American Pharoah’s beautiful photo on the cover the June 15, 2015, issue of Sports Illustrated marked only the third time a horse has graced the front of that magazine in the last 23 years since the start of the 21st century. Recent controversy aside, the cover of Sports Illustrated has historically been a very big deal. Smarty Jones got the cover in 2004 and Mine That Bird got it in 2009 after the Kentucky Derby.
The American Pharoah photo, besides the fact that it features a beautiful athlete in the act of greatness, also captures an important historical event in such an appropriate context. The framing of the photo with all of the hands held aloft with phones is instantly smile-inducing and should provide future generations with an accurate look at how Americans experienced life in 2015.
Horse racing used to grace the cover of the magazine much more frequently, however.
There have been more than 30 different horse…
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