- When Falls the Coliseum - https://whenfallsthecoliseum.com -

C’mon, Sports Illustrated

Look, man, I’m no prude (I can hear, from those privy to my debauched past, the knowing snickers rising). I don’t have a Grandpa Simpsonesque view of smut on TV (particularly in episode 7G05) [1]. I enjoy the sight of a pretty woman and don’t feel bad about saying that.

But I went to Barnes & Noble the other day with my daughter and there was Sports Illustrated‘s swimsuit issue. On the cover is a pretty woman pulling her pants down. Yep, she’s good-looking, but my reaction to the cover, my response unfiltered, which surprised me a little because of its keenness, was disgust and frustration.

I guess the woman is part of that entertainment trash class that gets so much press in America. They pull down their or someone else’s pants so they can get on the cover of a magazine or get a TV show. She dates some baseball player. You can’t fault these people. They’re making coin for their antics. This bonehead, who, after all, gets the opportunity to be interviewed, defended the cover with this [2]: “I think SI always tries to do something a little different every year, and I think this year, it’s the year of the torso.”

It certainly mattered that when I saw the cover I was with my daughter, who can be a pain in the neck (as has been documented from time to time in this space) but whom I also love to death. She’s a young athlete who has a fantastic, healthy physique, but she isn’t above giving us a scare sometimes by talking about diet and body type in worrisome ways.

I think it’s such a great time to be a young female athlete… (ah, but the dark thoughts can intrude. Sometimes when I’m at a girls’ event and I see these marvelous kids sprinting around the field, I start to think of these medieval societies that oppress women and the thought of the colossal human waste can creep up on me and spur a stroke of searing anger — my god, when we categorically prevent people from reaching their potential.)

… back to reality. It’s a great time to be a young female athlete in the U.S. Then I see the SI cover. All the athletes, male and female, who did something, uh, athletic, that week and someone pulls down her pants and gets the cover.

I don’t go for censorship as a rule, so I don’t feel that’s the answer, but I’ve enjoyed reading some Web militancy about this. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation [3] posted: “Retailers asked to cover Sports Illustrated’s pornographic cover.” Hyundai didn’t advertise in that issue [4]. The American Family Association [5] called the cover “soft core pornography.” Others, like writer Emma Waverman, who also protested that she’s not a prude, said on Today’s Parent [6]that the cover will lead to a conversation with her daughter.

Conversation. Me too. My sighting of the cover led to a conversation – I hope a good one — between me and my daughter. I’m aware that I’m the parent here, not SI or some censor. It’s up to me to support her and help her live a healthy, happy life. Torso-girl and the rest of them just have to accept that they’re not making that any easier.

Obviously, many people with wallets find this cover attractive. I didn’t. So rise up, people, if you like. For me, I just did something simple. I didn’t buy the magazine.

Scott Warnock is a writer and teacher who lives in South Jersey. He is a professor of English at Drexel University, where he is also the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences. Father of three and husband of one, Scott is president of a local high school education foundation and spent many years coaching youth sports.

Latest posts by Scott Warnock (Posts [11])