Athletes Dress to Impress at BODY at the ESPYS Party

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The stars came out to Lure Nightclub Tuesday night in honor of ESPN’s 5th Annual BODY at the ESPYS party.

Athletes walked the black carpet in support of the ESPN “Body Issue,” which shows an appreciation of the athletic form and honors the diverse races, sizes and genders of athletes.

The full magazine features countless of athletes from Olympic athletes to NFL and NBA players. One of the biggest names featured in the issue is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who bears all in a multi-page spread.

“It was something I would hope would happen but I mean you just kind of work, keep your head down and see where things go,” said Kaepernick.

Some of Kaepernick’s teammates also came out to the event, and asked if any teasing would await the young quarterback come training camp.

“It may,” said San Francisco linebacker NaVorro Bowman with a laugh, “But I’m here to support him, so I’m going to stay on his good side.”

The ESPN “Body Issue” might catch some people off guard, but for some athletes it’s a chance to send a powerful message to boys and girls.

“[The message is] just embrace you, you know? I think the human body is such a beautiful thing,” said professional beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh.

Walsh displayed two powerful poses in the magazine. One featured her nine months pregnant, while the other featured her nine weeks following her pregnancy alongside her newborn.

“I took these pictures when I was at my most vulnerable state, and that was really hard for me,” said Walsh. “I thought the power came in embracing where I was at that point and hopefully all of us can learn how to do that, [although] it’s so much easier said than done. It’s something I certainly struggle with every single day, but it’s worth it. God gave us our bodies and I think we just got to love them up.”

When asked to sum up in one word the experience of the ESPN shoot, Kaepernick smiled and said, “Amazing!”

To see some of the images from ESPN’s BODY issue visit espn.go.com/espn/bodyissue

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