Changes made to ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue are examined by Public Editor Jim Brady under the header "ESPN Loosens Standards With Treatment Of Body Issue Photos." This issue is a "significant revenue driver for the Magazine and has generated more advance buzz every year since its debut." But a photo of Conor McGregor's bare rear atop ESPN’s home page seemed like a "clear case of overreach." The McGregor photo "generated more complaints to the public editor than any other ESPN.com decision" since Brady assumed his position. Brady: "I wouldn’t have run the McGregor photo in such a high-profile position." However, not a single person polled about the topic who was 30-years-old or younger "raised any objection to the photo." Among those polled who were 40 or older, "all but one said they found the picture inappropriate for such prominent placement." Brady: "Suddenly, the subject of interest to me was less McGregor’s derriere than the shifting standards of a new generation, and how ESPN serves content accordingly." It is clear that standards "are shifting and the network is trying to shift with them." But there is a difference between "whether a photo is used and how it’s used." On the Body Issue mag cover, for example, there was a "sponsored wrap that allowed readers, using a scanner, to receive a bonus Body Issue photo." However, that wrap also "prevented anyone from seeing a nude athlete cover image that left little to the imagination." Readers "didn't get to make that choice on the ESPN.com home page" (ESPN.com, 8/22).
