ESPN Body Issue: Hope Solo Using Magazine to Further off-Field Career

Hope Solo has been busy since the 2011 Women’s World Cup vaulted her into the national spotlight.

Her latest venture is appearing in the nude for ESPN The Magazine’s "Body Issue," which features a number of high-profile athletes showing off their bodies in interesting poses.

Solo was selected as one of the four cover athletes from the 20-some who appear in the issue and was apparently very proud of it, tweeting her cover shot a few days before the official release.

The 30-year-old U.S. Women’s national team goalie has also appeared on the popular network television show Dancing With the Stars, and this has helped her meteoric rise in popularity.

She is using the United States appearance in the World Cup final to further her celebrity status, and there is nothing wrong with that.

No one outside of the small realm of women’s soccer fandom even knew who Solo was before she  appeared in nationally televised matches this summer, and her hard work and dedication paid off, leading to some great saves and the proclamation that she is the best women’s goalkeeper in the world.

There is no problem with parlaying being the best at your craft in the universe to becoming a celebrity and doing things like appearing on television shows and magazine spreads.

The public demands more Hope Solo, and she is unafraid to give herself to them, even in the nude.

Let’s just hope that Hope continues to work hard to improve her game on the field and that she is around as goalkeeper for the next World Cup.

If she doesn’t perform well in that event, all the celebrity she has gained will have harmed her, and it certainly would fade fast.