If the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is a rite of winter (at least for straight men), ESPN The Magazine's body issue is a summer staple in what is a slow sports time. At least the magazine features men, unlike Sports Illustrated, and this year 20 athletes stripped down for tasteful nude shots.
Among the men are San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kapernick, teammate Vernon Davis, NBA player John Wall, tennis player John Isner, New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins and Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lupul had this interesting nugget:
What about your body would surprise us?
JL: Hockey players are known to have big asses; it's tough to find pants that fit. I don't need custom-made pants, though there are certain brands that fit better. And I have to do a couple of deep squats in my jeans before I wear them out or they won't look quite right.
Of the men, Stanton is the hottest, with an amazing body on a 6-6, 250-pound frame. I am not sure I needed to see 77-year-old golfer Gary Player, but at least the guy keeps himself in shape. One of our Twitter followers disagrees, saying, "I am a gay man in my 30's and I think Gary Player is hot. Put that in your ageist pipe and smoke it."
You can see a lot more of the issue here.
