ESPN’s NSFW Photo Shoot Shows Athletes’ Bodies in All Their Naked Glory

When you think of athletes’ bodies, certain words probably come to mind: Powerful. Strong. Toned. Sculpted. But for ESPN’s 9th annual Body Issue, photographers brought an uncommon softness to their approach, shooting these top-performers well-oiled machines in a way that’s delicate, artful, and indeed, beautiful.

While some ESPN readers objected to the male nudity presented in these photos, others praised the magazine for its nuanced celebration of these hardworking bodies. Beyond the obvious muscle, each athlete has a level of agility that is showcased beautifully in these images — indeed, each portrait has an idyllic air to it, leaving the viewer marvelling at the hard work and dedication (and many, many hours at the gym) that went into each athlete’s career. Click through to see for yourself.

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Ezekiel Elliott

When Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott appeared on this cover wearing his game face and little else, some male critics online couldn’t help but comment. Luckily, others defended the cover, praising both Elliott and ESPN for defying gender norms by showing both male and female athletes naked (as opposed to just the ladies).

Ashley Wagner

As a 2016 World silver medalist figure skater, Ashley Wagner knows how to make incredible feats of physical strength and dexterity look easy. Her shoot for ESPN‘s Body Issue is no exception, with the 26-year-old star athlete hovering midair. As she told ESPN, “I don’t think people put a lot of thought into the athleticism that goes into the sport… because people only see the finished product. Our job is to take something that is ridiculously technical and difficult and make it look perfect and effortless and seamless.”

Javier Baez

Javier Baez‘s photo shoot shows off his 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series tattoo, among others — an added benefit of stripping down for the photo. Baez got confessional during his interview with ESPN, stressing the importance of mental strength as well as physical: “I’m a strong person, mentally speaking. I have learned to be that way; I’ve learned to be strong. My father and my great-grandmother died within the very same week. On the next Wednesday, I was mugged. I was 11 years old. I had a gun put next to my chest,” he recalled. 

Isaiah Thomas

Isaiah Thomas is only 5’9″ (not exactly tall by professional basketball standards), but as he sees it, that’s an advantage both to him and to the Boston Celtics. “I think by being strong and being as compact as I am, it’s helped me take my game to another level,” he told ESPN.

His stories from his childhood prove that a strong mindset is just as important as the time and work you put in at the gym and at practice. “I always was in the weight room. My dad was a big bodybuilder and somebody who always was lifting weights and working out. He always told me, ‘Don’t back down from anybody.’ I’ve always played with my heart, and I’ve always felt like I was better than the next guy.”

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Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki is known for her stamina on the tennis court, but it turns out that there are a number of sports she can’t say no to: From running the New York City Marathon to swimming to boxing to stay fit, she never stops moving. But that doesn’t mean she’s obsessed with her figure: “I rarely stand on a scale, to be honest,” she told ESPN. “It’s more about how I feel.”

She also talked about not caring if she fits into society’s typical beauty standard. “I’ve realized that I can’t spend time stressing about something I don’t have and just embrace what I do have. It’s so in to have curves now. It’s in to be looking healthy. If I don’t look like a supermodel on the runway, that’s OK because I look good in my own way.”