Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has made national headlines this off-season and will now add the Sports Illustrated cover to his resume.
Stanton can be seen on this week's cover decked out in body paint. The hulking outfielder dons a painted version of Miami's home uniform for the photograph. The process took 15 hours to complete and was done by artist Joanne Gair.
Body painting has been popular in recent years but typically would be found in a swimsuit issue, more so than on an athlete. This new idea was a welcome one for Stanton who signed up fast for the venture.
Stanton is the first male athlete to ever be body-painted and the inaugural athlete overall to grace in the SI cover in nothing but body paint.
The off-season began for Stanton with a series of nominations and awards before he signed a record 13-year contract with Miami. That deal calls for a total payment of $325 million and all but assured that Stanton will play his entire career with the Marlins.
In addition to the record deal, Stanton was a judge for the Miss Universe Pageant that took place in South Florida. This allowed Stanton to be seen and heard by a national audience making him even more of a household name.
While the publicity tour has increased Stanton's marketability, his biggest contribution to the Marlins is still yet to come. The team has high hopes in 2015 and they will need their star to be at the top of his game. Should Stanto produce anywhere close to as much in 2015 as he did last season, Miami could find itself in the playoffs.
Sports
A video that shows the body-painting process can be found below and may also be viewed on SI's website.
