'SI' Swimsuit Issue’s Outstanding Rookie Class Is Outstanding

(By Brad Cohen, SportsGrid) - There’s no doubt that the swimsuit issue is a major driving force for 'Sports Illustrated'. It accounts for 7 percent of SI’s annual revenue, and as 'Bloomberg News' put it, is the Super Bowl of the publishing world.

But this year’s issue, which came out Tuesday, could mark a turning point for the iconic sports magazine (and possibly for Time Inc.), as it uses the swimsuit edition to help transition more from print to digital, according to 'Bloomberg'.

Readers can now interact with the issue on their smart phones with features like voting on the Swimsuit rookie class of 2012 (which is pretty spectacular), and instead of simply looking at still shots, readers can now watch behind-the-scenes interviews with the models as they run around and roll in the sand. Plus, you can listen to some exotic accents, which is pretty glorious. Of course, ladies (who apparently make up 1/3 of the swimsuit readership) can see what the swimsuits look like in action.