The Sports Illustrations Of Edel Rodriguez

Edel Rodriguez is an award-winning illustrator who uses a variety of materials to create graphic, colorful work that ranges from conceptual to portraiture and landscape. His illustrations are often sports related and have been regularly featured on the covers of TIME and Newsweek and in the pages of other magazines such as ESPN and Rolling Stone.

He's shared nine of his favorite sports illustrations and told us the stories behind them. You can see more of Rodriguez's work on his Drawger profile and his Facebook page.

This was for Golf Digest, on Tiger's comeback after his sex scandal. Looking over his back, cautious, everyone wondering if he would be able to concentrate on the game again.

This was for the fiction issue of ESPN The Magazine. I wanted to combine Shakespeare with sport in some way and thought having him sipping from a beer hat would get some attention.

This was for a feature on Paul Pierce, how he had become the center of the Celtics comeback story. I wanted to do something strong and powerful.

This was for a feature in the Washington Post about basketball players being modern day slaves. Even thought they make millions of dollars, they are still tied to the system of sports managers, promoters, and lawyers. After many years, they end up bankrupt and all the money has gone to their people.

This was a set of posters for the Vancouver Opera. The posters were trimmed to fit into the designs of the snowboards. They were auctioned off during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

A story in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, on the underground economy of smuggling top tier Cuban boxers out of the island. The danger, money, and personalities involved in shipping boxers out of the island on boats in the middle of the night.

Portrait of a Maori Warrior for a newspaper cover.

For a story running in ESPN The Magazine on Michael Jordan's 50th birthday, riding off into the sunset.

For ESPN The Magazine an article on the ego of baseball players, how some become the center of attention during locker room interviews and press junkets.