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Beyond the Finish Line : Images, Evidence, and the History of the Photo-Finish

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Title: Beyond the Finish Line : Images, Evidence, and the History of the Photo-Finish
Description: In the 1880s photographers and sports enthusiasts confidently declared the end of dead heats in sporting competition. Reflecting a broader social belief in technology, proponents of the camera stressed that the device could provide definitive proof of who won and who lost. Yet despite this remedy for the inadequate human eye, competitive races between horses, boats, and bicycles ended too close to call a sole champion. More than a century later, when cameras can subdivide the second into ten-thousandths and beyond, athletes continue to cross the finish line in ties. In this fascinating journey through the history of the photo-finish in sports, Jonathan Finn shows how innovation was animated by a drive for ever more precise tools and a quest for perfect measurement. As he traces the technological developments inspired by this crusade - from the evolution of the still camera to movie cameras, ultimately leading to complex contemporary photo-finish systems - Finn uncovers the social implications of adopting and contesting the photograph as evidence in sport. At every turn empirical obsession intersects with the unpredictability of sports, creating a paradox wherein the precision offered by photo-finish technology far exceeds the realities of human performance and its measurement. Separating athletes by the hundredth, thousandth, or ten-thousandth of a second is often a fiction that comes with significant material and cultural implications. A lively biography of a critical technology, Beyond the Finish Line illuminates the cultural role of the photo-finish in win-at-all-costs culture and warn that in our pursuit for precision we may threaten the human element of sport that galvanizes mere spectators into fans.
Authors: Jonathan Finn
Resource Type: eBook.
Subjects: Sports--History, Photography of sports--History, Photography of sports--Technological innovations--History
Categories: SPORTS & RECREATION / General
Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
FullText Links:
  – Type: ebook-pdf
  – Type: ebook-epub
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  Availability: 0
Header DbId: nlebk
DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)
An: 2579383
RelevancyScore: 1097
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: eBook
PubTypeId: ebook
PreciseRelevancyScore: 1096.64697265625
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  Data: Beyond the Finish Line : Images, Evidence, and the History of the Photo-Finish
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  Data: In the 1880s photographers and sports enthusiasts confidently declared the end of dead heats in sporting competition. Reflecting a broader social belief in technology, proponents of the camera stressed that the device could provide definitive proof of who won and who lost. Yet despite this remedy for the inadequate human eye, competitive races between horses, boats, and bicycles ended too close to call a sole champion. More than a century later, when cameras can subdivide the second into ten-thousandths and beyond, athletes continue to cross the finish line in ties. In this fascinating journey through the history of the photo-finish in sports, Jonathan Finn shows how innovation was animated by a drive for ever more precise tools and a quest for perfect measurement. As he traces the technological developments inspired by this crusade - from the evolution of the still camera to movie cameras, ultimately leading to complex contemporary photo-finish systems - Finn uncovers the social implications of adopting and contesting the photograph as evidence in sport. At every turn empirical obsession intersects with the unpredictability of sports, creating a paradox wherein the precision offered by photo-finish technology far exceeds the realities of human performance and its measurement. Separating athletes by the hundredth, thousandth, or ten-thousandth of a second is often a fiction that comes with significant material and cultural implications. A lively biography of a critical technology, Beyond the Finish Line illuminates the cultural role of the photo-finish in win-at-all-costs culture and warn that in our pursuit for precision we may threaten the human element of sport that galvanizes mere spectators into fans.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Classifications:
      – Code: 778.99796
        Scheme: ddc
        Type: prePub
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Sports--History
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Photography of sports--History
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Photography of sports--Technological innovations--History
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Beyond the Finish Line : Images, Evidence, and the History of the Photo-Finish
        Type: main
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          Name:
            NameFull: Jonathan Finn
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            NameFull: Jonathan Finn
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2020
            – D: 03
              M: 09
              Type: profile
              Y: 2020
          Identifiers:
            – Type: isbn-print
              Value: 9780228003434
            – Type: isbn-electronic
              Value: 9780228004516
            – Type: isbn-electronic
              Value: 9780228004523
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Beyond the Finish Line : Images, Evidence, and the History of the Photo-Finish
              Type: main
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