It is no secret that Sports Illustrated is more in the business of selling sex than athleticism. If you just type the name of the magazine into Google Images, only, and I mean only, pictures of too-small-bikini clad Kate Upton and the like pop up. Sometimes the bikinis are even shown falling off, so one has to wonder where the “Sport” occurs in all of this.
Instead of focusing on Sports Illustrated’s failings, however, I’d like to redirect the attention to this article to a magazine that does support athleticism in men and women alike. Every year, ESPN releases a “Bodies We Want” edition, which features a photo-shoot of naked male and female athletes. Breasts and genitalia are always covered in these photos, and even though the athletes are naked, their lack of clothing emphasizes their muscular, powerful figures rather than their sex appeal.
Each photograph includes the name of the athlete, a short bio, and sometimes a quote. Issues have included Amy Purdy, a snowboarder who lost both her legs at the knee but continued to compete.
Hillary Knight, a Forward in the US National Ice Hockey Team, was also featured, saying, “I gained 15 pounds [for the Olympics] and I still felt feminine at 185 pounds. I just jumped right in and took hold of being a proud female athlete.”
Natalie Coughlin, swimmer, and 12 time Olympic medalist admits that she has scoliosis and says “Going into the 2012 Olympics, I was 29 and married; everyone assumed I would retire, have babies and disappear. There are teammates on the male side that don’t get these questions. I just find it interesting that people so openly are like: ‘Yeah, this is obviously what you’re going to do, right?’”
The issues aren’t just a step forward for female athletes, but all sorts of athletes that break the norm. For instance, Marshawn Lynch, running back for the Seattle Seahawks, said he did this photoshoot to “Show some love for the fat blacks.”
Todd Clever, the captain of the US National Rugby Team, explains how he has never been the biggest or fastest guy on the team, but he’s just resolved to work harder so that he can become, “Fitter than the guy across from me.”
It is just refreshing to see hard work and athleticism lauded, to see men and women photographed naked so we can see the raw power of their bodies rather than absurdly magnified sexuality. Anyone agree?
