As looking through just a month of the covers of Sports Illustrated from December 2013, all I saw was football. Part of the reason could definitely be that it was in fact football season. Also, this was getting to the close calls of who would end up making it into the play-offs and who would make it to the Super Bowl.
There are 10 covers with athletes/coaches on them and one with a stadium. From the 9, with people, 5 of them are African American and the other 4 are White. In the images more than half are exemplifying the sport in action. The only one that has a coach as the main cover, the coach seems to be aggressive and yelling. We cannot tell if he is yelling at the team, at the referee for an unfair call or anything else. However, this displays an impression of importance and hierarchy, especially if he is yelling at the team members.
The rest of the covers are either the players in action, either running, throwing the ball or of the players simply holding the ball. Naturally the players are in their uniforms/jerseys and look like they are ready to win.
Seeing how these males are portrayed can put a pressure on many other males. They have to be athletic, have to look good on camera, and then some all to be part of this culture and properly fit in. The sport of football is largely male-dominated. These athletes are idolized for their physically abilities to pursue the sport and to win the game. Again, this is a constant reinforcement about the importance of strength and the ideals of masculinity and how they are pushed within American culture.
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