In October ESPN the Magazine will put its first "Body Issue" on the stands, featuring naked amateur, professional and Olympic athletes. According to USA Today, the magazine plans to feature current athletes while also exploring the history of the athletic form.

Sure, ESPN's plans are an obvious ploy to create buzz and take ad dollars away from Sports Illustrated. But, unlike SI's swimsuit issue, which has used sexualized images to sell copies for years, ESPN's mission seems to be (at least on the surface) a bit higher minded.

Editor in chief Gary Belsky assured USA Today that the issue would strive to be tasteful. They plan to"use equipment and pads and bats and goalposts and soccer nets and pucks and helmets to obscure body parts that we still can't quite go to in a magazine that's part of a company owned by (Disney)," he told the paper.

On one hand, I recognize that the naked athletic form can be both inspirational and beautiful. Last year Powerade produced an ad campaign of naked British Olympians that, in my mind, tastefully explored nudity and athleticism.

When it comes to ESPN, however, I worry that the magazine may struggle to balance sensationalism and art. If the editors avoid the temptation to cast athletes as sex objects, they could produce an interesting statement on the limits of the human body. Can ESPN eschew come-hither looks and cheesy poses?

Still, esthetics and tastes are highly subjective and some may find that an all-nude issue crosses the lines of decency.

What do you think? Is it OK to for athletes to pose nude? What if student-athletes are featured?

Personally, I look forward to seeing what ESPN produces. If the results are closer to Discobolus and not Playboy, I may even pick up an issue.