Last Week Tonight with John Oliver investigates the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and asks “How Is This Still a Thing?” We’ve noticed that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue still exists, but can’t quite figure out why.
When the one hot issue of the year began titillating readers in 1954, the delight of dads whose Playboys were hidden in the garage, was understandable. A Sports magazine can reasonably be ‘read’ in the house, but that was sixty years ago, and it is still the biggest incentive for Sports Illustrated subscriptions. The swimsuit issue outdistanced the free sneaker phone!
The video shows not a few ‘newscasters’ making complete fools of themselves over Sports Illustrated models. Even ‘Morning Joe’ sinks to a new level as Mika – off camera, does a face palm while Joe checks out the most recent issue. What – he can’t look at it at home? It’s like watching your dad ogle clothesless photos…You know he does it, but you don’t want to watch!
So – sixty years later, much has changed in the way we live, which should make the Swimsuit Issue obsolete. For instance, one only has to type in a few letters to see ladies wearing much less than a bikini, and it’s free, or relatively free, if you don’t count the cost of your internet connection and failing marriage. With the ease of finding sexy ladies online, why do men still clamor to get the Sports Illustrated Bikini issue? It has been suggested that perhaps 800,000 people in American don’t have the internet – that’s why. We know that isn’t entirely ‘it’ – and ‘it remains a mystery to this casual reporter.
Do YOU have insight as to the survival of this magazine tease? Also, with the controversy this year, where the skills of Brazilian waxing professionals are showcased, where can Sports Illustrated ‘go’ next year to top this?