Running a free monthly magazine about outdoor sports in the New York area is probably not the most lucrative niche in the media, so it's perfectly understandable that a publisher would want to look for some creative ways to sell ad space. But selling the entire front cover for a product placement? That may be the point at which you cease to be an actual magazine. Although that didn't stop Metrosports NY from doing it:

The cover features Sarah Reinertsen, the first female leg amputee to finish an Ironman triathlon. She's wearing one Nike shoe and a Nike t-shirt, with the words "Where Will You Be?" under the date "08.31.08" emblazoned on her chest. In the bottom left corner, Nike's swoosh logo accompanies a cover line-"The Human Race 10K"-and a callout to "See page 12." The inside cover features a two-page ad for Nike Plus' "Human Race" taking place on, yes, August 31.

See, the problem is that once you've sold your front cover, what is it exactly that separates you from the tons of ad circulars that appear on front steps across the metropolitan area? The publisher himself even wrote shilltastic ad copy inside for Nike's race. Having one sponsor for an entire issue of a magazine is becoming common; but even those sponsors manage to keep themselves off the cover. Don't say it's okay just because they used an inspirational handicapped woman for the product placement. That's cheating. [Folio]