Alex Morgan, the 22-year-old United States women’s soccer superstar who has received marriage and date proposals via Twitter and a whole assortment of other adoration from fans, will appear in nothing but body paint in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue which will appear on newsstands this Tuesday.
SI revealed the news on Friday in this blog post, which features a brief Q&A with Morgan about why she chose to do the photo shoot. As to respect picture rights, I’ll let you click the link to see exactly what Morgan’s role is in SI’s annual deviation from sports writing.
“Initially I was a little nervous, but this opportunity doesn’t come everyday,” Morgan told SI.com. “I wanted to involve my family with my decision and it helped that they were very supportive. After the initial reaction of nerves, I was so excited to start shooting, and honored to be included with such an amazing group of athletes and models.”
Sex appeal and women’s sports are also a topic of huge debate, which this move will surely spark. Do you mind that Morgan did this? Does this help or hurt women’s soccer? Or is it just a matter of personal choice?
Undeniably, this further launches Morgan and the U.S. women further into mainstream America. First it was Hope Solo on “Dancing with the Stars” and in the The Body Issue on espnW and ESPN The Magazine. Now it is Morgan wearing nothing but body paint. Is women’s soccer really on the rise? Is it for all the wrong reasons? Is this Morgan photo shoot completely harmless?
