An assistant professor in the Rutgers University School of Social Work, Emmett Gill was featured on this week’s Double-A Zone Campus Connection to discuss the controversy surrounding the recent Vogue cover depicting LeBron James and supermodel Giselle Bundchen.

Dr. Gill, a former student-athlete and father of a teenage girl, discusses the portrayal of female student-athletes in the media. He also addresses the impact of the Don Imus controversy that affected the Rutgers community last spring. Click here to listen to the conversation. Read the blog post and leave a comment here.

Q: What are your thoughts about the Vogue cover with LeBron James and Giselle Bundchen?

A: I can look at both sides of the coin when we think about the Vogue cover. I certainly understand public sentiment with regard to LeBron’s image being that typical portrayal of the savage black male. When I first saw the cover, I was somewhat taken by his posture and his facial expression. On the other hand, I also think that people have to understand that Lebron probably had a limited amount of say-so in terms of what photographs were being put on the cover versus which photographs were being put in the actual magazine. But at the end of the day, I think LeBron’s overall image as an NBA player and as a young black man is a positive image and I don’t think that one picture in and of itself is going to detract from the image that he’s built.

Q: We’ve had some conversations in intercollegiate athletics over the past year or so about the image that’s portrayed of female student-athletes. Is that something that’s been near and dear to you at Rutgers?

A: We are certainly concerned about the images of black female student-athletes in the wake of the Rutgers women’s basketball-Imus controversy. It’s our personal and professional stance that at the end of the day, a lot more should have come out of the RU-Imus exchange in terms of improving images for black female student-athletes. This is a societal issue and when we talk about changing images, we have to start at the grassroots level, and get more black female student-athletes involved in non-traditional sports like lacrosse, soccer, field hockey and equestrian.

Q: Your daughter is an athlete. From the perspective of a father, what do you hope for her when she gets to college?

A: I hope my daughter and other young girls who compete in athletics are able to reap the benefits of competing against their peers. The issue of confidence, self-esteem, the ability to overcome different challenges, teamwork – those are all the principles I hope my daughter and other daughters transfer from their experiences.