I'm testing the theory that small towns are more likely than big cities to publish beefcake photos -- that is, photos of local athletes with pecs and abs on display. In small towns there is less to do -- big cities have museums, art galleries, theater, opera, and Sunday beer busts at leather bars -- so more people gravitate toward sports. Plus since the communities are close knit, more people know local athletes or their families, making them newsworthy.
I searched for photos of local athletes in swimming, wrestling, cross country, and powerlifting in 10 big cities. To even the playing field, I searched on high schools only -- big cities will naturally have more college and adult beefcake.
1. Boston. All I found was a photo of a transgender boy from Texas who won the girls' wrestling tournament, and this wrestler from El Modena, which doesn't sound like it's a high school in Boston.
2. Chicago. A lot of Chicago Heights and East Chicago, but not much actually in the Windy City. Finally I found this tournament winner from a Catholic school years ago.
3. Dallas. That transgender boy again. but no other wrestlers or swimmers. I found this gymnast, if he counts as beefcake.
4. Denver. The swimming was all girls, the wrestling was from Denver, Iowa, and the crosscountry was all girls again. Would you take the Northview Cougars of Dothan, Alabama?
5.Detroit. For a city that's 80% black, there were next to no photos of black athletes. Or any athlete with his shirt off. When I finally found one, he turned out to be from Philadelphia.
More after the break.
6. Los Angeles. The water polo team of Palos Verdes High, which is close to L.A. At least it's not Alabama.
7. Miami. Florida is big on high school weight lifting, so I searched for that. and found all girls. Wrestling, too, except for these wrestlers from Miami Beach. Close enough.
8. Philadelphia. I already found a Philadelphia beefcake photo while looking for Detroit, but I tried on the actual name "Philadelphia," the City of Brotherly Love. I only found the coach of Samuel Fels High School swimming (no diving) advising the team. Not a lot of beefcake here, but some shirtless Philadelphians.
9. New York. I went by borough to avoid confusion with the name of the state. Nothing in Manhattan. Brooklyn had this long shot of the Brooklyn Technical High School swim team, circa 2012.
Bronx had no good swimming, wrestling, track, or powerlifting photos. It did have a volleyball player with his shirt running up. You take what you can get.
10. San Francisco. I was thinking "Come on, San Francisco, Gay Heaven, you're my last hope fro big city beefcake!"
Wrestling, swimming, water polo, track, crosscountry, powerlifting: all just girls, or little kids, or long shots, or from San Mateo. I even looked at "high school athletes" in general, and got the obituary of someone who died in 2011.
Finally I gave up. Here are some guys from Archbishop Riordan High School. Cute, at least.
Conclusion: definitely a dearth of beefcake promotions of big-city athletes. You're going to film festivals and AIDS benefits instead of to high school wrestling tournaments.
Back to the small towns.
