We asked you to vote and help FanSided and Getty Images choose the best sports photos of the year in basketball, football, baseball and more. Here’s what you picked.
This year we’ve teamed up with Getty Images to help highlight some of the best sports photos of the year. Last week, we shared four selections in nine different categories — football, baseball, soccer, basketball, hockey, racing, golf, tennis and Olympics. We let our Twitter followers select their favorites and after more than a thousand votes were cast, we have our winners.
You can check out the final choices below but Maxx Wolfson, Getty Images’ Directory of Photography Sports, Americas, was also nice enough to share some thoughts on photographing what was an unprecedented year in sports:
The one word I’d use to describe sports in 2021 is everchanging. It was incredible to see sports comeback in full effect with our photographers back to shooting courtside and on the sidelines, and of course the return of roaring fans in packed stadiums and arenas.
As we learned, we could only plan so far in advance with events shifting from bubble environments with a smaller team of photographers like NCAA March Madness to big team events like the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Euro Championships and NBA Finals. Our photographers and editors really missed working together at events throughout 2020, but with the comeback of big team events in 2021, it was great to see our teams together again and thriving – like they hadn’t slowed down at all.
What’s key to our events coverage is our access, as well as having a larger team on-site to capture multiple angles and perspectives and important moments and legacy stories from the event – all of which contribute to our best sets of visuals and the content that our customers expect. The increased use of remote cameras has really helped during these times when we had limited access at events or a smaller on-site team, and something we continue to utilize for next-level game coverage. Despite any challenges, our team continues to be second-to-none, shooting game coverage globally and as you can see from this selection of best of photos and fan voting, sports continues to be a key means of bringing us all together whether watching at home or in real life.
Looking ahead, 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year in sports, with the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing to kick off the year, along with Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, Women’s Euro Championships in England, World Athletics Championships in Oregon and FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar to close the year.
The best football photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
J.D. McKissic of the Washington Football Team dives for a touchdown while defended by A.J. Terrell of the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 03, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The best baseball photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees anticipates a pitch during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at the Field of Dreams on August 12, 2021, in Dyersville, Iowa. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The best hockey photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 to win the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena on July 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
The best soccer photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Bruna Prado/Getty Images
Leandro Castan of Vasco da Gama fouls Douglas Friedrich of Bahia and receives the red card during the match between Vasco da Gama and Bahia as part of the Brasileirao Series A at Sao Januario Stadium on January 31, 2021, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Bruna Prado/Getty Images)
The best basketball photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Jermaine Samuels of the Villanova Wildcats goes up for a dunk against the Baylor Bears in the first half of their Sweet Sixteen game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 27, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The best racing photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Joey Logano, driver of the Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Cole Custer, driver of the HaasTooling.com Ford, are involved in an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series 63rd Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The best tennis photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning match point in his Men’s Singles third round match against Taylor Fritz of the United States during day five of the 2021 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on February 12, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The best golf photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Adam Scott of Australia plays his shot from the tenth tee during the first round of The Honda Classic at PGA National Champion course on March 18, 2021, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The best Olympics photo of the year from Getty Images
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Luigi Samele of Team Italy and Aron Szilagyi of Team Hungary compete in the match in Men’s Sabre Team Semi-final on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall on July 28, 2021, in Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)