ESPN the Magazine Body Issue: Nude Photos Won't Tarnish Athletes' Legacies

Everyone's favorite issue of ESPN the Magazine hits newsstands on October 7, as the third-annual "Body Issue" is released. The issue has always been a source of great controversy in the blogosphere due to the way it, supposedly, objectifies women.

But what is the big deal?

The people that are up in arms about this whole thing believe that it objectifies the athletes, particularly the female athletes.

We have no problem sitting and watching these athletes punish each other in a contentious sporting event, but, God forbid, you show a little more skin than usual.

The people that are quick to criticize the issue only seem to mention the female athletes, but say nothing of the male athletes who show more skin than we are accustomed to seeing.

"Male athletes don't face the same stereotypes as women," is likely the next comment from someone who doesn't like the issue.

Valid point, but did you ever stop to think that what the athletes are doing in this issue helps to bring more attention to their sport that would otherwise not be there?

"But they aren't watching the sports to see the female athletes play, they are watching to see how they look," will be the next comment.

Okay, so let me ask you a question: When you were watching the Women's World Cup this summer, were you watching just to see how Hope Solo looked in her uniform?

No, you were watching because you got caught up in the moment and magnitude of the situation that the U.S. team was facing.

Now, by putting Solo and other female athletes in their most high-profile issue of the year, ESPN helps these athletes—male and female—get more exposure and publicity for themselves and their sports than they would have before.

ESPN writer Alyssa Roenigk wrote an article two years ago, which appeared in the first "Body Issue," that highlighted the benefits of female athletes posing for the issue.

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"... Sports, like life, aren't fair. Anyone who's been benched for the coach's son knows that. But it's a lesson that applies here, because the marketing of sports isn't fair either. And the athletes who accept that fact and figure out how to use it to their advantage are the names and faces people remember."

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Does anyone think any less of Serena Williams, Diana Taurasi, Kelly Slater, Dwight Howard or Adrian Peterson as competitors and athletes because they showed a little skin in a magazine?

If you do think that, you are missing the point of the issue and probably have some deep-seated psychological issues that you need to work on.

ESPN did not create the issue just to sell some more subscriptions. The company is trying to promote the athlete's body.

We all sit and watch these physical marvels dazzle us with their athleticism, and we think to ourselves, "I wonder how they do that?"

Their body is their temple, their haven, and a big part of how they earn a living. The magazine gives you insights as to how they take care of their bodies and the countless hours they spend in the gym working on it.

In a society that is built on wanting everything now without wanting to work to get it, their hard work and dedication deserves praise and admiration.

That is what ESPN the Magazine has been trying to do since releasing the first "Body Issue" in 2009.