Rob Gronkowski Leads Way in Upcoming Must-Buy ESPN the Magazine 'Body Issue'

Exploration of the human form attracts, scares and motivates. ESPN the Magazine will again delve into something so familiar yet so scintillating. 

ESPN reports a full list of participating athletes taking part in this year's Body Issue, and it's quite extensive. 

If you are looking for a superstar to drive the discussion like Hope Solo and Serena Williams did in past issues, it would be New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski. 

The Bro among Bros will be the biggest star to splash his naked body on the pages, but there are a ton more. A full list can be found at the official page over at ESPN. 

There you will see the magazine is going for volume in this iteration as Candace Parker, Tyson Chandler, Abby Wambach, Ronda Rousey, a volume of Olympians and more will go naked for the sake of showing us all what a world class athlete looks like under their clothes. 

I know very well what's going on in the head of most of you right now. Some are wondering if these particular athletes spark your most basic interests, and others are wondering why a naked athlete shrouded by shadows warrants such hype. 

When the magazine finally drops, many more of you will find the need to go out and buy ESPN the Magazine than usual. It happens every year. 

If Sports Illustrated has its swimsuit issue to drive sales up for a month, ESPN has its Body Issue. 

The cynic will sit back and yawn, claiming the issue is a useless exercise motivated by sales and dollar signs.

Perhaps. 

There is a reason we buy the thing, though. It's basic and the reason we need to know what the hell that whispering is at the next table at dinner. 

There is nothing better than human curiosity. It's the reason we went to the moon and how I stumbled upon the deliciousness that is thin mint cookies dipped in peanut butter. 

Some of the most interesting things I found in life were from being nosy. 

You can sit back and call this a gross cash grab, but let's be honest. The human body, especially those belonging to finely-tuned machines, excites, motivates and thrills. 

You can bet I'm buying, just like the rest of you. 

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