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An Op Ed By JoJo Rennie

Members of the women's Germany national football squad have recently taken part in a photoshoot for Playboy. It sends a somewhat confused message to fans, spectators and participants of the sport. On the one hand, individuals can of course choose what they wish to do for personal gain or as a means of garnering publicity. It is vital to understand, however, that they have a responsibility to be ambassadors of their sport; to remain professional and dignified. Just as any athlete at the top of their game must. The women's team are extremely successful, having won the last two consecutive FIFA Women's World Cups. This speaks volumes of their team as a professional, accomplished unit. According to an article in The Guardian the upcoming World Cup has attracted much attention; with 72,000 tickets sold for Germany's opening game. This shows how popular the game can be, and how prestigious the tournament is.

These women are certainly not the first athletes to pose provocatively to earn money or attract attention. Advertisements notoriously use sex to sell. They have done so for decades. Athletes the world over pose seductively for sports brands such as Nike and Adidas. It is also not just women who are used to sell; male athletes, in their abundance, are just as ubiquitous in the advertising world of sport. Footballer Freddie Ljungberg posed in his underwear for Calvin Klein and David Beckham has posed, now infamously, for Emporio Armani. Sponsorship deals and other associated advertisements are different though. A different message is sent out to viewers as we're aware that, despite the heightened sexual imagery in adverts today, this is commonplace amongst both men and women. [Whether this should be morally acceptable in everyday life is another issue altogether.] Playboy, unlike a vast number of other brands, is inherently sexual.

It would be naïve to suggest that it is only women who are sexualised in modern media, as men are progressively so as well. Cosmopolitan magazine, for example, has images of naked men (bar the covering of genitalia) as their centrefold piece. However, they only use celebrities – including athletes – as a means of attracting attention for charity and/or awareness on health issues. The magazine is known to use reader's votes on the centrefolds to both help raise money and awareness for testicular cancer. This is clearly a noble cause, especially as this cancer is most common amongst the age range of their readership.

One sports blog, focusing specifically on football, has already taken time to ask its followers to vote on the most attractive girl in the Playboy shoot. Despite promising its readers that the 'winner' will get a post all about them as a footballer, and not “just a pin up”, it seems a bit contradictory. If there is a genuine desire to explore a player's footballing history, a vote on physical attractiveness is somewhat null and void. It would surely be more beneficial to choose the girl based on age, caps or club credentials.

Arguably, it's more morally justifiable to have a cause if one is to pose so provocatively, whether this is for charity or with intent to sell merchandise. Neither, it appears, is the case for these German women. A couple of tabloids in Britain reported on this story (including The Daily Mail and The Sun), both making positive references to how this was “promoting” the upcoming World Cup. Tabloids are prone to exaggeration and sensationalism, but it is still important to note the tone in which this story was covered. Reporting such as this highlights concerns over what we must deem as acceptable female representations in sport today.

The Sun highlights how the girls “offered their views on stereotypes in the women's game”, with them stating that they were “normal” and “lovely”. To use the word “normal” in itself is deeply suggestive. It is a word highly charged with meaning. Are “normal” women in sport those that are 'sexual', slim and attractive? It is certainly a dangerous word to use. It can, of course, be interpreted in a positive manner; suggesting that there should be no specific 'type' of female who participates in sport [football, obviously, in this case]. It can, however, highlight the notion that there is a dichotomous relationship between women and sport. Who are they trying to prove they are “normal” and “lovely” to? And, more importantly, why? Garnering attention by posing in such a sexually heightened nature shows that being feminine and attractive (to men) is certainly not seen as the norm for women in sport. It is almost laughable that they would try and justify a Playboy shoot by expressing a desire to crush stereotypes.

It is important to understand that any publicity may be better than none. This may gather interest that could subsequently have a positive impact on the number of spectators for upcoming matches. It is also necessary to highlight that it is an individuals own decision to pose for such shots, and I am certainly not denying that these women may well be “lovely”. It does, however, ultimately tie in with very real and relevant issues of women being taken seriously in certain sporting contexts. Sexually suggestive images which are not being used explicitly for advertising or marketing purposes can clearly cause damage to the reputation of the associated sport. This sort of publicity stunt can, in turn, detract from the skill, ability and professionalism that is not only present but required from women who preform at the top level.

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• 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Germany

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• Germany National Team Members Pose for Playboy

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