Sex in sports

A few weeks ago, ESPN magazine released its first-ever “Body Issue.”

The regional cover for Florida featured a triathlete who had her leg amputated just below the hip. She is nude and posed to draw attention to her prosthetic leg.

The photo is shocking, but it also represents the theme of the magazine – the athlete’s body is beautiful. Even when scarred or broken, certain people are able to work their body so hard that he or she becomes among the best in the world at a given sport or athletic feat.

Of the five regional covers, three of them feature women. Morality notwithstanding, professional sports, and the coverage of it in the media, is all about money.

Sure there are purists who claim that love of sport should drive everything, but that is simply not realistic. In a sports world where television is king, you have to have something to make people watch.

I am in full support of women and girls of all ages pursuing any athletic endeavor that suits them. And on the amateur level I believe that women’s sports should have just as much support as men’s sports. But in professional sports (read "business"), things are different.

When it comes to attracting the casual fan, who, like it or not, is the backbone of professional sports, women cannot compete with their male counterparts. In virtually every sport, men are faster, stronger and more fluid in their action. Watch a men’s basketball game and then watch women play.

The difference is undeniable.

The casual fan would rarely choose to watch women play if there is no factor besides athletic ability. To give their gender and edge in attracting consumers, women need to bring something else to the table.

In the end, the decision to use sex appeal to attract followers is up to the individual. Women who are uncomfortable with the idea should never feel compelled to advertise in a way that feels inappropriate.

But professional women’s sports need something extra to create and maintain a following.

Without the added interest, it is likely that the few professional leagues that exist for women, such as the WNBA and the LPGA, will fall even farther behind their male equivalents.