Mag issue features athletes competing in Athens
Hmm...for some reason the phrase "having your cake and eating it, too" keeps running through my brain. So much for those who have worked so hard to gain credibility for women's professional sports....
SEATTLE -- WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson posed nude in an Australian magazine that features Olympic athletes who will compete in Athens.
The Seattle Storm forward participated in a seven-hour photo shoot last offseason in Sydney. The publication, called Black + White, includes 35 athletes and is expected to hit international newsstands next week.
Jackson, 23, appears on the cover of the Athens tribute issue, an artistic publication that also did pre-Olympic editions with Australian athletes in 1996 and 2000.
"I did it because it is such a prestigious magazine in Australia," Jackson said before Friday night's game at Houston. "I am really proud to be a part of it. I don't think it should be looked upon badly, that's for sure."
The magazine is expected to be on sale in the Seattle area Tuesday.
"We work so hard, as athletes, on making our bodies look great and to be in the best possible shape that we can be," Jackson said. "I am proud of my body at this stage and I know in 20 years it's not going to be the same. But right now I am really happy about it.
"My mom and dad loved it."
Storm spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said team officials supported Jackson in the project, done independently of the WNBA. O'Neil emphasized the context, saying it is considered an honor in Australia to appear in the magazine.
It may be an honor in Australia, but she earns her paychecks in the US. Indeed, people here tend to view this sort of thing in a much different light. Personally, I am profoundly ambivalent to this whole concept. It's a personal choice, and Ms. Jackson is free to do as she chooses. Many Americans, however, will not view it with the open-mindedness that many Australians might.
While I applaud Ms. Jackson' openness and pride in her body, I can't help but wonder how American fans will react. I can see it now; fans at Seattle road games holding up her nude pictures as she's shooting free throws. Let the fun begin....
