Issue Features Six Covers: Adrian Peterson, Carl Edwards, Dwight Howard, Gina Carano, Sarah Reinertsen and Serena Williams

ESPN The Magazine’s inaugural “Body Issue,” featuring nearly 80 athletes from a variety of sports hits newsstands this Friday, Oct. 9, featuring Adrian Peterson, Dwight Howard, Carl Edwards, Gina Carano, Sarah Reinertsen and Serena Williams on six separate covers.  The Mag’s “Body Issue” is a celebration and exploration of the athletic form. The issue honors athletes of diverse shapes, sizes, genders and races within the boundaries of taste, and frontiers of creativity upon which ESPN The Magazine and ESPN have built their reputations.

“We’ve always been committed to showing fans a different side of the sports and athletes they love,” said Gary Belsky, editor in chief, ESPN The Magazine. “This issue, from the amazing photos to the innovative journalism, is just our latest effort to do that. We’re very happy with the results.”

The “Body Issue” spotlights three major photo acts: “Bodies We Want”, a celebration of the best bodies in sports – athletes include baseball player Nelson Cruz, surfer Claire Bevilacqua, hockey player Zdeno Chara, and track and field star Lolo Jones; “Skin Games” – including softball gold medalist Jessica Medoza and fellow USA Softball teammates, players Chris Pontius, Bryan Namoff, Clyde Simms, Jaime Morneo, Santino Quaranta and Ben Olsen from MLS’ D.C. United and bull rider Shane Proctor; and Torry Holt, Laird Hamilton and Cheryl Haworth are all spotlighted in “Body Parts” — a testament to the lengths to which star athletes to go perform – for themselves and for us.

Features in the “Body Issue” explore the athletic form, inside and out – literally, including: “Cheating is So 1999” by Shaun Assael – the largest genetic test of current and former athletes to examine their genetic mapping (ESPN’s Outside The Lines will have a companion report Oct. 18); “For Sale by Owner” by Alyssa Roenigk – female athletes’ use of sexuality to promote themselves; “Cutting it Close” by Alyssa Roenigk – a first-hand look at Blake “Bilko” Williams’ ACL surgery; “Underwriting with the Stars” by Peter Keating – insuring the athletic body; and “Form = Function” by Jon Robinson – a look at what video game companies know about the athletic body and the process they go through to create the video game representation of star athletes.

ESPN Insider on ESPN.com will host a photo gallery and will feature behind the scenes video from some of the more than 30 photo shoots produced for the issue.

“Body Issue” covers available via ESPNMediazone.com.

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