Picture perfect: 2023 sports photos of the year

What makes a great sports photograph?

Well, it really depends on who you ask. But at the Deseret News, we pride ourselves on capturing the emotion of the game as much as key plays of the game.

But to be a great sports photographer, you need to understand the game, the players and the strategy in order to anticipate the critical, sometimes game-decisive moments.

The best of the best sports photojournalists visually tell the story with the key action plays and key reactions to those plays, in addition to the sporting event’s final outcome. But there are also humorous and subtle moments that occur before, during or after a game, like a coach giving a piece of her mind to a referee or a swimming coach getting pushed into a pool after a trophy presentation, that warrant visual documentation. It might be a quiet moment with beautiful light before player introductions at a Jazz game or the reaction of an RSL player begging his case to a referee.

While many great sports photographs are captured with long lenses from the sidelines, our photographers also anticipate emotional moments, often using wide-angle lenses, physically running out onto a field as the game ends to get extra close — close enough to capture tears of joy as well as tears of sadness.

Here’s a look back at 30 of our favorite sports moments from 2023 from our staff and contributing photographers.