Initially, I really had no desire to read another story about Danica Patrick. Then I saw the cover for the latest edition of ESPN the Magazine, which focuses on women in sports.

As you can see, Patrick isn’t in a bikini or something Go Daddy-ish. Rather, it is a portrait, one of thousands of her.

Yet this one clearly is different. Her eyes are darting over her left shoulder. Her arms are folded and her expression says….?

Yes, exactly what does it say? I’m not exactly sure, but there seems to be a sense of exasperation of being trapped in yet another photo shoot. The price of celebrity, right? Then again, maybe not.

I asked editor Chad Millman why that photo was selected for the cover. He replied in an email:

We chose it because, as is usually the case, we liked it the most. No real hidden message. To me it felt like we caught her mid-thought in a candid moment, that’s rare with athletes when they are posing, but it’s the kind of honesty you want to capture. It makes you wonder, what is she thinking?

The Maxim crowd may be disappointed she isn’t portrayed wearing something more revealing, but the cover enticed me to read the article by Janet Reitman, which also is posted on ESPNW. The site also has a three-minute video interview.

I actually learned quite a bit about Patrick. Interesting woman.

From the story:

From the moment she started racing professionally, Danica says, she’s been aware of the need to “create a situation for myself so I can have the same lifestyle after I quit racing as I’ve had during my career,” which can be done only through investments and nonstop hawking of the brand. While she embraces the responsibility, it isn’t hard to see why she sometimes gets defensive.

“Do I use being a girl to my advantage? I use everything I can to my advantage,” she says. “Maybe back in the day you didn’t need to be the greatest looking [athlete] to be on TV and you didn’t need to speak the best, but in this day and age, I think you need to be the package. You need to look the part for your sponsors, you need to be able to speak the part for the media and to big CEOs of big-name companies, and you have to do all of it. And I feel like that is one of my strengths. Do I get more attention than a lot of people who at times do better than me?”

That would be yes, Danica suggests. “But it doesn’t come without its costs, that’s for sure. It doesn’t come without its criticisms. It doesn’t come without the overanalyzing of absolutely every word I say. I mean, I have to be careful what I say, how I say it, what I tweet. You have to be careful with everything you do. You can’t have opinions; you can’t alienate anyone.”

At this point, Haley looks at her client and gives her a “please shut up now” smile.