As photographers, we love seeing amazing photos, especially if they have meaning behind them. Over the years, sport has provided us with many iconic photos that will be shared for generations to come. Even if you are not a fan of the sport there are some photos that you will appreciate due to the power or beauty that they possess. Despite much of the world being stuck in the house in 2020, sport still managed to provide us with photos that will remain iconic for years to come. This article will feature 6 photos that athletes posted in 2020 that are all iconic for their own reasons. If you want to take your own amazing photos of sport, why not check out our article on sports photography!
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is a 23 years old, Japanese tennis player who has taken the tennis world by storm. She is an exceptional talent and has already won 4 Grand-Slam singles titles. It was no surprise that with all of her success she has many iconic photos that we could have picked for this article. However, the photo that we have chosen has little to do with the success that Osaka has had. The tennis prodigy made headlines across the world with her activism when competing in the US Open in 2020. Osaka wore a different mask for each round of the competition, with each displaying the name of a black American who has been killed due to racial injustice in the United States. The Japanese star suffered a backlash in the media for taking this political stance, but we commend her actions as she is using her platform for good. Below you will see one of the powerful images that were captured during the tournament.
Lionel Messi
2020 was a hard year for many and there was an abundance of celebrity deaths to make things even worse. In the football world, there was none more talked about than the passing of superstar Diego Maradona. The Argentine was one of the best to ever grace the game and his death caused great sadness across the globe. One player who was affected greatly by his passing was fellow countryman, Lionel Messi. Not only were Messi and Maradona bonded by their footballing similarities, but they also worked closely together when Maradona was the Argentina National team manager. Messi paid tribute to Maradona in beautiful fashion by scoring in his next game after Maradona’s passing and then celebrating by wearing the iconic red and black strip of Newell’s Old Boys. This jersey was meaningful as it was the Argentine team that both Messi and Maradona had previously played for. A great tribute for a great player.
Serena Williams
Considered by many as the greatest female tennis player of all time, Serena Williams has been the subject of many iconic photos throughout her career. Williams has won a phenomenal 23 Grand Slam titles during her career along with picking up many accolades off the court. Despite her huge success and many trophy-laden photos, we have picked a slightly different image for her most iconic of 2020. The photo that we have selected features Williams alongside her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. They are playing tennis in matching outfits and look to be having an incredible time. A beautiful mother and daughter photo.
LeBron James
Once again we have an athlete who is considered one of the greatest of all time in their sport. LeBron James has been dominating the NBA for over a decade now and his success continued in 2020. James led the LA Lakers to a sensational NBA Championship, making light work of every team on their path to the finals. On a personal level, James earned himself a 4th Championship and 4th Finals MVP award. This achievement made LeBron the only player ever to win the championship with 3 separate franchises. The photo below shows James celebrating their win with both trophies in hand. As James is now 36 years old, we worry that this photo may remain iconic for being his last ever NBA Championship win.
Alex Morgan
Despite this photo not being taken in 2020, Alex Morgan shared it as a throwback photo, so we are allowing it to qualify for our list. The photo consists of Morgan sitting on the pitch after the USA Women’s football team winning a historic World Cup. The USA team defeated Netherlands 2-0 to win the cup in Lyon, France with Morgan helping by winning a penalty in the final. Morgan also finished the tournament tied top goalscorer with fellow American Megan Rapinoe. I’m sure the highlight of any footballer’s career would be winning the World Cup so it only seemed right that we selected this iconic photo for Alex Morgan.
Lewis Hamilton
We thought it would only be fitting to end this list similar to the way that we started. With an athlete using their platform to shine a light on some really important issues that are still occurring in the modern world. Lewis Hamilton has continuously shown activism by expressing his views on some of the injustice that is happening in the world. Particularly in 2020 when Hamilton tirelessly fought to ensure that important causes such as Black Lives Matter would not be quickly forgotten. The F1 Champion wore different t-shirts for each race during the F1 season with most bringing attention to political issues. The photo that we have selected shows Hamilton towards the end of 2020, after a busy year, wearing a t-shirt with a beautifully strong message. Photos like this should never be forgotten and we hope that other people in positions of power use their platform for good, for years to come.
Each photo in this article has meaning behind it, and that is why they will remain iconic. Some were due to success while some are due to reasons outside of sport. If you want to learn how to post similarly great Instagram photos then check out this article. If you want to take your own incredible photos, then check out some of the latest products that can help you do so!
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