ESPN has put all six covers on the website, and two out of the three women are presented in a sexualized, passive, swimsuit edition type way (including a deliberately unthreatening photo of Serena), whereas none of the men are. Two out of the three men are only photographed from the waist up, for instance. They look like 'bodies' as one might see on a weight machine ad. The Gina Carano image is at least actively engaged in sport, but her being topless doesn't make sense in context. The most interesting image is Adrian Peterson's, because he's photographed in a non-typical pose for a male athlete. It's reserved rather than aggressive. But even he, who is photographed full-form, is wearing shorts! In other words, the mens' sexuality gets to be implied whereas the women's must be on display and available to the viewer.

View Original Post at ftlouie.typepad.com/womensports

• Filed Under:  
• Sports, SportsPLUS, Media/Marketing

• Tags:
• ESPN
• Serena Williams
• women and sports
• gina carano
• Broadcasters and Journalists

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Sue	So disappointing! When will women learn that you cannot pose naked and continue to be taken seriously. There is a reason why Tiger Woods says no to these requests!
	Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 7:45pm EDT