I saw a great show of photographs last week. Tod Papageorge's "American Sports, 1970, or How We Spent the War in Vietnam" is showing at Pace MacGill Gallery.
The runner and writer George Sheehan wrote that "Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of ground, where a person can suffer and die and rise again on six miles of trails through a New York City park. Sport is a theater where sinner can turn saint and a common man become an uncommon hero..."
While Sheehan is obviously describing popular sports he may have well been describing the act of photographing. In particular, so called "Street Photography," which approached its apex in New York in the 1970's. Much has been said and written about the analogy of "street photography" and sport. Any one who's had any experience with reportage picture making, whether it's photographing a child's birthday party or live combat, knows that making pictures in this manner requires a skill set that is not unlike that required in sport or war. One needs to be hyper alert, brimming with anticipation, flexible, and able to dodge, weave, stick, move, shoot and recoil. The increasing number of urban photographers in the 1960's and 70's, practicing in this style, and armed with small, hand held cameras, grew in perfect proportion to the proliferation of the number of small fire arms that filled America's cities. The mood was tense and the public had war on its collective mind. Artists, vigilantes, soldiers, cops and robbers alike were all well armed, twitchy and combat ready. Perhaps the best realization of all of the above metaphors can be seen in the trifecta of Tod Papageorge's "American Sports" photographs. Here the "sport" of hand held, small format, photography literally meets the sports arena of an uneasy and well armed 1970's America.
Tod papageorge, Iron Bowl (Auburn vs. Alabama), Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama, November 28, 1970
Tod Papageorge, Little League World Series, Lamade Stadium, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, August 26, 1970
Tod papageorge, Iron Bowl (Auburn vs. Alabama), Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama, November 28, 1970
Tod Papageorge, American Sports, 1970
Tod Papageorge, Race Day, Indianapolis 500, May 30, 1970
Tod Papageorge, Incident, World Series (Cincinnati vs. Baltimore), Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, October 13-15, 1970
Tod Papgeorge, Opening Day (Boston vs. New York), Yankee Stadium, New York, April 7, 1970
Tod Papageorge, Yankee Stadium, 1970
Tod Papageorge, Autograph Seekers, Shea Stadium, New York, 1970
Tod Papageore, Iron Bowl (Auburn vs. Alabama), Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama, November 28, 1970
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