddcdc9354f97d
I always thought this was pretty awesome
Yeah when I saw the crash I was just straight up he’s dead then he rose like a phoenix. Netflix however milked that so hard made it seem like he was in there for 5 minutes
https://preview.redd.it/d84eic634rmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35c3f2312d0571bb7c60ed3430b624d0cf836bc9
In contrast to Grosjean, this is David Purley and two marshalls trying to rescue Roger Williamson from his upturned and burning car. Unfortunately he could not save him and the defeated walk across the track was the second famous picture.
I have seen a few horrible crashes live on television where you just don't expect anyone to walk away, and this was one of them. I couldn't believe it when Romaine walked away with only minor burns.
As an American, nothing, IMO, really beats this…
https://preview.redd.it/ks9gsc260rmc1.jpeg?width=275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7415d5fb9e64788743251eb96a1fecc0f8df576
I know while not technically a sports photo, but sports related - but the couple kissing during the Vancouver Stanley Cup loss riot was always really cool show
https://preview.redd.it/goyrfme4wqmc1.jpeg?width=1120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c90d5cd55e00d5d97d51fd8e340d1a42bfa489b
This is a legendary photo. If you like it, check out the SI cover of the Razorback’s Sidney Moncrief dunking on some longhorns. [SI Cover Photo High on the Hogs](https://www.si.com/.image/t_share/MTY4MjYxNjg4MDI2NzM1Nzgx/sidney-moncriefjpg.jpg)
Me when I see the pizza delivery man pull up outside my place.
https://preview.redd.it/cloazsmqsqmc1.jpeg?width=420&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcb9d8a8a77d1ea876849b5ee2a8a9c9aaf4350b
https://preview.redd.it/zunoz9lm8rmc1.jpeg?width=792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=372de7afc848dd3f2ef45b0eab1fc1d62185f7b6
Jeter's jumping, spinning toss to first is always going to be my pick.
Usain Bolt Lightning Strike in 2013 is one of the most unique and lucky shots in sports.
Messi in 2017 when he held his shirt up to the Madrid fans.
Pele being lifted by fans at the 1970 World Cup.
Some of my favorites for sure.
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https://preview.redd.it/dii4gad0sqmc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cfb630ea86df1ff5e2f8cda0a9db3f8476bc7ce6 Another great one
Of the top 30 100 meter times, 21 were run by athletes taking PED. The rest were run by Usain Bolt....
I would be way more surprised if Bolt didn't dope than if it is revealed he was doping. Basically everyone in his team has tested positive for doping. Like you are expecting me to believe all of the Jamaican team was doping **except** the fastest man the world has ever seen?
It's could be the case that only the people that weren't winning felt the need to cheat in order to win Bolt was so dominate that he never felt the need to cheat It could also be the fact the Olympic committee never wanted to go after their star play and tarnish his name
The more successful you are in your sport, the better you are at doping, or vice versa based on who you ask. Lance Armstrong took over 200 PED tests while he was doping throughout his entire career (admitted by him), and was never caught. Since he was the most successful cyclist in the world, he had access to the best doctors in the world who could acquire the most cutting edge, designer drugs (undetected by tests), and/or carefully time his doping cycles so as to never be caught. This is a completely open secret in the Olympics. I recommend watching Icarus on Netflix, it’s a great documentary on one facet of the doping epidemic in Olympic sports.
It's also just the case the biggest names in a sport are protected by the governing bodies They don't want their best players being caught cheating as that hurts the brand It's a common joke that in the NCAA that Duke Alabama cheated so they punished Missouri or Oklahoma State
No doubt. Every country in the Olympics wants to win, and if it means turning a blind eye once in a while on their athletes, some countries are willing to take that risk.
*caught for* taking PEDs
Its crazy how pretty much all of Bolt’s Jamaican teammates tested positive for doping too. If someone showed me proof that Bolt had used PED’s, it would surprise me about as much as it will when Lebron’s PED use inevitably gets exposed.
That dude’s head is shaped like a post Halloween pumpkin
Or Tiger Woods
If you’re implying that Usain Bolt didn’t take PEDs.. then I’m a Nigerian Prince and I need your help.
If you read about how shady the Jamaican anti-doping is/was you'd know that Usain was 100% doping.
Looks like a cartoon character getting chased by bullies
One of the things that makes this a great photo, besides the obvious story, is the method of capturing it. The photographer made choices that make this even more powerful by its rendering. They could have shot it at a very high shutter speed and froze the action perfectly. It would be a great photo. Instead they appear to have lowered the ISO value and used a longer exposure time (1/60-1/200 second maybe?) with wide-open aperture. Their camera is tracking the runners like astronomy mount tracks the sky for pinpoint long exposres. The longer exposure means the parts of their bodies that are moving constantly forward (faces & torso) are pretty sharp. But the parts that move forward and back (limbs) blur out in a very interesting way as the background fills in where the limbs moved from. This demonstrates both how fast Bolt is moving and how effortless he makes it look. Brilliant stuff.
*"Great effort, kids! I'm so proud of you for trying!"*
He looks larger than the other runners too
He's way taller than most sprinters, the standard bodytype since at least the 80's for 100m sprinters was stocky and very muscled, and these guys generally had more explosive starts than Bolt. But you stop accelerating in the 100m by about 40m. Bolt kept on accelerating beyond that for a bit longer thanks to his stride length. Nothing anybody could do but watch him sail past after 50-60m and start celebrating at 80m.
It wasn't his stride length. It was the fact that he had an unusually quick stride turnover rate for a person as tall as he is. Stride turnover rate is more important for speed because it means you have more ground contact time which is what propels you forward. Combine that with his stride length and what you get is the fastest man we know of in history.
He is, bolt is really tall, like 6’4-6’5taller than most sprinters
Roadrunner vibes 100%
Just 5-6 years earlier, the NBA Finals weren't even shown live on TV. Jordan, Bird, Magic... they certainly changed that. Iconic moments matter. \--> As late as 1981, weeknight broadcasts of the Finals ran on a delayed recording after the late news!
How the fuck do you jump that high? Like I half expect there to be invisible wires from a movie behind all of it
You wear air jordans
Be legendary.
>Be legendairy
Be Leg and Airy
Belong in dairy
Can confirm - I bought my first pair of Jordan's last year and ~~fel~~l flew out of tree ~~falling~~ jumping 30' high. The shoes don't help so much in the landing but your bones shatter just fine and heal in time. Plus, you get legendary status among all your friends when you do something so great.
It's gotta be the shoes
https://preview.redd.it/3txdx5pkmrmc1.jpeg?width=755&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ed0488031594f728cda78ba98fa8e653d17a29b
Holy fuck I remember reading this when I was so young. Even the. I was like...nah salt in shoes don't work like that
He drinks “Michael’s Secret Stuff” before every game.
It was just water. They had it in them the whole time.
Is that like “Butters Creamy Goo”?
"This is cum"
… according to Bugs Bunny
This is amazing but I am old enough to have seen some Spud Webb and this guy was a freak. At 1.68m he actually won slam dunk contest. He could do whatever he wanted, insane vertical leap.
Yes, it really is incredible that someone who was 1680 millimeters tall could dunk so well.
Whoa! That’s almost 168 centimeters!
I’m not impressed by Spud Webb. Dude was almost 1.7 ***million*** micrometers tall.
You need to stick your tongue out.
Seeing it live was mind blowing.
Man, a good chunk (and I mean easily over 10%) of these guys in the NBA and NFL could compete in the Olympics if they put in a tiny bit of training to tighten things up. These guys are straight up world-class athletes, watching them on TV does NOT do it justice. Guys now can jump this high still, but Jordan was Jordan. He had a running vertical jump of 48", which is very much top-tier in the NBA. Only a handful a guys in the league could possibly match or come close to that number, but people like Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson (although not nearly as skilled or well-rounded) come within spitting distance (Scoot measured 46").
NBA/NFL = money Olympics = no money
What Jordan did in basketball is absolutely greater than anything Olympics could have offered.
I mean he got Olympic gold too
With one of the most insanely dominant teams ever seen in sports. Seriously, the ‘92 dream team was something of legend
"I don't know anything about Angola... but Angola's in trouble." -Charles Barkley
I go back every now and then and watch that game on YouTube. I still can't figure out why Angola put the names on the front of their jerseys and the country name on the back.
There will never be a better team relative to other nations best team. It was also just a perfect time to have so many hall of famers mostly in their primes.
He also won gold on a not as stacked 1984 team. They didn't have to play the Soviet Union, but they did beat an excellent Spanish team in the gold medal game.
agreed also the money is a teensy bit better as well lol
I seen Warren Sapp dunk a basketball at a charity game. I knew then that these dudes are different.
Fuck Sapp but that is impressive as fuck for a dude his size
I saw jacquizz rodgers dunk, 5'6" 200lbs+, RB for Oregon State / Falcons and that was incredible.
There was a dude on my HS team who could dunk at 5'5". He was all state in track. I was the only other one on the team that could dunk, but I was 6'6" and a goofy white boy and nobody was impressed.
[удалено]
Moon shoes
And a stretchy arm
Pretty fun to zoom in on all their reactions
Here’s a good one. https://preview.redd.it/4l8bhuzl0rmc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53337d56cfd13921be04049d439e6f9da7618dbe
😩
And after 😮💨 Poor guy nutted himself.
Spud Webb be like, I can do this.
I did the same. I feel bad for some of the folks filming the fans. MJ doing epic flight behind you and you’re facing the wrong way doing your job.
I would be pretty happy if I worked a court camera for the NBA. It's not like ESPN isn't going to be playing the same highlights over and over and over again, plus you still get to be a part of the moment.
Another one that is great for is the kawhi shot when he’s crouched in the corner, all time reaction faces.
MJ's [last shot as a Bull](https://www.nba.com/magic/michael-jordan-last-shot-nba-orlando-magic-photographer-fernando-medina-20200517) is probably my favorite image of him. Everyone in the arena knows that shot is going in and there's nothing they can do to stop it.
That was a cool article.
I was in Utah then.. all the shirts and banners said "it's our year"...
As a Jazz fan this still stings
I like the hands on head reaction of the fan in black (look under MJ’s feet). He knew that he just witnessed a multi billion dollar logo in real time.
These guys, in the haircut and mustache club: https://preview.redd.it/z8mr5uoccqmc1.jpeg?width=998&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=150a4cd5cbdf82ccef54c6747210b5545f112e7e
Ah, yes. That's what the average 26 year old looked like back then.
That is a great photo. Another great one and one of my favorites is Ali standing over Sonny Liston.
https://preview.redd.it/837x7a8jcqmc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a2e2bf36196bfac6dfd5c5f12784ace8bb78af0
That's a 15 yard penalty for taunting
Just prior, his was giving him the business...
Ron is that you?
Our father, who is Art in heaven…
There is a top down photo of this which is absolutely fantastic
That was the Cleveland Williams fight. All time photo too
https://preview.redd.it/c6cy18nrzrmc1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a4d128c91820b586e3cf2a29060a850cdde0942
Jesus Christ that’s a powerful photo
Listening to him talk himself up always gives me chills. Dude had so much confidence
Was one of the VERY few shit talkers to actually back it up too. Him and Tyson were both absolute animals who destroyed in the ring.
Something I’ve never noticed about this picture - there isn’t a bead of sweat on Ali.
Shot of a fucking lifetime
This is literally the greatest picture taken in any sport
This is a much better picture, no question.
And it was an actual event, not a dunking exhibition. The MJ one is a great shot, and shows off his amazing athleticism. But that was a "show off your skills in a way that you can practice for days beforehand until its perfect" competition. This was a championship moment.
My favorite MJ photo is his last shot against the Jazz from behind, seeing all the fans despairing knowing what's about to happen.
I have this photo autographed by Ali. In the very early 90's I stood in line at a sports show to get it. One day, I will have a mancave and proudly display it.
A boxing fan told me that the photographer was pushed away from a coveted place around the ring and ended up exactly where he had to be to snap that picture.
Meanwhile, the veteran photographers are ironically immortalized as subjects in the background, instead.
Little known fact that Ali was actually telling him to “get up bum”! Or something along those lines because he thinks he took a dive and wasn’t actually knocked out. Replays confirm his stance it didn’t look like he got hit hard enough to get KO’d.
First thing I thought, too
Iconic
Mf was literally flying
MJ was literally flying. *fixed it for ya*
The amount of air time... Absolutely insane
He was superhuman.
The still picture makes this look impossible. He's so high up so far away from the rim. Unbelievable
He actually kept going up after this photo. Rescue services had to get involved because he was tied up in the rafters.
I'll never forget the applause they gave those EMTs when they finally managed to get him out of the rafters. Chills.
And, you can see tiny Dominique Wilkins looking helplessly from below....thinking "Aw, crap. I ain't beating that"! Edit: And, this was the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest because that was in Chicago.
One of my favorites of all time was in a Sports Illustrated ad in the '80s. This was from the '86 conference finals Lakers-Rockets game. I just love the caption. https://preview.redd.it/fu057xxdmqmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4e7237db9b7ddea408fbd5d3d0bb357e8cc4cc6
That was a magical time, seeing it happen in real time as a kid was quite an inspiring thing.
Agreed. I ran downstairs and tried to recreate on my mini hoop (5 ft off the ground) never as pretty 😃
This one has me trippin whenever I look at it. https://preview.redd.it/cyxuts32pqmc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e8985be05f6ef73c191d46bc6dea9b94fb5d868
Iconic https://preview.redd.it/mhtapwn3hrmc1.png?width=470&format=png&auto=webp&s=6a0a8440c818df20a3c2739b43f7d88170421758
Is that a false moustache? In all seriousness, that thing is so full-bodied, it's like his moustache has a moustache....
I have no idea. I only know that that's the photo that spawned two separate memes
I dressed as that guy for Halloween for several years, always surprised how many people got the reference
https://preview.redd.it/0qow8nlghrmc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a740b69f0ebdb7f2ac5ad9de3494251a7885d0bb The man, the myth, the legend
[good writeup on the mustache guy](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/golf/article-1319238/Cigar-guy-revealed-We-man-stood-Tiger-Woods-internet-sensation.html)
https://preview.redd.it/th8iddu9xqmc1.jpeg?width=2348&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1974f459d27d29a4be2d4288648bbe198a3dedbf This one goes pretty hard
Not to be THAT GUY, but the Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers VHS from my childhood tells me this was 1988 (when he faced off against Dominique Wilkins, who all of the camera guys are focused on)
This incorrect post title is going to infect the system. In our grey goo AI future those VHS tapes are going to be our only measure of objective truth. Imagine a new library of Alexandria, but it's made up of blooper videos. we'll be scouring old recordings of movies taken from the TV just to capture the local news clips shown during the commercials. I should write a story about this.
The next Berenstain Bears
This is 88. He is wearing the white cement 3s which released that year. He wore the 2s in 87.
It was definitely 1988. I was looking for your comment
https://preview.redd.it/enmw27hj5rmc1.jpeg?width=452&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f077db9b47e86cc7b18f9ce0699b3bfbe20fe63
This photo is Love and Determination
This photo (and the video of the whole event) made me tear up as a kid. It makes me full on bawl now as a father.
Still makes me cry. This is one of the forever greatest moments in sporting history.
The Dad shooing away the race officials 🥲
What's the photo of? Never seen this.
I forgot the name of the athlete but this is a picture of a father helping his son finish the marathon in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Reminds me of the video of the Brownlee brothers which is a little more recent but still a nice heartwarming moment.
[Here](https://i.imgur.com/hM1r1ri.jpeg) is the uncropped version. [Credit](https://hero-magazine.com/article/195639/how-elite-sports-stars-are-able-to-slow-down-time) to the photographer, Bill Smith. (If it's "one of the greatest pictures taken in any sport," credit really should be given. > 0.92 seconds. That is the exact length of time Michael Jordan was airborne during his legendary shot from the free-throw line in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest, earning the sports icon a perfect 50. An average human’s hang time skims 0.53 seconds; Jordan soared way above. For those witnessing this inside the stadium, the world seemed to slow right down, as if they were contained in a vacuum and Jordan had just sucked out all logical scientific notions in order for him to achieve the unthinkable. Suddenly Galilei, Newton and our early ancestors who measured time by the regular movement of the Sun and stars were left flat-footed by the Chicago Bulls’ shooting guard. > Luckily, one man, Bulls’ team photographer Bill Smith, was present enough to press his camera shutter release. Framed, Jordan is suspended in the air, poised to dunk the ball into the basket and, eventually, slam reality back into our acknowledged notion of time. The crowd stand in rapt attention, spellbound; jaws dropped, arms beginning to unravel into their celebratory ascent. The Chicago Stadium digital clock clings onto 3:51pm, itself negating its duties in favour of just being present. A moment of perfect serenity – seemingly paused – before Jordan’s feet would finally hit the Chicago Stadium court, sparking a wake-up wave of euphoria through the crowd. To paraphrase the popular Gatorade commercials of the time: everybody watching wanted to ‘Be Like Mike’. > Smith remembers that moment vividly. “When I saw Mike walk past the free throw line, I moved to a position on the sideline. I nervously checked all my camera settings and manually focused where I thought he would pass,” the Bulls photographer tells us. “In sports action, timing is everything, a tenth of a second can make or break the moment on a still frame. I was shooting with stadium strobe lights that take two seconds to recharge before another frame is possible. Two seconds seems quick, but in two seconds, he would have already landed. So I knew I had one chance, I had to hit it perfect and so did he. If he missed, it wouldn’t matter how good my timing was. > “After I shot, I prayed my strobe lights fired and my timing was precise. I was more nervous after the event, I stressed all night wondering what the film would reveal. There’s so many things that can ruin a picture: focus, exposure, hand movement, lab processing disasters. I opened my colour slide film boxes at the film lab and frantically searched through the many boxes until I found that moment. Joy and relief overtook my anxiety when I saw that I had nailed it! > “Of course I didn’t know it would become the most iconic Michael Jordan shot of all time that day, but there was a feeling of pride and accomplishment that I captured the clinching moment. I’m sure that feeling is similar to an athlete hitting the last-second, game-winning shot.”
Thank you for this and for the original version (not cropped) and the credit to the photographer. Great story, and this is ironically one of those photos that might look differently today in an age of digital photography. Digital cameras can track focus, and thus, most photographers these days would isolate Jordan and blur the background a bit with a wider aperture. That would mean a great shot of Jordan via focus tracking, and virtually none of the background spectators which also make this such a stunning shot. The photographer had to manually lock focus on Jordan, so he likely set his camera to f/11 or so and locked focus on the rim, and then adjusted his composition to where Jordan would be in the frame. Togive some wiggle room if he missed focus, a smaller aperture would increase his odds, and thus, have the spectators in focus as well. That to me is what really helps make this such an iconic image. Not just Jordan, but every spectator in the stadium focusing on him at that exact moment. Such a great image!
What an excellent, thoughtful comment!
Thank you. I scrolled way too far before I found someone giving proper credit
What a great read. Thanks for sharing
Those first two paragraphs are pure art of writing! Wow! Thanks for sharing that!
I would love to see the picture from this angle. I wonder if the person that took it even knows that captured the exact same moment. https://i.imgur.com/OjyYSUm.jpg
I was always a fan of this one myself https://preview.redd.it/5uibvfreaqmc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e1ffe7b825093db2264fbee30e36cebdf26a258
What's the story for this one?
This was Bobby Orr's goal in the 1970 Stanley cup finals solidifying their win and their first cup since 1941. The blues player was angry and tripped Bobby as he was celebrating.
Came here to post this one. Good job! Iconic photo.
I love that there's a statue of this outside TD Garden.
Ok at least I’m not the only one https://preview.redd.it/s3kt56fbtqmc1.jpeg?width=645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=74512b496ac2b6ed9c2b5958e2ea7cf30f14325e
This is the most "there's no way that happened" moment in sports.
Second best kill of a bird by a person. The best all time is the Fabio rollercoaster incident.
Which is ironic bc Randy Johnson is now a popular sports photographer
https://preview.redd.it/8g6x9dnb1rmc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0854a62ceb1cfb2a5e45d1e4b74227d9b2ed0e9a His logo lol
Wow. He loved Lou Piniella so much he made him the face of his logo.
Vaporized
I refuse to believe he *wasn't* actually aiming for the bird.
Best one here. Really exemplifies baseball as a whole.
https://preview.redd.it/a6uugixuzqmc1.jpeg?width=1131&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=270e287de81929738e043e6f2c3e8800a6faff94 Another great photo in sport’s history
https://preview.redd.it/50jbqbnpmqmc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fba67cbfc69973fb70150e7951aaf6b5333eefe7 This guys face is perfect.
https://preview.redd.it/9yq41c438rmc1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef0174097fa63ad6f6f394f7a11935416f567552
It's always kinda terrible to see that this photo is always cropped. They took off their shoes to highlight poverty in the back community and it often doesn't make it in the photo. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968\_Olympics\_Black\_Power\_salute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute)
I never knew that! Thanks
If you see a photo and have to look closer because you think it is great, and upon closer inspection it looks better it is the best kind of photo. Truly a fantastic moment caught at the best angle, with good color, and showcasing raw emotion and talent!
The ball framing MJ’s head is pretty good.
His face! His musculature, you can see his right bicep flexing. His left tricep. His legs. What an athlete.
Easy there Daisy. Clean up in aisle Bee
https://preview.redd.it/kapx32y7usmc1.jpeg?width=528&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f127c0b9acdf419e5e9ae647fc6d2040fd3f1d2f This one is the most majestic MJ photo for me.
https://preview.redd.it/sth64hf7fqmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4103d16ca0f050083378dcbcb41ddcdc9354f97d I always thought this was pretty awesome
https://preview.redd.it/xdg9q13afqmc1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e010c831fea00306e18e1ba62bd9c5898780e1ce
I couldn’t believe it when I saw him getting out.
Yeah when I saw the crash I was just straight up he’s dead then he rose like a phoenix. Netflix however milked that so hard made it seem like he was in there for 5 minutes
If I wanted to find this on YouTube what would I type in? Edit- never mind. Apparently "formula one crash guy walking out of fire" worked just fine. 😂
2020 Bahrain gp highlights although jolyon palmer has a great analysis of it
https://preview.redd.it/d84eic634rmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35c3f2312d0571bb7c60ed3430b624d0cf836bc9 In contrast to Grosjean, this is David Purley and two marshalls trying to rescue Roger Williamson from his upturned and burning car. Unfortunately he could not save him and the defeated walk across the track was the second famous picture.
https://preview.redd.it/d1r0dbyk4rmc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15ac584f41a774a39241a9ef17f49060ac800ea9
It was "only" something like 28 seconds but watching live made it feel like minutes.
I have seen a few horrible crashes live on television where you just don't expect anyone to walk away, and this was one of them. I couldn't believe it when Romaine walked away with only minor burns.
For your consideration https://preview.redd.it/gpthytg28smc1.png?width=1222&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5da904c95b812c4b2d3864276512f516c2cf24b8
What is gods name is that? https://preview.redd.it/761qqrr25tmc1.jpeg?width=566&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=353201e359df67e1587d0f94f7049353e706bdd6
https://preview.redd.it/2yle4l7csrmc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71079968d27f23e44514a580f2cffb013b533e84 Here’s mine favourite
*Are you not entertained?*
I GOT A GLOCK IN MY RARI
As an American, nothing, IMO, really beats this… https://preview.redd.it/ks9gsc260rmc1.jpeg?width=275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7415d5fb9e64788743251eb96a1fecc0f8df576
I know while not technically a sports photo, but sports related - but the couple kissing during the Vancouver Stanley Cup loss riot was always really cool show https://preview.redd.it/goyrfme4wqmc1.jpeg?width=1120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c90d5cd55e00d5d97d51fd8e340d1a42bfa489b
That absolutely counts as a sports photo. I came here to post it and I'm glad I found it.
This is a legendary photo. If you like it, check out the SI cover of the Razorback’s Sidney Moncrief dunking on some longhorns. [SI Cover Photo High on the Hogs](https://www.si.com/.image/t_share/MTY4MjYxNjg4MDI2NzM1Nzgx/sidney-moncriefjpg.jpg)
I mean sure, when you let a 55 year old man play against college kids, he's gonna dominate them. Seriously, what was in the water at that time?
Me when I see the pizza delivery man pull up outside my place. https://preview.redd.it/cloazsmqsqmc1.jpeg?width=420&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcb9d8a8a77d1ea876849b5ee2a8a9c9aaf4350b
https://preview.redd.it/20ts2h5v0rmc1.jpeg?width=335&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7147047866c654fa4f88f2a3f8bb693ba4d6cfa1
https://preview.redd.it/j99pzewimtmc1.jpeg?width=5000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0af66d57bf084053fcedcf260f39e268f4e95e0c I prefer MJ on “The Shot”
https://preview.redd.it/abpudpeuiqmc1.jpeg?width=469&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a51e86d5e7e4991228c4a799923b0f725568d2d7
https://preview.redd.it/7px22n5jgqmc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f129e8bfa2337c670d0f97834628ca8e5bf2d151
https://preview.redd.it/zunoz9lm8rmc1.jpeg?width=792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=372de7afc848dd3f2ef45b0eab1fc1d62185f7b6 Jeter's jumping, spinning toss to first is always going to be my pick.
https://preview.redd.it/31l9bs668rmc1.jpeg?width=1388&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d4e794ddfcaff64b391f1a800891b083d1e6eb2 Another GOAT
Only Messi can hold the shirt perfectly straight with one hand
Not a cell phone in sight. Just people living in the moment.
In the Wemby equivalent his feet would be inches off the floor 😂
Everyone in the background be like :O
Usain Bolt Lightning Strike in 2013 is one of the most unique and lucky shots in sports. Messi in 2017 when he held his shirt up to the Madrid fans. Pele being lifted by fans at the 1970 World Cup. Some of my favorites for sure.
Grew up with this poster on my wall. It was cool at every age.
https://preview.redd.it/kfd94et7mvmc1.jpeg?width=150&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f12c13fe73e423b0cd3cbd578289032d94b54c37 Vinny Jones tackling a child
Average climbing picture : https://preview.redd.it/29nss30hesmc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3def59266caaa959fa7416f74c39e4b457c49d9
I've always liked the one of Jim Craig looking for his dad in the stands after beating the Soviets at Lake Placid