The Eighth Page

Phillipian Satire: Photo of The Week

The photo is printed in black and white. Three lacrosse players, two in light jerseys and one in a dark one, fill the foreground of the photograph. The player in the dark jerse y is in t he center of the f rame, about to fling the ball from his lacrosse stick, which he is holding with his rig ht hand over his left hand. He is we aring gloves and elbow braces, a helmet, the aforementioned jersey, shorts, a knee brace, white socks wit h one black stripe, and light Under Armour cleats. His jersey is numbered 22. Although his left forearm blocks the lettering of his jersey, it can be reasonably inferred from t he lacross e-stick-crossed “A” on the bottom left leg of his shorts t hat he plays for Phil lips Academy. His right foot is off the ground, and his left heel is off the ground, and chunks of dirt spray up around him as he digs in for the release of the ball. The player in the darker jersey has a look of steely determination on his face. One of the players in the light jerseys runs in profile from the left of the frame; he too wears a helmet, gloves, elbow pads, shorts, so cks, and shoes. His socks, however, have no black st ripe, and his cleats are branded Nike, not Under Armour. His helmet has a white H facing toward t he camera. Although the head of his lacrosse stick is cropped out of the photo, he grips the bottom of the stick’s shaft wit h his right hand over his left hand. The number of his jersey is not visible. It app ears as if he might try to use his stick to hit the head of the stick of the player in the darker jers ey, thus knocking the ball out of its netted pouch and onto the turf. The ot her player in a lighter jersey has made an unsuccessful dive toward the player in the darker jersey, and now hovers in midair, around knee height, behind the player in the darker jersey. He too wears a helmet, a jerse y, shorts, socks, and cle ats, though the design of his socks and brand of his cleats are not visible. The number of his jersey is not visible, but his shorts are numbered 13. In the background of the photo, two players in lig ht jerseys stand out of focus. They too wear helmets, jerseys, gloves, elbow pads, and shorts. Their feet are not visible, so it is unknown whether they wear sho es or socks. The jersey of the one on the left is numbered 8 and the jersey of the one on the right is numbered 29. To the right of the out of focus players in the light jerseys is a white, met al bench with no one sitting on it. A single lacrosse stick leans against the bench at an angle. Behind the out of focus players in the light jerseys are the empty, stone bleachers of Phelps Stadium.