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You Saw Jason Kelce. This Guy Saw ‘The Feast of Bacchus.’
With his Art But Make It Sports social media accounts, LJ Rader connects the drama and pathos of classic artwork to viral moments in sports. And no, he’s not using A.I.
LJ Rader tries to be online as much as possible during big sporting events, but he missed the first half of last Sunday’s N.F.L. playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs because of a dinner engagement. After he left the restaurant, Mr. Rader checked his phone and saw an unusual request: The N.F.L. had tagged him on X, formerly known as Twitter, hoping he would deliver one of his signature creations.
“I would’ve been so mad if I was still eating and had missed this,” Mr. Rader said.
On social media, Mr. Rader is the wizard behind Art But Make It Sports, where he uses accounts on X and Instagram to pair photographs from the world of sports with paintings and other pieces of art that mirror them. Witty, irreverent and often poignant, the accounts have a combined 365,000 followers.
Last Sunday, the N.F.L. wanted Mr. Rader’s take on a scene that was destined for internet immortality: Jason Kelce, an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles, was screaming, shirtless and clutching a can of beer as he leaned out of a stadium luxury box in subarctic weather to celebrate a touchdown that his brother, Travis, had scored for Kansas City.
Mr. Rader did his own brand of mental calculus as he sought the perfect piece of art to match the image: What was the most important element of the photograph?
“It’s the fact that he’s not wearing a shirt,” Mr. Rader said. “If I were to find a similar scene but the person has their clothes on, it’s not going to hit.”
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