SELLING SEX THE RIGHT WAY

I thought about it and thought about it some more until I realized that ESPN has done it better than Sports Illustrated, at least for this time.

Long competing rivals for sports fans, or maybe just two companies who sell a similar product who actually help each other out, ( remember good things come in pairs from "Knocked up?") do, like all magazines, create "special issues" in order to create more buzz and really to sell more ad's to companies who love magazine specials because they typically get the most amount of readers. All this according to a recent New York Times Article

( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/business/media/12adco.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=espn%20body%20issue&st=cse)

While ESPN the Magazine can never compete with Sports Illustrated Magazine, mainly because SI specializes in their magazine and ESPN specializes in television ( for those of you who do not know SI has a website as well)However, ESPN did something last week that I find to be more upstanding then SI; It created the annual Body Issue, the answer to SI's annual Swim Suit Special.

The Swim Suit Special, which has been SI's number one rated issue for over twenty years, features beautiful models in some remote, tropical Island in sexy swimsuits and some of them are only left with body paint on. The only connection SI makes to sports is that they have a section featuring athletes beautiful wives. But for the most part, the issue is about sex, beautiful models and very little connection to sports. It sells, by all means I love it, and it is great for college dorm rooms and for the old man to peer through when the wife is not around.

But ESPN the magazine, from an intellectual stand point, maybe not so much from a business stand point, has picked a different angle to sell sex and grab advertisers attention; they feature athletes themselves. ESPN the Body Issue, (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4526351) while showing athletes huge physiques these days, also has stories analyzing how far women athletes should go when advertising their bodies. They have another section showing off athletes scars, which makes one have an appreciation for how far athletes go today towards success. There is even a column by the famous Rick Reilly, who describes the reality that reporters go through when having to report players when they are nude in the locker room. In all, the issue gives fans an inside depth of how art, beauty and the body contributes to the shaping of athlete, especially in today's society.

Sure, the women may not be as sexy, and ya, most of my buddies and yours will probably prefer Si's Swim Suit edition. But if you really want to see some cool pics of your favorite athletes, and maybe even think a little bit, than ESPN The Body Issue is the way to go.