I don't know if it's the statues or just the bobbleheads but the proportions don't look quite human — more like Jack Kirby-drawn superheros. I'm not saying this to be unkind (I couldn't do better) but it's still striking.
So glad to see Uni Watch back. I know I'm a few weeks late, but I know you had to get a kick out of seeing all of the all-stars in Philadelphia in their standard home and road uniforms; the way it was always intended.
Can't forget the Bill Mazeroski statue at PNC Park, which captures a specific moment. (The bricks with the "406" are from Forbes Field's left field wall.)
I thought this was interesting about the Sandy Koufax statue at Dodgers Stadium…
“The Sandy Koufax statue at Dodger Stadium is based on an inspiration photograph personally chosen by Koufax, capturing his signature high leg kick and calm, focused windup. Sculptor Branly Cadet also took a photograph of Koufax's actual left hand gripping a baseball to ensure absolute accuracy.”
I find it interesting that both statues are based on very specific, identifiable moments. Outside of the Giants' stadium, there is a statue of Willie Mays in his iconic home run swing. It's very recognizable, but could be based on any of hundreds of moments in his career. What other sports statues can you think of that are clearly based on a single moment in an athlete's career? I'm sure there are tons, but I thought it would be fun to ask.
Brannock Device: I saw that show up in my 99% Invisible podcast feed, and immediately wondered if you'd been a part of it! I'm glad it is so -- a confluence of two of my favorite minutia-driven writers/commenters!
Don't think this counts as it's his regular home shirt, but Sergio Aguero's statue outside of the City of Manchester Stadium depicts him waving his shirt over his head in a recreation of his iconic goal celebration from the last game of the 2012 season.
Todd Helton. What a giant cross necklace! I must admit I’m not totally hip to the Rockies, so I don’t know if it’s a totally signature piece of flair that he would be unrecognizable without. (Compare with Barry Bonds’s cross earring, John Olerud’s hard hat in the field, Brooks Robinson’s short brim batting helmet, Chris Sabo’s prescription goggles, etc.) First glance to my eyes, it looks like an artistic liberty
Maybe the inevitable LeBron statue in Cleveland will honor the chase down block from G7 of the 2016 Finals - when they (in)famously wore their sleeved jerseys.
As a native Clevelander, I hope not. You'd need a backboard, hoop, and Andre Iguodala. Too much. It'll either be the chalk toss (which I'm betting on) or him leaping for one of his signature power dunks. Coincidentally, it'll also be a statue with him wearing an out-of-date uniform, likely the Adidas home jersey from the year they won the title. (I really hope it isn't the sleeved one, which he famously hated.)
As a Warriors fan, I sure as heck hope not. But from a purely visual recognition view, it should be LeBron doing his pre-game chalk toss. They can even make have mist deploy from his fingers to make it interactive.
I don't know if it's the statues or just the bobbleheads but the proportions don't look quite human — more like Jack Kirby-drawn superheros. I'm not saying this to be unkind (I couldn't do better) but it's still striking.
So glad to see Uni Watch back. I know I'm a few weeks late, but I know you had to get a kick out of seeing all of the all-stars in Philadelphia in their standard home and road uniforms; the way it was always intended.
Can't forget the Bill Mazeroski statue at PNC Park, which captures a specific moment. (The bricks with the "406" are from Forbes Field's left field wall.)
https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/t_16x9/t_w2208/mlb/xgljtfsgcp0unbavutup.jpg
The Bobby Orr statue in Boston depicts his OT goal to win the Stanley Cup in 1970.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTZa4oEsMvTEcf9KwFOHJJmjsu3MEEwZTtEwJFZpxX_Ly3mr2E3FH3lX8I&s=10
I thought this was interesting about the Sandy Koufax statue at Dodgers Stadium…
“The Sandy Koufax statue at Dodger Stadium is based on an inspiration photograph personally chosen by Koufax, capturing his signature high leg kick and calm, focused windup. Sculptor Branly Cadet also took a photograph of Koufax's actual left hand gripping a baseball to ensure absolute accuracy.”
I find it interesting that both statues are based on very specific, identifiable moments. Outside of the Giants' stadium, there is a statue of Willie Mays in his iconic home run swing. It's very recognizable, but could be based on any of hundreds of moments in his career. What other sports statues can you think of that are clearly based on a single moment in an athlete's career? I'm sure there are tons, but I thought it would be fun to ask.
Glad to see Uni Watch is back!
The Mariners' statue of Edgar Martinez commemorates "The Double," when he clinched the 1995 ALDS against the Yankees.
The statue: https://komonews.com/resources/media/53ea28df-e4e3-4097-aa87-8dd343641671-jumbo16x9_dn11EdgarStatueejp_0002_frame_4023.jpg?1628723213084
The actual swing: https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1302/1*sVfFbfBBU324cyy0svAQuA.jpeg
But considering Edgar was basically a perfect hitting machine, it looks like 95% of his swings from his career.
An earlier commenter referenced the Penguins' statue for Mario Lemieux, which is based on a specific moment:
https://www.ppgpaintsarena.com/ppg-paints-arena/le-magnifique
Another one I can think of (albeit for the minor leagues) is here in Brooklyn, where the Brooklyn Cyclones have their "Jackie and Pee-Wee" statue:
https://www.milb.com/app-firstpitch/brooklyn/news/jackie-robinson-legacy-enhanced-by-sculpture
But yeah, those definitely seem to be the exception, not the rule. Additional examples welcome!
From basketball, the Shaq statue in LA (https://cdn.nba.com/manage/2024/02/GettyImages-658378216-scaled-e1707250837220-1536x864.jpg) seems to be based on one of his most famous dunks (https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-06-01/The-top-4-centers-of-the-1990s-Shaquille-O-Neal-QYrOmgpaus/img/a560cabbeded4e79b4877a5a48e022c9/a560cabbeded4e79b4877a5a48e022c9.jpeg).
Also, the Michael Jordan statue (https://cdn.nba.com/manage/2024/02/GettyImages-1273643473-scaled-e1707250929212-1536x864.jpg) appears to have turned the image from his Nike brand logo (https://www.nicekicks.com/files/2021/06/michael-jordan-chicago-skyline-jumpman-667x500-1.jpg) into an event, although the original photo was from a 1984 photo shoot for Life Magazine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumpman_(logo)).
I’m really enjoying the 99PI 100 Objects series. Excited to hear your episode!
I for one like immortalizing a moment in a statue even if it means having a goofy uniform. The memory it invokes will be much more vivid.
Brannock Device: I saw that show up in my 99% Invisible podcast feed, and immediately wondered if you'd been a part of it! I'm glad it is so -- a confluence of two of my favorite minutia-driven writers/commenters!
After all the City Connect stuff, these Rockies (and the other TBTC) unis don't seem so outlandish. Those sleeves still give me facial tics, though.
The Braves certainly didn't put much effort into theirs. "Let's rotate the NOB and call it a day."
What a great article and tremendous content, Paul. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and doing such a bang-up job writing it up.
Don't think this counts as it's his regular home shirt, but Sergio Aguero's statue outside of the City of Manchester Stadium depicts him waving his shirt over his head in a recreation of his iconic goal celebration from the last game of the 2012 season.
Well I know when the Penguins unveiled Mario Lemieux's statue, the two players for the New York Islanders he's skating in between are unbranded.
Todd Helton. What a giant cross necklace! I must admit I’m not totally hip to the Rockies, so I don’t know if it’s a totally signature piece of flair that he would be unrecognizable without. (Compare with Barry Bonds’s cross earring, John Olerud’s hard hat in the field, Brooks Robinson’s short brim batting helmet, Chris Sabo’s prescription goggles, etc.) First glance to my eyes, it looks like an artistic liberty
Maybe the inevitable LeBron statue in Cleveland will honor the chase down block from G7 of the 2016 Finals - when they (in)famously wore their sleeved jerseys.
As a native Clevelander, I hope not. You'd need a backboard, hoop, and Andre Iguodala. Too much. It'll either be the chalk toss (which I'm betting on) or him leaping for one of his signature power dunks. Coincidentally, it'll also be a statue with him wearing an out-of-date uniform, likely the Adidas home jersey from the year they won the title. (I really hope it isn't the sleeved one, which he famously hated.)
As a Warriors fan, I sure as heck hope not. But from a purely visual recognition view, it should be LeBron doing his pre-game chalk toss. They can even make have mist deploy from his fingers to make it interactive.
This made me chuckle.
"We Are All Witnesses"
Just joined from the website! I thought you were gone. Glad to see we are back.