Lindsey Vonn, Athletic Cover Girl

The cover of Sports Illustrated is a coveted spot that athletes dream of. For U.S. Olympic athlete, Lindsey Vonn, it’s a dream that has come true not once but twice, though her first shot was less than ideal.

Rarely do female athletes ever get the chance to grace the cover of the magazine, so when it was announced that Vonn would be the next cover, it became an overhyped event that left many women disappointed. The cover featured Vonn in a skier pose looking at the camera in full makeup with a bright smile and within hours the pose was being called “sexual” and “provocative.” Women’s groups began calling the magazine sexist because a male skier would never pose in the same position as Vonn.

The main issue here is not the pose itself but why Vonn posed at all? Fellow Olympic athlete, Apolo Anton Ohno, was featured on the following Sports Illustrated cover. The cover depicted an action shot from one of Ohno’s races. A stark contrast from Vonn’s perfectly positioned and made up cover photo. If the magazine calls Vonn “America’s Best Woman Skier Ever” then why not show off her athleticism instead of her attractiveness.

Luckily for Vonn, the controversy was never large enough to outweigh her hyped image of the U.S. poster girl for the Winter Olympics. Vonn remained a favorite for many and overall a solid role model. Her behavior and performance at the games proved she is more than just a covergirl.

Vonn’s social media saved her image. She used Twitter and Facebook to connect with her fans while also showing her character. Even after crashing in her favored event, Vonn took to her Facebook to congratulate the other athletes, yet she was honest in talking about her disappointment in not winning. She never made excuses but instead accepted the outcome and remained optimistic about her next race.

Now that the Olympics are over, Vonn continues to build her image. Recently she was featured again on the cover of Sports Illustrated decorated with her medals alongside fellow athletes Andrew Weibrecht, Bode Miller and Julia Mancuso. This new cover solidifies Vonn as a top athlete and continues to carry on the image that she and her team have created. Vonn has only recently become a household name but we can expect more in the future from this talented athlete.