How this sports journalist matches iconic Olympic moments with fine art

“[At] the opening ceremony, I think everyone saw Team USA and thought the same thing: ‘Washington crossing the Delaware,'” LJ Rader said.

Or, at least, that’s what he saw.

Rader is the creator of the popular “Art But Make It Sports” blog, where he draws comparisons between sports moments and pieces of art. He said he’s “always seen things with … a sports lens,” allowing him to note similarities with a keen eye that others may miss.

“You have to know the context of what’s going on in sports to understand what you should be posting,” Rader said. “That’s what I like about the Olympics: You get these sports that don’t normally get covered and you know what the context is of what’s going on.”

Presented with a shot of LeBron James from the Olympics, Rader paired it with a painting of the ascension of Jesus. Simone Biles mid-air? A version of Icarus.

Rader said it’s a matter of time before a sports image mirrors the “Winged Victory of Samothrace” in the Louvre.

When people see his work, they think of the phrase, “time is a flat circle,” Rader said.

“I think the fun thing … is comparing things that are hundreds of years apart and very different genres, but showing that there are similarities in emotion, in the visual component,” he added. “I think it’s giving people a deeper appreciation for both the art and the sports side, allowing people to change their frame of reference, probably for the better.”