I’ve heard of the ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue before but had never taken an interest in it until recently. Late one night I happened to stumble upon the magazine while at a friend’s house. I flipped through the glossy pages plastered with athletes and interviews without any real purpose. Later that night I was reading an article from the Body Issue on the ESPN app about the Chicago Cub’s Jake Arrieta. The article covers everything from Arrieta’s never quit mentality to insecurities about his body. It was after reading the Arrieta article that I began to see the importance of the Body Issue. The covers of magazines, especially magazines geared towards men, are often covered with nude or semi-nude women posing provocatively. ESPN takes full advantage of our scandalized world, but in a much different way than their competitors.

If you’re not familiar with ESPN the Magazine’s Body Issue, it is an annual edition of ESPN’s The Magazine. This year’s edition featured 18 athletes, from NFL standout Antonio Brown to three-time world champion and a member of the USA women’s wrestling team, Adeline Gray. Each athlete is photographed in action nude or semi-nude. The pictures are followed by an interview, although the article itself is structured more like an autobiography. The interview portion of the article gives each athlete a platform to speak about things they stand behind.

The interviews give readers an inside look at each athlete’s daily regimen, their future goals, and trivial things such as one’s childhood nickname. What I find beneficial from the interviews is the athlete’s free range to talk about anything and everything. ESPN provides each athlete the opportunity to speak up about things they think the general public should be aware of. Sometimes, smaller profile athletes may be wary of speaking out in fear that their voice will not be heard, or taken seriously. However, ESPN’s worldwide audience completely eliminates that fear. Athletes profiled can be confident their voice will be heard, and more importantly taken seriously.

While some may view the picture portion of the article as odd or inappropriate, I find the entire idea ingenious. I believe the photos are the most integral part of the entire edition.

Society tends to prop athletes up on a pedestal, and associates fame, fortune, and eternal happiness with professional athletes. Contrary to society’s idea, the stripped down photographs reveal the athletes’ vulnerability. The naked photographs illustrate that they have nothing to hide behind, quite literally. ESPN photographs the athletes completely clad leaving their bodies exposed to the world. While many think that athletes have perfectly chiseled bodies, the Body Issue bares any imperfections one may have. What I find so inspiring is how the athletes embrace their body no matter its appearance. Their facial expressions and body language have an ease to them, ultimately displaying self-confidence. Though it may have taken them a while to come to terms with their imperfections, eventually they did. Now, they set an example I hope the rest of the world will follow. Instead of worrying about the imperfections of your body, focus on embracing it. Only when you love your own body can other people begin to love it too.