Sports Illustrated and their role in Gender Equality

Women face a barrier in today's sports. They are not seen as athletes  but merely as sex symbols. Women are only appreciated for their physical beauty as opposed to their athletic ability. Sports Illustrated furthers this issue by showing the differences between male athletes and female athletes. The criteria they use for choosing a male is distinctly different for the criteria they use for choosing a female.

In 2011, only two women were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. It should be pointed out that this magazine is released weekly. The fact that only two women were chosen for a cover of a magazine that is released weekly shows the differences between the treatment of male and female athletes. 

Of the two women chosen in the entire year, only one was actually an athlete. Brooklyn Decker was featured on the cover, but she is only the wife of tennis superstar Andy Roddick. Decker's achievements include being named "One of the 100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health Magazine, and "The Sexiest Women Alive in 2010" by Esquire Magazine. These accomplishments have nothing to do with sports, which begs the question; why was Brooklyn Decker featured on a sports magazine's cover? 

The other woman chosen for a cover of Sports Illustrated in 2011 was Lindsey Vonn, an American skier. She is shown in her skiing gear on the front, just like any other female athlete. Although it is not an action shot but a photo clearly taken at a photo shoot  she is, at the very least, fully dressed. This, however, is not true for the inside of the magazine. A quick Google search shows how she is dressed in a bikini in the rest. There are no shots of her skiing, but merely shots of her laying in a bikini. This clearly shows how women are only being appreciated for their physical appearance. There is no sign of her skiing, and had you not seen the cover, you would assume that she is not an athlete  just like Brooklyn Decker. 

Kate Upton was on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2011. This is surprising, because not only does a Swimsuit Edition have anything to do with sports, but Kate Upton is also model, not an athlete. This further shows how Sports Illustrated uses women's bodies to sell magazines, and not to show both male and female athletes equally. In fact, making the cover for the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated is seen of as a right of passage for supermodels. This edition of the magazine has little to do with sports, yet the name Sports Illustrated is attached to the issue. 

The swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated is meant to fill the gap when there is rarely any sports news. However, the manipulation of women's bodies in order to sell magazines should not be connected to a sports magazine.

Sports Illustrated shows us the role they think women should play in sports.They do so by only showing the physical beauty of the women they choose to be on their cover. In the rare occurrence that a female athlete is actually chosen to be on the cover, it is highly unlikely that you will see them in their gear. Sports Illustrated exemplifies the distinct difference between the treatment of male and female athletes. Male athletes are regarded for their talent and ability, while female athletes are only seen as sex symbols. 

Sources:

Beamish, Mike, and Vancouver Sun. "Equality in sports? Women aren't there yet." Vancouver Sun | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Equality+sports+Women+aren+there/4368587/story.html>.

"The Hottest Women of All-Time | Men's Health." Men's Health Magazine : Men's Guide to Fitness, Health, Weight Loss, Nutrition, Sex, Style and Guy Wisdom. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/hottest-women-all-time>. (#50)
"Brooklyn Decker Sexy - Photos of Sexiest Woman Alive Brooklyn Decker - Esquire." Esquire - Beautiful Women, Men's Fashion, Best Music, Drink Recipes. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.esquire.com/women/the-sexiest-woman-alive/brooklyn-decker-2010>.

Curtis, Bryan. "The minds of swimsuit models. - Slate Magazine." Slate Magazine - Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts - Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_middlebrow/2005/02/the_sports_illustrated_swimsuit_issue.html>.