–Issue Features Eight Special Covers: Walsh-Jennings, Gieger, Leroux, Force, Player, Kaepernick, Stanton, Faried–

They’re insane, these bodies of ours: Every body has over 230 joints, 600-plus muscles, 50 trillion cells and 7 octillion atoms. Every body’s heart can pump up to 2,000 gallons of blood a day through 60,000 miles of blood vessels.  But not everybody has a body that works (or plays) like the athletes featured in the fifth annual Body Issue—ESPN The Magazine’s highly anticipated celebration of the athletic form.

This summer’s issue—hitting newsstands Friday, July 12— boasts more than 20 talents from all corners of the sports world, along with a record eight special covers: volleyball phenom Kerri Walsh-Jennings, the first “Body” athlete photographed before and after her pregnancy; professional golfer Gary Player, the oldest “Body” athlete to date; motocross racer Tarah Gieger; US Women’s National Soccer Team Forward Sydney Leroux; NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force; San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick; Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton; and Denver Nuggets Forward Kenneth Faried.

The Body Issue pays homage to the vast potential of the athletic form, demonstrated through creative photography, in-depth interviews and a variety of features including “Bodies We Want,” showcasing photos that celebrate sports’ most prized physiques.

The full List of 2013 “Bodies We Want” Athletes:

Go here for photo gallery, video, interviews and more.

for photo gallery, video, interviews and more.

Also in the Body Issue, “You can only hope to contain them,” a look at the athletic challenges associated with breasts; “The 6-foot 10-inch question mark,” chronicling how New Orleans Pelicans’ draft pick Nerlens Noel bounced back from the notorious injury that nearly ended his NBA career before it began; and “What’s the difference?,” a story about two identical twins, Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin, who are out to prove that Shaquem’s missing left hand does not make him a lesser athlete.

The Body Issue Features:

Unridable
On the professional bull-riding circuit, one infamous and angry 1,700-pound beast reigns supreme. His name is Bushwhacker and he might just have the baddest body in all of sports. By Wright Thompson

395 milliseconds to contact
Just as much as muscles and torque, hitting a baseball requires excellent vision. With baseball vision expert Dr. Bill Harrison, The Mag breaks down what must happen, in both the eyes and the brain, in the split seconds between pitcher and batter if a hitter is to make contact. By Eddie Matz

When 772 pitches isn’t enough

The future of Japanese baseball depends on the right shoulder of 16-year-old Tomahiro Anraku. And he’ll throw as many pitches as it takes to defend his nation’s honor. By Chris Jones

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Media Contact: Carrie Kreiswirth – 860-766-6042