Do you ever find yourself wondering things like, "Who was the first person to say 'I'm going to Disney World' after he won the Super Bowl?" (Answer: Phil Simms was paid $75,000 to utter the phrase in 1987). Completely meaningless stuff, but if you're one of those curious souls... Then this might interest you, as well.
Who was the first professional athlete to give the middle finger to a photographer?
Who was the first professional athlete to give the middle finger to a photographer?
1886, Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn, opening day team portrait for the Boston Beaneaters. Yup, that's the first recorded "f— you photo," as relayed by NBC's Out of Bounds blog.
From Out of Bounds/NBC Sports: "It's a staple of high school graduation photos across our land; as American as the Fourth of July picnic, or Lady Gaga appearing in public in her underwear. Giving the finger on camera is a time-honored tradition, but until today I had no idea that the first person to do it may have been a pro baseball player. Here's Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn, a late-19th century pitcher for the Providence Grays and Boston Beaneaters who, among other things, holds the professional record of 59 wins in a season. They played baseball barehanded in those days, and players weren't above cheating, or trying to maim an opponent, in order to win. So flipping the bird during a team photo shoot was no big deal for Radbourn (see it following the jump). Circa opening day, 1886, it's believed to be the first time anyone's done that on camera.
Photo following the jump. "
Photo following the jump. "
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