Why I'm Irritated with ESPN the Magazine

We get ESPN the Magazine. Actually, *I* get ESPN the Mag. I'm the listed subscriber since I have this knack for getting free magazines. Anywho, we get it and I always read it because 1) I read everything and 2) The mag typically has interesting stories. For instance, there was a story a few issues ago about this kid who competes against Shawn White (remember the flying tomato from the winter olympics a few years ago?) and it totally made me want to watch the Winter X Games even tho, in general, I couldn't care less about snowboarding because as far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about winter sports is the hot cocoa in front of a fireplace at the end of the day.

So... as I was saying... I like the stories. But this issue pissed me off. It contained a story about Candace Parker, a WNBA rookie who is already a superstar because of her skills and her marketability. She's pretty and wholesome and you've probably seen her in McDonald's commercials. ESPN the Mag doesn't use much editorial space on women's sports, so I was looking forward to reading the article. Until, in the first paragraph, the article mentioned her bra size. Twice.

TWICE!

The rest of the article didn't improve my mood. The author spent a considerable amount of space explaining that Candace Parker is never going to get the type of endorsement money that, say Kobe Bryant or other big-name NBA stars get because women's sports don't draw enough spectators and/or name recongition for Parker. You see, the common spectator doesn't respect women athletes as much as male athletes, and therefore women are worth less to corporate types looking to spend advertising dollars.

My counter point? If a respected sports magazine can't talk about the woman without the need to mention her bra size TWICE in the FIRST paragraph of an article, then obviously the magazine doesn't have any respect for women's sports either. And if a magazine dedicated to promoting sport doesn't respect female athletes, then how do we expect corporate sponsors or spectators to fall in love with women athletes in the same way that we have fallen in love with male athletes over the years?

Because in most cases, it's the story that we love. That's why we watch the Olympics with such interest. That's why the big name athletes are big name athletes - someone has told their story and made us want to know more. And there's no reason a female athlete can't become a media star if the story is crafted correctly. I don't watch NBA basketball, but I know who Kobe Bryant is. Heck, I don't watch the WNBA either but I still knew who Candace Parker was before I opened the magazine.

I want the story on women athletes to be told the right way. Make me want to know more, ESPN the Magazine, and then maybe the corporate types will follow. Either that or I expect every article on male athletes to include their jock size.