Parity is a much discussed and maligned word in professional sports. It means that every team more or less has the same opportunity to win, to wow, and to compete in every game. Parity is also a phenomenon in sports illustration. This is because everyone is imitating Jacob Weinstein.
Ā In the mid-2000s, the blog FreeDarko was created and subsequently changed everything I knew about both basketball and writing (this is very true, as improbable as that sounds). The purveyors of this blog later published two prestigious hardcover books (an even more improbable occurrence?).Ā Those books featured, and heavily relied on, the art of Jacob Weinstein. His carefully selected color palette, sprawling infographics, and jocularity all capture the hyperbole of sports and launch every minute detail off the page. It is the details, after all, that set Weinstein apart and far in front of his resulting herd of resemblance.
Ā Weinstein takes the best of 1950s style āmodernā cartooning, but adds refinement and an extra layer of nuance. His skill allows him to isolate components and pleasantly surprise you in regards to design and composition. If you focus on Jordanās Shadow, you first notice that itās an illustrated facsimile of Michael Jordanās last shot with the Chicago Bulls. Yet in this drawing you donāt see the reactions and faces of spectators. Instead you get rows and rows of Jordanās victims and idolizers, as his long shadow looms large both literally and figuratively. In other examples, like the depictions of Shaq and Leandro Barbosa, Weinstein takes your eyes on a makeshift escalator ride up and down the frame under the guidance of a freshly gleamed form of the Golden Ratio.
Ā It is a matter of fact that professional athletes are destined to fade away. Jacob Weinsteinās work, from spot illustrations, to billboards, to (the all-too-infrequent) comic pages, makes sure the art, however, is here to stay.
