Spanning the globe to give you the constant variety of sports media…

Naked athletes: Will Leitch of Sports on Earth writes ESPN Magazine’s Body issue reveals much about why elite athletes are able to do what they do. He writes:

I mean, look at them! That is the human body in its purest form, all the fat and gristle scrubbed off — youth, power, speed and dedication wrapped up in a perfect physical package. This is what human beings can look like. This is why humanity was fascinated by athletics in the first place, to push the limits of the body, to see what it was capable of.

Bubble bursting: Patrick Hruby in Sports on Earth on the sports cable bubble. It’s the unseen economic engine that powers the sports and TV industries alike. Judging by all the piles of money involved, it seems unlikely to pop anytime soon … but that, of course, is what makes it a bubble. A comprehensive report.

New Fox hire: Clay Travis will be part of Fox Sports’ revamped college football pregame show, according to Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead.

Overrated?: The Big Lead reports on a series of tweets from MLB Network’s Brian Kenny, saying no-hitters are overrated. Can’t agree with you there, Brian. Still think bid for a no-hitter might be the most exciting thing in sports.

Trending down: Why are MLB’s ratings declining? Steve Lepore of Puck the Media offers some theories.

Clone him: SI.com’s Richard Deitsch is very high on Rece Davis.

New horizons: Ken Fang at Awful Announcing has a post on two newspaper sports sections and their new online plans.

Favorites: As only he can, Norman Chad lists his favorite announcers. A big yes for Marv Albert.

Teflon: Off-season transgressions won’t affect the NFL’s huge ratings, says Michael Bradley at the National Sports Journalism Center.