Just days after their triumph at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the US soccer team have received another coveted accolade – the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.
And in a move that has attracted international praise, the magazine has given the girls not just one cover, but 25 – one for each player and one for the side’s coach, as well as a special subscriber cover featuring the whole team together.
Sports Illustrated has also been lauded for shooting the women in their soccer uniforms, with natural hair and makeup and no obvious retouching.
“On Tuesday, July 7, we alighted on the idea of one cover for each of the 23, plus a 24th for the coach,” said Chris Stone, Sports Illustrated managing editor on their website.
“The USWNT has plenty of recognizable, even famous names, but we couldn’t think of a group so thoroughly identified with a team as this one.
“We could go two ways: a team shot, which seemed a little conventional here, or something different and fresh: honoring not just one or two players, but all 23 of them with their own cover.”
The covers have gone viral on social media with the magazine being applauded on Twitter by thousands.
The first post by Sports Illustrated has been retweeted over 5,000 times and has been favourited over 6,000 times.
Bravo, Sports Illustrated. We hope sales go through the roof.
