Womens Sports -- Olympics FanHouse

Matt Lauer Asks Dara Torres: Do You Use Performance-Enhancing Drugs?

Posted: Jul 7th 2008 3:40 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, PEDs, USA

After Dara Torres qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team at age 41, some questioned whether such an accomplishment was evidence that she is cheating. On the Today Show this morning, Matt Lauer put the question directly to Torres:

"Have you in the past or are you currently taking or using anything that is banned by your sport?" Lauer asked.

"Absolutely not," Torres said. "In fact, I've taken a proactive approach. I went to [the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency] and I met with the CEO there, and said, 'Hey, people are talking about me, they can't believe I'm doing this. I'm an open book. DNA test me, blood test me, urine test me, do whatever you want.' I want to show people I'm clean."

If Torres is a liar, she's as good a liar as she is a swimmer.

USA Judo Prepares Statement to USOC on Official Accused of Molesting Athletes

Posted: Jul 7th 2008 2:59 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, USA

8 COMMENTS

Last month Ronda Rousey, the judo Olympian who is America's best chance at a medal in the sport, posted an entry on her blog that accused a judo official of molesting girls who participated in the sport. Soon after, she removed the entry for, she said, "legal reasons."

But the story is not over, according to USA Judo, the sport's governing body in the United States. Today I was e-mailed a statement from USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez saying, "USA Judo is looking into this situation and will be providing a statement to the U.S. Olympic Committee by next Monday, July 14."

It is not clear what this statement will consist of or whether it will be made public, but it is clear that when the sport's best athlete is making this kind of accusation, it's not something that can simply be ignored.

41-Year-Old Dara Torres Would Prefer That Her Olympic Teammates Not Call Her Mom

Posted: Jul 6th 2008 2:01 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, USA

1 COMMENT

After winning the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials, 41-year-old American swimmer Dara Torres joked that she was too old to read the numbers on the scoreboard that showed her winning time. She wasn't done there:

When told that Michael Phelps had referred to her as "my mom," Torres said:

"I like to refer to it as a big sister to my teammates, although I am as old as some of their parents. I feel like I'm on their level on the one hand. On the other hand I have a lot of experience and I'm not on their level. I take it as a compliment that he refers to me as sort of the mom there, but I don't know if the kids actually think that. Maybe aunt."

As long as Torres is calling her Olympic teammates "the kids," I think it's safe to say that the "mom" comments aren't going away.

ESPN.com Writer Accuses Dara Torres of Using Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Posted: Jul 5th 2008 1:59 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, ESPN, PEDs, USA

55 COMMENTS

The 41-year-old American swimmer Dara Torres won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials, and she credited her training regimen for her success at such an advanced age.

But ESPN.com's Pat Forde is not convinced. Forde thinks that the simplest explanation for a super-human athletic performance is that the athlete is using performance-enhancing drugs. He quotes Torres saying, "Anyone who makes any accusations, I see it as a compliment," and writes that she should "take this column as one long compliment."

The meat of Forde's argument is this:

It shouldn't even be possible for a woman in her 40s.
Which is the sticking point. This is all unprecedented -- and after years of being conned, we've become conditioned to question the unprecedented.

Who swims this well at that age? After having a child? Nobody. Ever.

Who takes six years off and comes back better than ever, lowering her best time in the 100 meters from 54.43 seconds in 2000 to 53.78 Friday night? Nobody. Ever.

Who has shoulder and knee surgery and comes back to whip women half her age less than a year later? Nobody. Ever.

Of course, for as long as sports have existed, we've been marveling at achievements that nobody ever accomplished before. Now we seem to have reached the point where instead of marveling, we scoff.

Attractive Olympian Bracket Breakdown: Female Division

Posted: Jul 3rd 2008 8:57 AM ET by Matt Ufford (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, Beijing, USA, Attractive Olympians

0 COMMENTS

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Lest anyone think that there wasn't a point to all these Attractive Olympian posts, fear not: all of your voting in the preliminary posts has paved the way for YET MORE VOTING, as we at FanHouse have tallied up the averages of the 32 women to receive your scrutiny and used those scores to seed the ladies accordingly (For those more interested in marginalizing sexy male athletes, I direct you to this gallery).

The field is American-heavy, but our excuses, in order, are (a) this is an American blog, and (b) Americans are naturally better-looking than everyone else. Just ask the voters: eight of the top ten spots are occupied by Americans, and the populace seems to favor -- this may shock you -- blonde Caucasian women.

There are, of course, questions about the tourney's selection committee: Why choose Australian hurdler Sally McLellan (who finished dead last) and not Swedish hurdler Susanna Kallur? Why Argentine field hockey player Luciana Aymar and not her busty teammate Magdalena Aicega? Why Misty May-Treanor and not any other on a long list of beach volleyball players? The answer is simple: there's a massive sports blogging conspiracy to make sure your favorite hot athletes get ignored in this hypothetical tournament that offers no spoils to the victor whatsoever.

To vote now, go here. For a deeper look at the field, continue reading.

Exclusive: Shahar Peer the Tennis Warrior

Posted: Jun 30th 2008 5:10 PM ET by Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Los Angeles, Tennis, Women's Sports, International Tennis, The Word, FanHouse TV

2 COMMENTS

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video we talk to tennis star Shahar Peer, one of the big stories in this year's Wimbledon. We also hear from tennis superstars Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova on what it's like to compete against Peer. Around 1:00 into the video find out why you should think twice before messing around with Shahar.

AOL Video link. Youtube link.

How the Iraq War Killed Olympic Softball

Posted: Jun 25th 2008 8:23 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, The Word, USA

5 COMMENTS

This month's installment of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel features a report on the International Olympic Committee's decision to get rid of softball, which will cease to be an Olympic sport after Beijing. There are a lot of reasons that the IOC got rid of softball, but the biggest one seems to be that the United States dominates softball, and most members of the IOC don't like Americans.

And why don't IOC members like Americans? In large part, because of the war in Iraq. Influential Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said this:

"It's still perceived as an American sport and the U.S. flag has not been high internationally for awhile. [The Iraq war is] a very unpopular position taken by the United States. Here are a couple of sports that are particularly strong in the United States, 'So long.'"

(Via NewsOK.com)

It's not too late for softball -- or baseball, which will also be gone after this year's Games -- to return to the Olympics some day. But for now, the IOC just doesn't like America very much, and softball players are paying the price.

Attractive Olympian: Basketball Player and Alleged Traitor Becky Hammon

Posted: Jun 24th 2008 6:15 PM ET by Matt Ufford (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, Beijing, Attractive Olympians

9 COMMENTS

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Becky Hammon just wants to be an Olympian -- so badly that she'll use her dual citizenship this summer as a member of the Russian national team, an act that has led some to call her a traitor.

Quick history: Despite being an All-America at Colorado State, Becky Hammon was shunned at the 1999 WNBA draft. She joined the New York Liberty as a free agent, where she had an immediate impact off the bench but spent four years backing up Teresa Weatherspoon. After a breakout season in 2003, she was left off the Athens squad in 2004. In 2007, she was the runner-up in the WNBA MVP vote, yet her invitation to try out for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team was less than sincere.

Personally, if I'd been snubbed by one country that much, I might consider going where I felt appreciated, too -- her Russian club, CSKA Moscow, pays her in the seven figures, and she was a lock for the Olympic team there.

But let's take a step back from the politics involved and ask something more superficial: how does this dilemma affect her sex appeal? Will this affect her potential sponsorships? Might Americans actually cheer for a Russian team? Is "Becky" an acceptable Russian name? None of these answers -- and more! -- after the jump.

Shawn Johnson Makes U.S. Gymnastics Team, Takes Another Step Toward Stardom

Posted: Jun 22nd 2008 10:33 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, USA

4 COMMENTS

If all goes according to plan, you'll be sick of Shawn Johnson in three months.

Johnson, a 16-year-old from Des Moines, clinched a spot on the U.S. women's gymnastics team tonight by finishing first at the Olympic trials in Philadelphia. As the defending world all-around champion, she's now the favorite to bring home the gold in Beijing and become a crossover star along the lines of Mary Lou Retton and Kerri Strug.

Johnson will be joined on the Olympic team by Nastia Liukin, who took second at the Olympic trials. The other four team members and three alternates will be chosen in late July.

Attractive Olympian: Team USA Pitcher and Legendary Hottie Jennie Finch

Posted: Jun 20th 2008 5:01 PM ET by Matt Ufford (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, Beijing, USA, Attractive Olympians

61 COMMENTS

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Get to Know Jennie Finch

Jennie Finch struck out 10 en route to a perfect game April 19 against Louisiana-Lafayette in a pre-Olympic exhibition tour. It's just the latest feat for Finch, who many consider the most famous softball player of all time.

Crystal LoGiudice, US Presswire

Finch had a 2-0 record in the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens, Greece. She struck out 13 batters over eight innings in that tournament while only giving up one hit, leading the American team to the gold medal.

Dustin Snipes, Icon SMI/ZUMA Press

She appeared on the July 2005 cover of Sports Illustrated as part of the SI Summer Party edition, but turned down a lucrative contract to appear nude for Playboy, saying that she would "rather be a role model for young girls."

Sports Illustrated

Finch has also made a few reality TV performances, appearing in an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County and as a contestant on the new celebrity edition of The Apprentice.

Tommy Baynard, NBC

Finch lasted until the fourth episode of Celebrity Apprentice, competing against other stars like country singer Trace Adkins, but she was fired in the fourth episode on January 24.

Jim Spellman, WireImage.com

Finch has made her presence felt in the big leagues, participating on the Legends Team at the 2005 Legends/Celebrity Game as part of the All-Star festivities at Comerica Park.

Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

Finch regularly hosts TV segments for "This Week In Baseball" where she's seen pitching to major league baseball players, throwing from the same distance she would in a softball game.

Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Finch defeated Anna Kournikova in an ESPN online poll in 2003 as the most attractive female athlete. Like Kournikova, she has modeled swimwear for the SI Swimsuit Edition in 2005-06.

Albert L. Ortega, WireImage.com

Along with teammate Lisa Fernandez, left, Finch received an award for Best Female Olympic Performance at the 13th Annual ESPY Awards in 2005.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

At the 2002 ESPY Awards, Finch was considered the "best dressed" at the show. She wore a black and rhinestone evening gown she helped design, which upstaged the likes of Vivica A. Fox and supermodel Carol Alt.

Robert Mora, Getty Images

No discussion of attractive Olympians could be complete -- or perhaps even started -- without adequate mention of Team USA pitcher Jennie Finch. The former Arizona great (her number 27 was retired there in 2003) posted a 2-0 record and allowed only one hit in 13 innings during the U.S.'s gold medal run in Athens in 2004, and she'll look to duplicate that success in Beijing.

The rest you probably know: an appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, her marriage to Twins pitcher Casey Daigle, a son named Ace born in 2006, TV appearances on Pros vs Joes and the celebrity edition of The Apprentice (she got fired), and regular on-camera work for ESPN.

But is she attractive? Well, yes. Definitively so. But that won't stop us from encouraging you to vote in our poll after the jump, where pleasant things like photos of her in evening wear reside. Thanks, Getty Images!