Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Men, Moment

Sports fans share a common visual vocabulary. There are iconic images that we recognize instantly. Neil Leifer's shot of Muhammad Ali standing over a vanquished Sonny Liston. Walter Iooss Jr.'s photo of Dwight Clark making The Catch. Leifer capturing John Carlos and Tommie Smith quietly and powerfully making a statement at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. You have your favorites, I'm sure.

Jerome Brouillet may have captured my new all-time favorite. Yesterday, during the Olympic surfing competition at the fabled Teahupo'o in Tahiti, Brazilian Gabriel Medina delivered the best-scoring ride of the day. He surged off the back of the wave and held his index finger aloft in recognition of the quality of his performance. Brouillet caught the moment perfectly:

That's just spectacular. And it will be hanging in my house at some point.

17 comments:

  1. indeed. it's looks photoshopped, but it's real.

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  2. or 'it' looks photoshopped. still real.

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  3. really missed an opportunity to go with "it's real. and it's spectacular." my bad.

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  4. You got there eventually, and before anyone else.

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  5. working from my daughter's patio with a crystal-clear view of the flatirons on a postcard-worthy boulder summer day. not too shabby.

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  6. Some detail about the shot and the shooter and the surfer.

    https://www.newsweek.com/jerome-brouillet-photo-gabriel-medina-surf-olympics-2024-1932050

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  7. Clearly you haven't seen the photo of my favorite ER doctor vomiting a tornado of beer and beans and hotdogs into a garbage can. It's the most impressive photo ever.

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  8. us men's soccer team join the ladies in qualifying for the olympic quarterfinals. where we'll face morocco. gulp. the atlas lions are playing some serious footy.

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  9. Riggo shoving Don McNeal and his arm tackle to the ground. That’s a photo I enjoy.

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  10. Enjoying the heck out of the Olympics. But today's curiosity: How does a swimmer win a 100-meter final by a full body length (men's 100 freestyle)?

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  11. my kid just asked, 'do you have an internal monologue, or does it all just come out?'

    it appears i may talk a lot during sports on tv.

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  12. In response to OBX Dave - and the fact that he beat his previous time, which was already a world record from days prior. by .4 is almost unfathomable. Also to note, I'm sure you've heard or read that this is a slow pool, producing much fewer records than the norm. Yet this guy....effing cheaters. Grinds my gears.

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  13. Hey Danimal, that's pretty much where I was headed. Pharmacologically enhanced and likely state-sponsored, to boot. Crisps my nuggets, as well.

    Invading a neighboring country gets you barred from competition. Series of positive drug tests, accompanied by zillions of dollars toward international sporting efforts, however, you're good to go and welcome to the party.

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  14. To be fair, war and the associated loss of life does seem worse than cheating at a game.

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  15. Oh sure, bring up warfare and civilian deaths and casualties. That said, the correct point and perspective. Poor take on my part.

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