Berkeley Parents Network: Sports Magazines & Teens

Berkeley Parents Network

Sports Magazines & Teens

Advice, discussions, and reviews from the Parents of Teens weekly email newsletter.
Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Teenagers > Sports Magazines & Teens

Sept. 2002

My 15-year-old son is interested in a subscription to Sports Illustrated. I believe he wants it for the sports news, and I think this is great, but I'm expecting that I won't be happy having the swimsuit issue in our home. Can I get away with Sports Illustrated for Kids, or is he too old? Are there any other not-too-offensive-to-mom magazines, sports or otherwise, that teenage boys like? Thanks.

I don't think you have anything to worry about regarding Sports Illustrated. The Swimsuit issue comes out once a year and is really no big deal. It's not like Playboy or Hustler. It's just a bunch of beautiful young women in skimpy bathing suits. I don't think your son would like the one more suited to younger kids. However, you need to find out what else your son is interested in. My son plays the guitar so he likes all the music magazines like Guitar, etc. He sees ads for instruments, interviews with bands and he usually gets some tabs for his guitar. He plays video games and will read one of those various magazines for tips on games he likes. Then there are the Bike magazines. He loves to trick out his bike and has a job putting bikes together (bicycles) so he reads those magazines. There really is a magazine for every interest. You could even get it down to specific sports if all he is interested in is sports. Go to your favorite magazine store or find one with a lot of different magazines. Bring him along and find something acceptable to both of you. (Barnes and Nobles or Borders are good places to start) Marianne

Sports Illustrated is the most well-read magazine in our home -- kids and parents both enjoy it. There are two options for the SI swimsuit issue: (1) you can ask that that they not send the issue (that's an option now offered on the subscription form) or (2) I think you can get a women in sports issue in place of the women in suits issue. I've had a subscription for years, before either of these options was available. Just like I had to explain to my daughters who wanted Barbie dolls that no women have ever looked like that, I had to educate my son that real women buy swimsuits that they can swim and dive in. My son's grown now and I think he has a pretty well-adjusted view of women. Enjoy the adult SI, your son is too old for SI Kids.

If your son is a sports fan he will not be satisfied with the kid version of Sports Illustrated. My 19-y-o son has subscribed for several years, and also other mags like ESPN and Sports and various single-sport magazines. I think Sports Illustrated is sort of the king of the sports magazines though and the others are more supplemental than replacements. RE the swimsuit issue - pretty tame stuff compared to the non-sport competition. It seems that boys often do want to have girly magazines around and better Sports Illustrated than Playboy or Hustler or whatever. I did tell my son to keep the swimsuit issue in his room and that I didn't want to find it lying around the house since I think that kind of thing portrays women as sex objects. He tried to claim that the women in the swimsuits are actually athletes, and that is the reason why they appear in the magazine. ha ha. Anyway, I think Sports Illustrated is fine for a teen boy and nothing to worry about. A MOm who hates sports

The opinions and statements expressed on this website are those of parents who subscribe to the Berkeley Parents Network. Please see Disclaimer & Usage for information about using content on this website.