The Viral Photo of the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series Win Is Now Immortalized On a Shirt
Apparel brand Homage is living up to its name, putting arguably the defining photo from the Milwaukee Brewers’ first-ever World Series title onto a shirt. It’s an unusual way for Getty photographer Carmen Mandato’s work to be seen, enabling Brewers fans to literally wear a photo of their long-awaited victory on their chest.
Talented photographers immortalize iconic moments, often victories. While these photos have historically graced newspapers and Sports Illustrated covers, they are now most often shared online, spreading like wildfire. No matter where they are seen, sports photos have long held a special place in fans’ collective memory.
Mandato’s photo of World Series MVP catcher William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers, looking up in celebration as the Brewers recorded the final out in the bottom of the ninth inning, quickly went viral after the Brewers lifted their trophy.
Social media speculated about all sorts of things, including that the photo was taken by a drone — it wasn’t — or that it was generated or edited using AI — also no. While there’s likely much to say about how quickly people disparage and devalue a real photographer’s incredible work, the focus here is on the photo.
Mandato and Tampa Bay freelance photographer Mike Carlson each set up remote cameras in the catwalks above the field before the deciding game five matchup at Tropicana Field just outside of Tampa Bay. Tropicana Field’s catwalks are infamous because live baseballs routinely hit them, causing chaos. In this case, though, the catwalks enabled some incredible photography work.
In Carlson’s case, he had a wireless trigger with him at field level and triggered the catwalk camera while he took photos. Although Mandato’s photo is the one on Homage’s new shirt, Carlson’s similar vantage is now featured on a Topps trading card.
“Community over competition,” Carlson wrote on Instagram. “Carmen is a longtime friend and I enjoyed catching up and sharing time with her more than I enjoyed sharing credit for these pics. Be kind to each other out there in the workrooms and sidelines.”
As for Homage’s new t-shirt, it features an artistic rendition of Mandato’s photo. It has been edited to feature selective color, with the field itself turned monochromatic. It is, of course, officially licensed by MLB and the MLBPA and is available directly through Homage and the Milwaukee Brewers official team store for $40.
For Brewers fans, the new shirt seems like an obvious buy. For photographers, it’s certainly an unusual way to have work displayed.
Image creditsHomage, Carmen Mandato (Getty Images)
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