"The richly colored photos capture with perfect clarity their subjects' sharp-edged, bright-eyed anticipatory giddiness; everyone seems breathless with suspense. It would have been easy to make these photos a polemic about gender roles and sports, but Finke is wise enough to realize that the American football field may be a place where men and women find themselves united in a common goal."-The New Yorker
2-4-6-8: American Cheerleaders and Football Players explores the interconnected lives of American cheerleaders and football players from coast to coast and in the heartland, capturing the youthful character of quintessential Americana: crowd-pleasing, stunt-building, skirt-flipping girls and pigskin-tossing boys in full adolescent throttle. Finke narrates 2-4-6-8 with affection and respect. The brilliant colors, bright smiles, tough poses, and bittersweet moments of teenage angst are magnificently collaged. The book also includes an interview with Kathy Ryan, photo editor of The New York Times Magazine. Further complementing Finke's work is an essay by Zev Borow on the typologies of cheer and the dogma of teamwork. Cheer loud, cheer proud!
Brian Finke graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1998 with a BFA in photography. His work has been featured in periodicals such as The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Details, Esquire, TIME, and Newsweek. Finke's photographs continue to be exhibited internationally and are included in collections worldwide. Finke lives and works in New York City.
Kathy Ryan is the photo editor of The New York Times Magazine and lives in New York City.
Zev Borow writes for magazines and television. He began his career at Might Magazine in San Francisco, and his work has since appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Spin, GQ, Vibe, Wired, ESPN the Magazine, and Mcsweeney's. Borow currently lives in New York City.
