and male:
to volleyball, both indoor:
and outdoor:
and even men:
To weightlifters:
even judo:
and sailing:
The human body is on display. Our collective obsession with the beauty of Olympic athletes is demonstrated by the number of websites giving us a gallery of photos. From the New York Daily News, to Mens Health to Yahoo to Shape and literally dozens, if not hundreds, of others, if you want to see a hot Olympian, you don't need to try to hard. There are even lists that try to narrow it done to one per country.
There are certain staples in these list. Every list is required to have at least one tennis player:
Alex Morgan is ever present :
Ryan Lochte is getting a lot of play (on these lists and, if you believe the stories about him, also in the Olympic Village):
Lolo Jones is a constant:
as is Darya Klishina:
These lists are subjective and claim to be ranking different things, such as bodies, sexiness or overall hotness. Certain people make the lists based, in part, on their position in the world of sport. Jessica Ennis is the "it" girl of British track and field, winning the Olympic Heptathlon:
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings are attractive women, but hardly stand out in the world of women's beach volleyball:
They have, however, dominated the Olympics for eight years (as one friend of my Volleyball Insider said, "They bageled the world" (21-0)), so their relative hotness goes up.
is no Nathan Adrian:
or Ryan Lochte:
but 22 medals, including 18 gold, makes him all the more attractive. Success is, after all, sexy. So Phelps finds himself on some of these lists, both with and without his more drooled upon teammates.
We should, however, admire the human body in all its forms. This is, after all, the body of an Olympic gold medalist, and a record Olympic performer:
Mary Whipple, all 5'4" and 104 lbs, is a two time gold medalist:
Gabby Douglas looks like a stiff breeze would knock her over:
This too, is what an Olympic Gold medalist looks like:
Even those who don't win medals, such as Holley Mangold:
should be admired for the beauty and power of their bodies
Our infatuation with Olympic bodies truly knows no boundaries. Other countries have the same infatuation. As do women and gay men. During the beach volleyball competition, I heard that, at a tournament in Brazil, Olympians and silver medalists, Jen Kessy and April Ross:
were told they couldn't compete because their suits were too BIG. Perhaps in Rio 2016, the beach volleyball players will compete naked. That should increase viewership, but won't exactly be an eye-opener in Brazil:
ESPN agrees that Olympians, and athletes in general, are beautiful. Their recent body issue showed us what a gymnmast, male basketball player, female basketball player, soccer player, sprinter, decathlete, fencer, sailor and volleyball team looks like in all their glory.
This:
is the classic shape of beauty in America. But, why do we admire this body (she needs a donut):
more than this body:
(she deserves a donut). The Olympics shows us what the body can:
and in many cases should be:
So let's enjoy them, the games and the bodies, in all their glory. Here's a little sampling:
Allyson Felix
(US Sprinter)
David Boudia
(US Diver)
Nicole Reinhardt
(German kayaker - maybe I should stick with kayaking as my obscure Olympic Sport)
Trey Hardee
(US decathlete)
Today's Olympic Story Line - The Marathon. Everyone knows the story to some extent. After winning the Battle of Marathon, some Greek dude named Pheidippides ran to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. He got there, said, "We won!" then dropped dead. The idea of turning something that killed a guy into a competition comes from the same mindset as Strongman competitions. The current distance of the marathon is approximately the same distance Pheidippides ran on that fateful day in 490 BC. Legend has it that the current distance is 26 miles, 385 yards, instead of an even 26 miles because, at the 1908 Olympic Marathon in London, the Queen wanted the race to go past the royal nursery so the children could see it. I have no idea if this is true, but I love the story. It perfectly demonstrates the idiocy and randomness of why certain things are the way they are.
The men's marathon is Sunday morning. The women's was last week. The women's marathon debuted in 1984 and remains one of my favorite Olympic stories. Apparently, women didn't compete in the marathon until 1984 because the stodgy old men who ran the Olympics didn't think the women could handle it. That and the Soviets kept it out because they didn't have any good women marathoners. In 1984, the vote on the women's marathon was held while the Soviet delegate was sightseeing in LA. I like to think he was at DisneyWorld. The marathon debuted and Joan Benoit won the first gold medal. The sight and sound of the LA Coliseum erupting as little Joan Benoit ran through the tunnel in her white hat is one of the iconic images of the Olympic Games. All the women waited until everyone finished. They celebrated together, the accomplishment they had all achieved.
Reflections on What Has Happened (Focus for this will be on US sports and medals, but we will touch on other stuff as time permits) -
1. Both open water swim races are finished. Haley Anderson of the US won silver. She missed gold by 0.4 seconds. That is almost as ridiculous as a photo finish in the triathlon. The open water swim races include a feeding station, where people stick out giant poles and the swimmers can grab something to eat or drink. It looks like a bunch of people all trying to fish in the exact same place. The men's race was won by Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia. He won the bronze in the 1500 in the pool last week. That is kind of like winning bronze in the 5000 meter run, then gold in the marathon a week later. I hurt just thinking about it.
2. US Women won Soccer Gold. It's good that I am here to tell you, because I am sure no one knew this.
3. US Women won Water Polo Gold. I don't need to tell you about this game, because it was widely publicized.
4. I love Allyson Felix.
5. I love Abby Wambach.
6. The women's 4x100 meter relay was awesome.
7. I saw some BMX. It reminds me of trampoline. It is really cool for about 15 seconds, then you realize you are watching grown men or women ride a child sized bike in the Olympics and the utter stupidity of the concept makes you turn it off. However, BMX has an ace up its sleeve. The color commentator sounds just like Russell Brand. So I watched for an extra few minutes hoping to hear him say, "I mean, I've heard that women do fake orgasms, but I've never seen it... It really, deeply upset me."
8. Mountain bike race was cool. Lots of good crashes.
9. Why do they wear body armor in Taekwondo?
10. The Bahamas should not beat us in anything. How do they motivate to train? It's either beautiful or a hurricane.
Predictions Wrap Up -
1. Eaton wins without a world record.
Correct
2. Hardee silver in decathlon.
Correct
3. Bolt wins 200m.
Correct
4. Spearmon gets silver.
WRONG - Jamaica sweep.
5. US women beat Japan in soccer (yes, that is a biased prediction, but Abby won't let us lose this one.)
Correct
What to Watch For -
1. Men's 4x100. Watch us lose to another island nation with 2% of our population.
2. Men's Marathon.
3. Closing Ceremonies - the biggest party of the Games.
4. PGA Championship final round. Did you know other sports continued to play the last 2 weeks?
5. Football. Again, who is playing other sports during the Olympics.
6. More wit and wisdom on other things. Shockingly, I do know about other things.
7. Final retrospective on London 2012.
Predictions -
1. I will sleep well Sunday night.
2. Jamaica blows our doors off in the 4x100.
Fat Old Man Update -
Had to work late Thursday, so no swimming. 2100 meters BEFORE Chipotle dinner on Friday. That is a much better choice than last week. Plus, no young women swimming next to me, so ego didn't come into play.
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