ESPN Body Issue 2015: Highlighting Featured Athletes' Top Comments

The release of ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue has become an annual tradition as some of the biggest names in sports bare it all for the American public. Looking at the stars in this year's group, the 2015 edition is bound to fly off the shelves.

Two dozen athletes will be included in this year's Body Issue. You can see the full list below:

Athlete	Sport
Bryce Harper	Baseball
Kevin Love	Basketball
DeAndre Jordan	Basketball
Brittney Griner	Basketball
Ali Krieger	Soccer
Aly Raisman	Gymnastics
Natalie Coughlin	Swimming
Stan Wawrinka	Tennis
Tyler Seguin	Hockey
Anthony Castonzo	Football
Jack Mewhort	Football
Todd Herremans	Football
Dallas Friday	Wakeboarding
Todd Clever	Rugby
Leticia Bufoni	Skateboarding
Sadena Parks	Golf
Khatuna Lorig	Archery
Jermaine Jones	Soccer
Paige Selenski	Field Hockey
Amanda Bingson	Hammer Throw
Chantae McMillan	Heptathlon
Laird Hamilton	Surfer
Gabby Reece	Volleyball
Odell Beckham Jr.	Football

Given the fact he has been one of the best players in baseball this year, Bryce Harper is one of the main headliners for the Body Issue. The 22-year-old leads MLB in wins above replacement (5.4), per FanGraphs. He's also hitting .344/.470/.719 with 25 home runs and 60 runs batted in.

ESPN offered a brief taste of what to expect from the Washington Nationals outfielder:

"I've always wanted to do the Body Issue," Harper said in June, per ESPN.com. "I want to put baseball out there."

Earlier in the week, he elaborated more on his impressive physique, per Stacey Pressman of ESPN The Magazine:

"

I'm about 8 percent body fat right now. I think the lowest I'd been was 13, so it's pretty special. I'm down to 208 from 240 -- actually back where I was in college. I sat down with [Nationals shortstop] Ian Desmond at the end of the year, and he told me: 'You don't need to be that big. Be as limber as you can. Be as flexible as you can.' And that's the way Ian is -- he's like a boxer. Ripped as can be, works hard, but doesn't pick up that many weights. It's more body-weight stuff. So I really listened to him; I'm right where I need to be, and I'm excited.

"

The timing of the Body Issue couldn't be much better with regard to Ali Krieger's inclusion. The 30-year-old is fresh off of the United States women's national team's victory over Japan in the final of the 2015 Women's World Cup.

Being a soccer player means working tirelessly to tone your lower body, as Krieger attested to in an interview for the Body Issue, per ESPN The Magazine's Morty Ain (via espnW.com):

"

Everyone makes fun of my calves. They are so big. I don't really even like them, I don't really want them as big as they are, but I have no choice. In college, girls would come up to me: 'I want your calves.' It just makes me laugh. I guess people pay a lot of money to have the types of bodies athletes have.

My thighs too; I feel like I have big thighs. My brother was always like, 'Yeah, I want big thighs! Big thighs are awesome!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, for a man!' But I've trained since I was 6 years old to play soccer, and this is just the type of body I have. I'm proud of my thighs because they've gotten me to where I am today and give me the power that I have to play my best.

"

In case you may have forgotten, this is what a World Cup champion looks like:

Odell Beckham Jr. will also make quite the splash in the Body Issue based on this Instagram photo posted to the ESPN account:

When he was on the field, Beckham was one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. It's easy to forget he appeared in just 12 games since he racked up 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Somewhat interestingly, the 22-year-old admitted he doesn't really enjoy working out just to work out, per Ain and Stevland Wilson for ESPN The Magazine:

"

I don't really care so much for the off-field workouts. I'm not going to go into the weight room and put on like 600 pounds and try to squat it. I'd rather do something that applies to what I do on the field than straining myself in the gym. I want to do field work -- anything that I can apply to the sport.

"

There's certainly something to what Beckham said. A difference exists between pure strength and athleticism and functional strength and athleticism. Simply being big, strong and/or fast doesn't necessarily make you a great football player unless you know how to use it on the field.

Obviously, much of the Body Issue is about celebrating the human form and offering a different glimpse of athletes whom you generally only see in uniform.

However, it's arguably more interesting to read how said athletes obtained and maintain their shape and what it takes physically to succeed in his or her respective sport.