A man sits silently in a clubhouse, alone in a sea
of teammates, locked in his own private ritual of
preparation. Another is absent entirely, the image
of his wife and two young sons, one with bat and
ball in hand, reinforcing one of the core realities of
the athletic life. Yet another is joyously celebrating
the ultimate professional accomplishment, a
championship. This riveting group of images,
drawn from The SPORT Collection, explores the
private and public world of the professional
athlete. In North America during the early and
middle years of the 20th century, such individuals
came to epitomize the ideals of ancient heroes. A
hero by definition is a legendary man with
superhuman powers who confronts danger with
bravery. While the falseness of that constructed
image may have been exposed in recent years, it
is alive and well in these 31 images, concentrated
on the 1940s through the 1970s.

Curated by Alana West