ESPN Body Issue 2011: Sex Sells for Alicia Sacramone and These Unknown Athletes

ESPN Magazine’s “The Body” issue is out on stands now, featuring nude photos of U.S. Women’s World Cup goalie and Dancing with the Stars competitor Hope Solo on the cover, along with photos of other nude athletes inside the magazine.  

The male athletes that made their decisions to pose in the nude are a Who’s Who of names that people can recognize: From NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin to NFL superstar Stephan Jackson, the male side of the featured athletes has more star power. 

But, it’s the old saying of “sex sells,” and the majority of people buying not only ESPN Magazine, but specifically “The Body” issue, are males.  

So, who are the females that join the male athletes in showing off their bodies?  

Hope Solo leads the females, posing in the magazine as the person male readers can recognize the most, but she isn’t the best-looking athlete that made the decision to pose nude.  

She will move the most covers, but readers will notice some unknown female athletes that will now see their marketability rise after their pictorial in the magazine.  

For U.S. Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone, the shot of her on the balance beam upside down not only shows off her flexibility, but a beautiful physique.  

It’s humorous, with Sacramone speaking about her flexibility in the photo:

“I'm really not that flexible. When I do my jumps for gymnastics, I only get into those positions because I'm relatively strong. It has nothing to do with flexibility. I can do splits and touch my toes, but for a gymnast, I can barely move. It's always been a struggle. I watch little girls with envy doing this and think, 'God, I wish I could do that.'" 

Photos like this one will have people remembering her when the Summer Olympics come around next summer in London.  

But what about some of the athletes that aren’t involved in the main sports that people can watch on television, like surfing or roller derby? For four-time World Surfing Champion Stephanie Gilmore and co-captain of the U.S. roller derby team Suzy Hotrod, their pictures give a reason for people to Google and YouTube what they do.  

For Hotrod, the pictures gave her a chance to show off why she is a captain on the U.S. team: “I like that I have a strong rear end you can hit people with it, play defense with it, and you don't hurt your tailbone when you fall. It's really an 'ass-et' in Roller Derby." 

Hope Solo is going to get men to buy the magazine, but it’s the other female athletes that are the real stars of the magazine. 

Twitter: @tjmcaloon