Art But Make It College Football

A collaboration between the SZD audience and ArtButMakeItSports.

There is nobody in sports media like LJ Rader, aka ArtButMakeItSports. You have probably seen him on Instagram or Twitter or Bluesky. LJ also has a Substack newsletter, where he expands a little bit on his craft of matching sports images and screengrabs with pieces of art.

LJ was kind enough to work his magic on a handful of college football images submitted by Split Zone Duo subscribers. I attest that watching LJ’s brain do this matching in realtime is a surreal experience. (LJ went so far as to show me his hands as he thought through these art/sports comparisons. There is no AI involved in his work, and if there were, it would only make it worse.)

Please enjoy this brief window into his work.

Let us begin with two great philosophers:

First: You know. Second: “The Death of Socrates,” Jacques-Louis David, 1787

The Sooners were not the first to have trouble with a chariot:

First: Getty. Second: “The Chariot of Aurora,” Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1760s

Here, we have The King of Personal Fouls and Elvis:

First: Getty. Second: “Triple Elvis,” Andy Warhol, 1963

Sometimes, you just have to do your work against a chaotic backdrop:

First: Associated Press. Second: “Fire in a Town by Night,” Egbert van der Poel, 1600s

What is a helmet if not a black sun?

First: SI, I believe, though many outlets took similar photographs of this moment and it’s hard to parse them even with a reverse image search. Second: “The Black Sun,” Odilon Redon, 1900

This one was easily the most macabre:

First: Indy Star. Second: “Summary Execution under the Moorish Kings of Granada,” Henri Regnault, 1870

LJ had done this one before, he said, but was willing to indulge us:

First: ESPN grab, Second: “Jumping man,” Keith Haring, 1989

Thanks to LJ for coming by. He does more of this all the time at his place.

Lots more this week from Split Zone Duo

• Alex and Richard’s emergency show on Bill Belichick to UNC

• Richard’s interview with former UNC player and current all-around fun and smart guy Michael Felder, talking Belichick

• Steven Godfrey’s Single Wing with more reporting and notes on this move

• Alex and Richard’s interview with the executive director of Bowl Season, talking about the state of the postseason system

Read writing by the hosts of SZD

From Richard this week:

• CBS Sports: “How 104-year-old Navy veteran Jack Gillooly still lives by the words 'Beat Army'“

• CBS Sports: “Bill Belichick to North Carolina reaction: Why college football, NFL figures either love -- or hate -- hire”

From Alex this week:

• Slate: “The Great Myth of College Football Has Survived Another Year”

• Opta Analyst: The Best Non-Playoff Bowls of 2024

From Godfrey this week:

• Washington Post: “Another crazy college football coaching hire ignored the best candidate”