From Philip Richardson’s story for The New York Times:
In Texas, where football is an unofficial religion, a photography project documenting the sideline drama and athleticism of football and cheerleading would not be unwelcome.
But the photographer Brian Finke was a reluctant convert to this pastime, even though he was raised in suburban Houston.
“It was something very familiar growing up in Texas,” he said. “My two sisters were cheerleaders, so it was too close and overly familiar. I almost didn’t find the interest in it.”
Yet after high school—when he lived in New York as a student at the School of Visual Arts—Mr. Finke saw the film “Bring It On,” a sassy teen comedy about competitive cheerleading.
The movie would be the motivation in part for a project on these two historically related, but increasingly independent, competitive sports.
Browse the series “2-4-6-8: American Cheerleaders and Football Players” at ClampArt
Browse all of Brian Finke’s work at ClampArt