The 30 Most Iconic Sports Photographs Of All Time

A collection of moving photographs that demonstrate the pain of heartbreak and the pure, unadulterated joy of triumph. Warning: Even if you don't like sports, you may end up weeping.

Derek Redmond And His Dad Finish An Olympic Race

Derek Redmond And His Dad Finish An Olympic Race

Derek Redmond was a British Olympic sprinter (400 meters) in the '80s and early '90s. His career had been plagued by injuries that forced him to drop out of the 1988 Olympics just before his race. He had eight surgeries between 1988 and 1992 and by the time the Barcelona games came along he was ready to go. In the semifinals his hamstring snapped after 150 meters. A stretcher was brought out but Redmond refused it. And pulled himself up and began limping to the finish. His father ran through security to be with his son and helped him cross the finish line.


(The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Diego Maradona Takes On Six Defenders

Diego Maradona Takes On Six Defenders

Diego Maradona is among the greatest soccer players to have ever played the game. This photo from the 1982 World Cup shows him going up against six Belgian defenders. This sums up how many saw Argentina's teams of the period: Maradona vs. the world. Four years later Maradona would win that match up and lead Argentina to a World Cup victory.

(Getty Images / Steve Powell)

Mickey Mantle Takes Out His Bad Day On His Batting Helmet

Mickey Mantle Takes Out His Bad Day On His Batting Helmet

This is the defining photo of one of baseball's greatest players. And though at the time Mickey was seen as a happy-go-lucky guy, through his biographers, we've come to know this version of Mick. Angry. Frustrated. Complex.

(Getty Images / John Dominis)

Muhammad Ali Stands Over Sonny Liston

Muhammad Ali Stands Over Sonny Liston

This is one of the most Iconic photos of all time. It shows a young Muhammad Ali shouting at Sonny Liston after knocking him down in the first round. Reports from the fight said Ali told Liston to "get up and fight," but Liston did not. What exactly happened that night is unclear (many claim that Liston took a dive), but the first round knockout (and in many ways the uncertainty of the fight) helped add to Ali's mythology.

(Sports Illustrated / Neil Leifer)


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