The Warwick Rowers' Body Calendar Is The Best Way to Mark Time

Of all the sports in all the world, rowing is, in my opinion, one of the top ten least interesting. It’s just a footrace but with small boats–extreme canoeing, if you will. And yet today, for about an hour I found myself scrolling through the Instagram page of the Worldwide Roar, formerly known as the Warwick Rowers, a group of very good looking men who love rowing and other sports but have an intense allergy to all clothing. Suddenly rowing seems a bit more appealing.

The Roar aren’t just sexy European rowers who like to get naked for fun, but a group of male athletes across different sports (but predominantly rowers) getting naked for a good cause. By showcasing the naked male body, the Roar says they’re combating homophobia, and their annual nude calendar, which features some of the nicest asses ever to be captured by a photographer, benefits their charity group, SportAllies, which promotes LGBT inclusion and support in sports. There’s been a calendar every year since 2009, and they’ve added athletes from different sports as it has grown in popularity. While I’ve always assumed the sport of rowing required a great amount of core and upper body strength, I am perplexed as to how a sport that mostly involves sitting can craft such perfectly round rear ends.

This year’s calendar has arrived just in time to mark down the days in isolation. With the start of each month, your eyes could be blessed with a fresh group of sportsmen posing full-frontal, instead of another news conference with your local not-hot governor. These men are doing essential work.