Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird Grace the Cover of Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition

While Sports Illustrated itself is publishing articles by A.I-generated writers, the Swimsuit Edition has chosen a batch of real human models to appear in its annual Swimsuit edition. The “legends” issue, hitting newsstands today, celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition by featuring an array of previous models as well as a few newcomers. Amongst those included are iconic athletes and superstar power lesbian sports couple Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird. You can see the full gallery of Sue and Megan on the Sports Illustrated website and it’s pretty cute, everyone did a nice job.

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Both have appeared in previous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues — Bird in 2022, and Rapinoe in 2019 and 2023. But this year they are posing together and talked to Sports Illustrated about this experience. Bird shared:

“I’m sure there is like a meaning to this about us two being athletes, being gay athletes, being a couple, all these like sweet, wonderful, powerful things, that being in this anniversary issue is gonna, or Legends issue, say that over. There’s something wonderful about being in the Legends issue for what it means, but honestly, I think it’s just great doing this with you for me personally. I know there’s like this outside meaning, but it’s meaningful.”

Rapinoe apparently then asked Bird if thinking about this was going to make her cry and Bird replied, “I don’t know, maybe. It’s so cute. I love doing stuff with you.”

Rapinoe also shared how fun their life is now as retired athletes: “It’s fun to be able to do these fun things together. Yeah, and have all these crazy laughs. Like having all of these incredible supermodels behind us being supermodels and us being down in front being like, what? Fake it ’til you make it.”

The SI Swimsuit Issue first debuted in the winter of 1964, and was initially intended to be a space-filler during a part of the year when both basketball and hockey seasons had ended, although it gradually became its own cultural phenomenon. Several of the magazine’s major milestone models have returned for this Legends edition — like Tyra Banks, the first Black model to appear on the cover (in 1997) and LGBTQ activist Leyna Bloom, who became the first trans woman covergirl in 2021 (the first openly trans model inside the issue itself was Valentina Sampaio, in 2020). Martha Stewart also returned for Legends after becoming, in 2023, the issue’s oldest cover model.

Rapinoe’s first swimsuit foray, in 2019, was alongside USWNT teammates Crystal Dunn, Alex Morgan and Abby Dahlkemper. She appeared inside the magazine.

Despite being the Swimsuit issue, a solid chunk of the featured models are not, in fact, wearing swimsuits, including Bird and Rapinoe. They are also the only cover stars photographed in suits, everyone else is in a swimsuit or a gown!

The 60th anniversary SI Swimsuit edition hits newsstands on May 15. That’s today!

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