Michael Phelps Does ‘ESPN’ Magazine
14-time Olympic Gold-Medalist Michael Phelps is featured on the cover of the new issue of ESPN magazine … kinda. While Phelpsie is featured on the mag, his cover is only an alternate cover to the main coverphoto which features Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan who has been voted by ESPN magazine readers as the NEXT big thing in sports for 2009. Here is Phelps’s magazine coverphoto, in honor of the ESPN 100 list, and a brief description of the two available covers out this month:
The Magazine asked. The fans voted. Matt Ryan is NEXT. ESPN The Magazine polled fans to select the athlete destined to make the biggest impact on sports in the coming year (and years to come). In the double covered NEXT/ESPN 100 issue on newsstands Friday, December 5, this year’s choice and cover athlete is Falcons QB Matt Ryan. Ryan is NEXT – but not for the potential of his golden arm or for the steely temperament that earned him the nickname “Matty Ice” in high school and comparisons to Tom Brady as an NFL rookie. Ryan is NEXT because he is NOW. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Atlanta; get a few extra Ws over last year’s 4-12 season and rebuild the squad’s character besmirched by the off-the-field actions of its previous QB. Ryan wasn’t expected to orchestrate last-second comebacks nor was he expected to earn NFC offensive Player of the Week nods … The alternate cover of The Magazine features a tricked out Michael Phelps and The ESPN 100, The Mag’s annual list of the biggest achievements, letdowns and sports controversies of the year. The flip side also includes the “Year in Sports Test” – 100 questions on the 2008 sports year. Who threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Rays beat the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS? During the telecast of the Giants’ Super Bowl upset over the Pats, what was the first thing announcer Troy Aikman said following David Tyree’s helmet catch? True or False: Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the longest men’s final in Wimbledon history… and much more!
Haters be damned, this coverphoto of Michael Phelps looks really very cool. At first, it looked to me like the photo was a representation of the machinery inside Phelpsie’s body but I then realized that the embellishments are merely artistic additions. Hahahaha … it gives us a feel for how Phelps would look with a bunch of tattoos. There is no question, Michael Phelps had an amazing year this year and is absolutely deserving of all the accolades that continue to rain down on him. Arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, I’d say that Michael Phelps deffo deserves the cover of The ESPN 100 issue magazine … even if it is only an alt cover. He looks great, no?
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Tags: ESPN Magazine, Michael Phelps
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December 12th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
UGH.
I don’t really care for this guy.
In my opinion, he is kind of just “whatever.”
I mean, yes he won medals and that’s amazing but how long will this last???
I find it to be really annoying.
He sure is milking the cow which is good, but I’m getting tired of him and no I am not a “hater.”
There’s a kid in my class who looks exactly like him and talks the same way he does.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
So over him. Seriously, he’s an amazing athlete but really does not warrant all the attention, like what is he doing now? Does he even have a job or is he just living off the endorsements?
December 12th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I’m still sort of on the phelps train, but this cover is a little weird..
December 12th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Oooh this is a cool pic! Like people have said before, theres only so many ways to make him pose in a speedo, so this is a creative new take. …Heather he is taking time off until January when he’ll start training for World’s. He was training a 6-8 hours a day literally every single day for the past 4 years so this is actually the first “break” he has had, and he has spent it doing promotional stuff. He’s all about trying to further the sport of swimming.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
So all of you can be negative about Phelpsie but I talk about Brit Brit and I get shot down?OH HELL NO!
December 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
he is so borderline hawt/fugs.
December 12th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
he looks better because part of his face is covered :(
December 12th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
yah this is a really great cover. nice job espn photoshoppers! y’all somehow made his face semi-attractive!
December 13th, 2008 at 6:39 am
It’s a cool pic,unusual and different.Like Phelps himself. I kinda like the guy. He had a lot to overcome to become what he is now. The willpower, persistence to workout every single day – eight hours a day is truly amazing.His face may not be pretty, but it’s refreshing just seing him between all those surgically improved, fake teeth-fake tan-hollywood faces.
December 13th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I dont like it, he looks horrible.
December 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
People can have whatever opinion they want, but he is an amazing athlete who has worked incredibly hard to get where he is, and (to me) it seems he has the perfect combination of being humble yet acknowledging that he is happy and proud of himself.
Anyway, whoever asked if he even has a job. Yes. He is a professional athlete. What do football players/baseball players etc do in the off season? They take some time off, do promotional stuff, then get back to training. That’s what Phelps is doing
December 13th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Forget Phelps… let’s talk about Matty Ice! That kid is a class act all the way… and he looks good doing it! :)
December 14th, 2008 at 11:26 am
He looks a lot less like a dinosaur in this pic
December 14th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Avi- there is a difference in having an opinion, and telling Trent who he shouldn’t post about.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:12 am
cool pic