Art But Make It Sports: Epic Matchups Where Art and Sports Collide

by LJ Rader, Charlotte Wilder (Foreword)

A clever and laugh-out-loud art history twist on your favorite sports moments, from the creator of the social media phenomenon Art But Make It Sports.


Epic moments in modern sports are masterfully paired with their fine art doppelgangers in this incredible compilation of side-by-side images that sports fans will marvel at. Featuring photographs from basketball, baseball, softball, football, soccer, tennis, hockey, golf, the Olympics, and more, matched with paintings and other pieces of historical art that mirror them, the undeniable similarities will keep you turning the pages!


Is it LeBron James holding up the NBA Cup after the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 In-Season Tournament Championship, or is it Salvador Dalí's Man Holding Up a Baby?


Is Caitlin Clark posing for a portrait during the 2024 WNBA draft, or is that Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Charles Mellin?


What about Jason Kelce celebrating a touchdown. Is it a good time amongst friends, or is it The Feast of Bacchus by Phillips Koninck? 

And there's more than just the one-to-one visual comparisons—the thematic connections present in each pairing are equally fascinating. Just as in Eugène Delacroix's 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People, we see Sabrina Ionescu (of the New York Liberty) encapsulate the same themes of power and strength as she leads her team to victory during the 2023 WNBA Playoffs. You won't be able to tear yourself away from the surprising and sometimes eerie comparisons that await you in this book, an unbeatable gift for sports fans and art history lovers alike.


BELOVED ACCOUNT, BRAND NEW From the popular Instagram and X account @ArtButMakeItSports comes this entertaining volume full of fan favorites and brand new content, sure to keep you mesmerized.



WORLD’S GREATEST This collection contains some of the most famous moments and greatest athletes spanning the history of professional sports. You’ll find an array of favorites within these pages! 



ULTIMATE GIFT FOR SPORTS Without a doubt, this book will have the sports fans in your life laughing out loud! Win the day with this awesome gift for friends and loved ones for birthday, anniversary, holiday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any day you’re catching a game together.

Perfect


Sports fans


Art history lovers


Readers who enjoy funny art books like Men to Avoid in Art and Life, Fat Cat Art, and Basketball (and Other Things)


Gift-giving to someone who “doesn’t want anything” for a special occasion (but will love this anyway!)

Genres: Art, Sports, Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2026

Reviews

[Jordan Steyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this instagram account, so fun seeing the curation process (and without the use of ai)

[Wesley Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't just a picture book. Every page explains the context of both the sport and the painting. It's so fun to read the thoughts of someone who is an expert in both. I know the author thinks he's only a sports professional with an art hobby, but taking thousands of pictures of paintings to use for later sounds like more than a hobby.

This is one of the greatest accounts on social media, and I'm glad to have it permanently in my library.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

People's brains work in mysterious but very cool ways and this is one of them. I didn't realize this was a hashtag and became a kind of social media sensation that's now in book form but wholly showcases the visions of how art and sports collide on and off the field.

It takes an immense amount of knowledge and research but as Rader said, it's really about curiosity and inspiration. Rader takes iconic moments from sports history and photos from games and tournaments and finds a comparable art piece to go side by side thus giving people more appreciation for how they intersect but also the art people learning about sports and the sports people learning about art.

So creative and a worthwhile endeavor both to research, put together, and publish but also to read/look at! I know I'll be following the hashtag from now on.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, much like the social media feeds which spawned it, is a perfect fit for my interests. Lots of wonderful art, lots of exceptional sports photography, and a bit of interesting backstory behind encountering the artwork and the interests of the author.

Due to copyrights, which I am glad the author notes, the art is generally not contemporary, but it is still quite varied, from Cycladic sculptures several thousand years old, to the start of the modern art movement. A solid range of styles and sports are covered, and the use of art history is a fun way to both inflate and deflate the pomp and circumstance of the drama in sport.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. In many of the pages, the author goes into a lot of detail of art history and if available, the meaningfulness of the particular sports moment, which really enhances the visual connections he makes. Of course, sometimes the silly ones like Carlos Alcaraz's shirt are also just as good. I also appreciate how much the author centered women's sports. It's not quite substantial enough for 5 stars but I'm still very impressed a silly Instagram account that I enjoy but breeze through could be an interesting book.

[Sam Ulmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful coffee table book for sports fans and art lovers alike.

[Spencer Mize · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have enjoyed this account for a long time. A few organizational and editorial issues hold this back from 5-stars for me, but I learned a ton about a lot of art that I knew nothing about.

[Macon Maxey]

I'm so happy I have this. It's powerful, meaningful, and beautiful.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories, beautiful artwork, amazing feats of athleticism... all in one book!