I decided to take a closer look at America’s most popular sports magazine, which is Sports Illustrated. I am looking at the covers of each magazine over a one year period, and focusing on the gender aspect. In 2013 I counted how many times a female athlete was featured on the cover of sports illustrated magazine. From January 14th to December 23rd (60 issues) there has only been one female on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. A young model by the Name of Kate Upton actually appeared on two different covers. The first time was the swimsuit edition the week of valentines day; and the second time she appeared between two major league baseball players on the Atlanta Braves who also have the last name Upton. The thing I find interesting is that although Kate Upton is a female, she is by no means considered an athlete. This tells us a lot about the society we live in. Our society prides itself on patriarchy especially within the sports realm. Male athletes have and always will be placed on a higher pedestal than their female counterparts. After looking at the covers over a one year span Sports Illustrated magazine supports that. Having just one female reinforces academic research on gender in sports media. Women’s sports have little importance here in America. The consequences of this includes the very real possibility that there will never truly be gender equality within sports.
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