Best Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Covers

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine doesn’t seem to have a whole lot with sports but it all started as a filler for the magazine when sports were low. Of course ladies in swim suits kind of proved popular and the rest is history!

Since 1964 the SI swimsuit edition has been selling like wildfire and is still renowned enough to poke it’s head above the swarm of other popular magazines bearing near naked ladies. The magazine has launched the career of many top models and spawned an endless stream of spin offs making use of the brand across a wide range of technologies. However at the end of the day it is still about the ladies and over the years there really has been some covers that have stood out.

If this subject interests you, you may also be interested in our posts on Supermodels and where they are now.

2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: SI will also release a 30-minute 3-D swimsuit video over PlayStation and other Sony formats to go along with the hard copy

This year the swimsuit issue is moving int new technological grounds by going 3d with a free 30 minute video. I like this idea and I am sure the pure digital versions that will be available will go even further with interactivity.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue: The best selling issue, 25th Anniversary Issue Kathy Ireland on the cover in 1989

In 1989 when the magazine turned 25 years old Kathy Ireland a regular of the mag made the front cover and it certainly has helped her along in life. The issue became the best every seller even to this day and Kathy has gone on to become a very successful entrepreneur.

Ok, let’s move onto some of the other great covers…

Brooklyn Decker 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover

In 2010 Brooklyn Decker covered the front page with style modelling the Victoria’s Secret Swim collection. Victoria’s Secret is hot enough as it is and modelled on Brooklyn it kicked up quite a storm! She married tennis star Andy Roddick and also recently admitted to having an eating disorder for which we all hope she recovers. Sadly eating disorders are the dark side of modelling and the influence it can have on young girls. In better news you can see her in the new movie Just Go With It.

Christie Brinkley 1979 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

79 was the year that SI was adorned with the gorgeous Christie Brinkley. She has done extremely well since then and her financial holdings are worth an estimated USD $80 million. She was also at one point married to Billy Joel appearing in his video for UpTown Girl. More recently she has worked for Cover Girl and been in the show Ugly Betty.

Rachel Hunter 1989 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

Rachel Hunter is often more remembered for her marriage to rocker Rod Stewart, sadly the parted ways in 2006. However her 1989 cover was well renowned and she also had success with appearing in The Drew Carey Show, recently Dancing with the Stars and her show Style Me.

Cheryl Tiegs 1970 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

This cover was awesome because it was as exposing as many of the others but was still an awesome edition to the magazine. Cherul was already a star at 17 when she appeared on Glamour magazine. She now runs the Cheryl Tiegs accessory wigs line and appeared on the show True Beauty looking for people’s inner beauty.

Petra Nemcova 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover

Petra really did a hot shoot here! Sadly she was also injured in the 2004 Thailand tsunami and her fiance Simon Atlee died. After the recovery she has got back to full strength starting the Happy Hearts Fund non-profit, getting engaged to actor Jamie Belman and staring in a music video for the indie artists Elefant band.

These are just a small selection of the awesome swimsuit covers that SI has pumped out over the years. MSN did a great job of putting together many more in their slideshow and they even include all the cover pictures.