A MEN'S MAN

[Behind the Aegis]

Swedish soccer player Fredrik Ljungberg, who plays for the English team Arsenal, is starring in the Calvin Klein underwear campaign - photographed with an oiled body, his underpants partially pulled down. Dolce & Gabbana's most recent underwear ad campaign featured five members of Italy's national soccer team, wearing nothing but underwear in a locker room. The Dieux du Stade (Gods of the Stadium) calendar features nude shots of players from the French rugby team - crouching on all fours, showering, being caressed. And David Beckham? Does he even need mentioning?

British journalist Mark Simpson, 41, calls this "sporno" - a combination of sport and porno. In an article in last July's issue of "Out" magazine, he described how sport has become the new homosexual pornography. "Much has been written about how porno is poised to go mainstream. Guess what? It already has ... because sportsmen, like porn stars, are by definition show-offs, but more particularly because it means more money, more power, more endorsements, more kudos," Simpson wrote.

In England, says Simpson, the homoerotic aspects of sport are no longer just hinted at. They've become an open and self-conscious flirtation. "Sportsmen on this side of the Atlantic are increasingly openly acknowledging and flirting with their gay fans, a la David Beckham and Fredrik Ljungberg (the man who actually looks the way Beckham thinks he looks). Both of these thoroughbreds have posed for spreads in gay magazines and both have welcomed the attention of gay fans because they 'have great taste.' They and a whole new generation of young males are actively pursuing sex-object status ... In other words, they're not just sports stars, but sporno stars."

Simpson, who earned worldwide fame about a decade ago for coining the term "metrosexual," is a witty, sharp-eyed journalist and a skilled media animal. So it's not surprising that last month The New York Times turned up the volume on the discussion surrounding "sporno," pronouncing it one of the "Ideas of the Year."

more...

[donheld]

1. You mean this?

[xchrom]

2. sigh

[sui generis]

9. damn sporno! there's not enough of it.!

I step away for a couple of weeks and come back to this! Tsk. Now I would have been horrified to discover him dressed from earlobes to toenails in victorian armor, but this is quite all right with me!

Sporno. I love it.

Hey xchrom, speaking of, you should have seen R & me in a foot race across Whistler village in the snow wearing nothing but a little bitty towel and boots. It may show up on video somewhere; there were lots of cameras. . .

[swimboy]

13. Damn cleaners shrank my victorian armor

Good to see you again sui. I missed ya!

[fasttense]

3. He is good looking

but pictures like that tend to titillate more males than females.

[chefgirl]

4. Maybe, fasttense

Maybe, but I know I'm feeling pretty titillated at the moment. Damn!

-chef-

[dsc]

5. damn he is a major hottie

Too bad he is looky looky and not touchy touchy.

[William769]

6. He's got that look I'd like to know better!

[bigscott]

7. holy mother of god

I have GOT to stop reading DU at my desk at work:loveya:

[Catherine Vincent]

8. Goodness!

There ought to be a law against stuff like this!

:smoke:

[swimboy]

10. Four words, people

Dieux du Stade: Youtube


You may thank me, now.

[terrya]

11. I'll check that out...later at home.

I have a feeling it's something I probably shouldn't be looking at here at work. :-(

[swimboy]

12. You are correct, sir.

You may thank me later, then. ;)

Hi, terrya! :hug:

[Divine Discontent]

14. sure, they're hotties, but I can't stand TEASES!

I'd rather find a slightly overweight sweetheart to marry! I'm 5 10, 200, brown/blue, and can sing! it's valentine's day, any takers? lol... j/k