The Body Issue is an edition of ESPN The Magazine that features dozens of athletes in nude and semi-nude photographs, which is intended to rival the annual Swimsuit Issue from Sports Illustrated. The first issue debuted on October 9, 2009. The issue was a response to the decline in advertising spending resulting from the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and late-2000s recession that saw a 24 percent decline in ad revenues for the first six months of 2009 compared to the same six-month period in 2008.
The 2009 edition had six alternative covers featuring Serena Williams (tennis), Carl Edwards (NASCAR), Adrian Peterson (NFL), Dwight Howard (NBA), Gina Carano (mixed martial arts) and Sarah Reinertsen (triathlons). The Serena Williams edition sold the most copies. The 2009 issue was a financial success, achieving double the normal edition sales, greater sales than any bi-weekly issue in over two years and 35 percent more ad sales than comparable issues, which led to plans for extended marketing of the 2010 edition.
The edition included the regular sports coverage. In the bodies section athletes were featured on and off the field. Even a picture during a knee surgery was included. The "Bodies We Want" section was a feature of the best bodies in the world of sports all posed nude but with strategic coverage of private parts. Another section showed the damage done to the human body in athletics such as Laird Hamilton's cracked heel and Torry Holt's crooked middle finger. One action photo captured six members of Major League Soccer's D.C. United simulating a free kick defensive wall while covering their genitalia.
Some of the 2009 covers were revealed on shows such Monday Night Football and Good Morning America. The 2009 edition included the following:
Surfing: Claire BevilacquaTrack and field: Sarah ReinertsenBaseball: Nelson CruzHockey: Zdeno CháraTennis: Serena WilliamsSoccer: Oguchi OnyewuTable tennis: Biljana "Biba" GolićBasketball: Dwight HowardSumo wrestling: Byambajav UlambayarynSoccer: Natasha KaiTrack and field: Michelle CarterNASCAR: Carl EdwardsRock climbing: Steph DavisOlympics: Susan FranciaHorse racing: Alexis SolisTrack and field: Lolo JonesSwimmer: Ryan LochteMixed Martial Arts: Gina CaranoBoxing: Manny PacquiaoFootball: Adrian PetersonTennis: James BlakeFootball: Casey HamptonFootball: Torry HoltBasketball: Cappie PondexterBaseball: Joba ChamberlainBaseball: Iván RodríguezIce hockey: Chris HigginsIce hockey: Sheldon SourayIce hockey: Bill GuerinIce hockey: Mike KomisarekNASCAR: Mark MartinOlympics: Jessica MendozaOlympics: Shawn JohnsonOlympics: Allison BaverOlympics: Johnny WeirOlympics: Cheryl HaworthLPGA: Christina KimLPGA: Sandra GalLPGA: Anna GrzebienMixed martial arts: Randy CoutureSurfing: Laird HamiltonSoccer: Chris PontiusSoccer: Bryan NamoffSoccer: Clyde SimmsSkiing: Kristi LeskinenSkiing: Julia MancusoBeach volleyball: Eddie MatzBeach volleyball: Tim StrubyBeach volleyball: Carol HamiltonBeach volleyball: Michele RauterBeach volleyball: Noah KaiserBeach volleyball: Greg HunterThe 2010 edition included the following:
Basketball: Diana TaurasiFootball: Patrick WillisAlpine skiing: Julia MancusoSoccer: Tim HowardMixed Martial Arts: Evangelista SantosMixed Martial Arts: Cristiane JustinoSurfer: Kelly SlaterBasketball: Amar'e StoudemireGolf: Camilo VillegasUSA Women's Water Polo TeamSwimmer: Jeff FarrellJavelin Thrower: Rachel YurkovichWheelchair tennis: Esther VergeerFigure skating: Evan LysacekVolleyball: Kim GlassTrack runner: Philipa RaschkerBobsledding: Steven HolcombBilliards: Jeanette LeeFootball/Mixed Martial Artist: Herschel WalkerArchery: Erika Anschutz The 2011 edition included the following:
Skater: Apolo OhnoSnowboarding: Gretchen BleilerIce hockey: Julie ChuBasketball: Sylvia FowlesSurfing: Stephanie GilmoreRoller derby: Suzy HotrodMixed Martial Arts: Jon "Bones" JonesBaseball: José ReyesGymnastics: Alicia SacramoneSoccer: Hope SoloIce hockey: Ryan KeslerRunner: Ryan HallBasketball: Blake GriffinParalympic: Jeremy CampbellTrack and field: Natasha HastingsRace driver: Hélio CastronevesFootball: Steven JacksonBowling: Kelly KulickBoxing: Sergio MartínezGolf: Belen MozoSnowboarding: Louie VitoTennis: Vera ZvonarevaThe 2012 issue featured the following athletes:
Mixed martial arts: Ronda RouseyRowing: Oksana MastersTennis: Daniela HantuchováSoccer: Carlos BocanegraSurfer: Maya GabeiraGymnast: Danell LeyvaSprinter: Carmelita JeterBasketball: Tyson ChandlerFootball: Rob GronkowskiGolf: Suzann PettersenSoccer:Abby WambachIce Hockey: Brad RichardsBaseball: José BautistaFootball: Maurice Jones-DrewJockey: Mike SmithBasketball: Candace ParkerSprinter: Walter DixDecathlete: Ashton EatonFencer: Tim MorehouseSailor: Anna TunnicliffeVolleyball: 2012 U.S. Women's National Volleyball TeamVolleyball: Destinee HookerVolleyball: Megan HodgeVolleyball: Alisha GlassVolleyball: Stacy SykoraThe 2013 issue featured the following athletes:
NFL: Colin Kaepernick, Vernon DavisMLB: Giancarlo StantonNBA: John Wall, Kenneth FariedMLB: Matt HarveyNHL hockey: Joffrey LupulTennis: Agnieszka Radwańska, John IsnerVolleyball: Kerri Walsh JenningsMMA: Miesha TateWNBA: Swin CashSoccer: Sydney LerouxBoxing: Marlen EsparzaNHRA: Courtney ForceMotocross: Tarah GiegerSnowboarding: Elena HightRock Climbing: Chris Sharma, Daila OjedaGolf: Carly Booth, Gary PlayerThe 2014 issue featured the following athletes [1]:
Tennis: Venus Williams, Tomáš BerdychBasketball: Serge Ibaka, Angel McCoughtrySwimming: Michael PhelpsNFL: Marshawn Lynch, Larry FitzgeraldSnowboarding: Jamie Anderson, Amy PurdyMLB: Prince FielderBMX: Nigel SylvesterBobsledding: Aja EvansSoccer: Omar Gonzalez, Megan RapinoeBoxing: Bernard Hopkins, Danyelle WolfCliff Diving: Ginger HuberSurfing: Coco HoHockey: Hilary KnightMotocross and Skateboarding: Travis Pastrana and Lyn-Z Adams HawkinsYachting: Jimmy SpithillThe 2015 issue featured the following athletes [2]:
Volleyball: Gabrielle ReeceSurfing: Laird HamiltonFootball: Odell Beckham Jr.Soccer: Ali KriegerBaseball: Bryce HarperBasketball: Brittney GrinerBasketball: Kevin LoveGymnastics: Aly RaismanFootball: Jack MewhortSwimming: Natalie CoughlinBasketball: DeAndre JordanWakeboarding: Dallas FridayHockey: Tyler SeguinSkateboarding: Leticia BufoniTennis: Stan WawrinkaGolf: Sadena ParksFootball: Anthony CastonzoHeptathlon: Chantae McMillanHammer Throw: Amanda BingsonFootball: Todd HerremansField Hockey: Paige SelenskiSoccer: Jermaine JonesArchery: Khatuna LorigRugby: Todd CleverSource:
Beach Volleyball (Olympics): April RossBoxing (Olympics): Claressa ShieldsDiving: Greg LouganisDuathlon: Chris MosierFencing (Olympics): Nzingha PrescodBaseball: Jake ArrietaMotocross: Ryan DungeyBasketball: Dwyane WadeFootball: Antonio Brown, Von Miller, Vince WilforkParatriathlete: Allysa SeelySoccer: Christen PressSteeplechase: Emma CoburnSurfing: Courtney ConlogueSwimming: Nathan AdrianUFC: Conor McGregorBasketball: Elena Delle DonneWrestling: Adeline Gray