Teaser pictures from ESPN: The Magazine’s “Body Issue” were released yesterday and once again it was a spectacle. Americans are enamored by naked bodies, especially those of celebrities. And when you add naked men who happen to be athletes into the fray, that sentiment becomes aggrandizement.

This year’s Playgirl centerfold is San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had a dream season last year, leading his team to the Super Bowl after starting the season on the bench.

On a mission to change the perception of what it means to be a quarterback in the NFL, the former University of Nevada star told ESPN that irrespective of what more conservative commentators may criticize about him, his running out of the pocket, celebrations, and tattoos have a deeper meaning:

Kissing my biceps started from the whole tattoo controversy. I’d kiss “Faith” on my right biceps. That was my way of showing that I love my tattoos, and regardless of what anyone else thinks, they mean something to me. They’re more than just ink on my body.

Other athletes that made a splash in The Mag were Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Fareed, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, and 77-year-old senior golfer Gary Player, who said America is a “tsunami of obesity.”