Usa -- Olympics FanHouse

The Obama Effect On the 2016 Olympics

Posted: Nov 8th 2008 10:11 PM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Americas, USA

Forget the economy, the war in Iraq, health care and all that other stuff. President-Elect Obama needs to focus on bringing the Olympics back to the United States.

Okay, that isn't the most important item on Barack Obama's honey-do list. However, Obama's victory over John McCain on Tuesday should have a positive effect on the games returning to America in 2016.

Chicago, the city Obama calls his hometown, is one of the frontrunners to win the bid to host the 2016 games. The Windy City is up against Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Obama has already pitched Chicago to the International Olympic Committee and may do so again.

Obama's victory was met with a positive response from nearly every corner of the globe. Like I said, the Olympics aren't the most pressing need right now but being able to win the bid and showcase the U.S. in this manner is huge. We have an image problem as both a player on the world stage and in the eyes of the IOC.

Chinese Officials Listed Nine US Athletes As Potential Troublemakers In Beijing

Posted: Oct 30th 2008 12:28 PM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: China, USA

4 COMMENTS

USA Today is reporting that the Chinese government listed nine United States athletes and one assistant coach as potential troublemakers during the recent Beijing Olympics. Chinese officials felt this group of people posed a threat to ignite demonstrations against the country during the Games.

The names included softball players Jennie Finch and Jessica Mendoza and soccer player Abby Wambach, who broke her leg and missed the Olympic Games. It also included two Paralympians, one athlete who wasn't a member of the 2008 softball team and a top female collegiate golfer. Golf is not an Olympic sport.

"We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail Wednesday. "As such, we rejected the request to address this with our athletes or transmit the letter to them. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this."

Did You See That?

The field clears a fence during the New Season Handicap Steeplechase during the at Ludlow Racecourse on September 16, 2008 in Ludlow, England.

Emanuele Canonica of Italy helps his caddie in the rescue of a pigeon from the water around the 18th green during the first round of the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 16, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

A multiexposure image showing Britain's Andy Murray returning to Croatian Marin Cilic during a last sixteen tennis match at the Madrid Masters in Madrid on October 16, 2008. Andy Murray won 7-5, 7-6.

English football fans dressed in armours and tunics play in a friendly match against Belarus fans in Minsk on October 15, 2008 before the start of the Belarus vs. England 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier of European group 6 match.

Travis Brigley (R) of Hamburg fights with Matt Keith (L) of Ingolstadt during the DEL match between Hamburg Freezers and ERC Ingolstadt at the Color Line Arena on October 14, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko returns a ball to US Robby Ginepri during a second round tennis match at the Masters in Madrid on October 15, 2008.

A golf ball which has been enveloped by the tree over many years is pictured during the pro-am for the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 15, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Andy Murray of Great Britain plays football during his training session prior to his thrid round match tomorrow at the Madrid Masters tennis tournament at the Madrid Arena on October 15, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Samuel Peter from Nigeria gets a punch from Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine during their WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

Herbert Knosowski, AP

Japan's Kyoko Hamaguchi (lower) fights with China's Hong Yan (red) during the semi-final of the 72kg class of the Women's Wrestling World Championships in Tokyo on October 13, 2008. Hong defeated Hamaguchi and will face Bulgaria's Stanka Zlateva in the final.

Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

Here is the entire list: Softball players Finch, Mendoza, Natasha Watley, Amanda Freed, assistant softball coach Karen Johns, women's soccer player Abby Wambach, cyclist Jonathan Page, paralympic basketball player Jen Howitt, paralympic wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet and golfer Laura Goodwin.

Olympic Gold Medalist Challenges Chad Johnson to a Race

Posted: Sep 26th 2008 12:53 PM ET by Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

1 COMMENT

Above is a short video of Olympic gold medalist Mary Wineberg challenging Chad Johnson Ochocinco to a race.

Wineberg ran track at the University of Cincinnati. She ran the first leg of the women's 4 x 400 relay team that won the gold for the United States.

Chad Johnson/Ochocinco drew glares when he challenged Michael Phelps to a swimming race last month. He also ran a race against a horse at Florence, KY's Turfway Park last year.

Maybe someone should challenge Chad Johnson to being a better receiver. Through three games this season, he has caught just eight passes for 88 yards and no touchdowns.

Carl Lewis Suggests Usain Bolt Uses Steroids: 'If You Don't Question That, You're a Fool'

Posted: Sep 13th 2008 5:50 PM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Americas, USA

34 COMMENTS

Carl Lewis won nine gold medals in four Olympic Games and is considered by many to be the greatest track and field athlete of all time.And while Lewis is impressed with Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who won three gold medals and set three world records in Beijing, he's also skeptical that Bolt is doing it without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs.

Steroid Nation passes along this quote from the London Times, which apparently began with a Sports Illustrated interview Lewis conducted:

"When people ask me about Bolt I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don't question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you're a fool. Period."

It's a shame that athletes like Ben Johnson, Marion Jones and the entire East German athletic program of the 1970s and 1980s make us feel this way, but Lewis is right: There's no proof that Bolt used steroids, but you're a fool if you don't at least acknowledge that it's possible.

USC's High-Profile Fans Are More Than Ready For Ohio State

Posted: Sep 12th 2008 9:13 AM ET by Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Beijing, USA

0 COMMENTS

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

No. 1 ranked USC takes on Ohio State (ranked 5th) this Saturday. This is the first meeting between these two juggernauts in 18 years. In this video we visit a USC pep rally and hear from high-profile Trojans, such as former NFL stars Marcus Allen, Curtis Conway and Daylen McCutcheon. Find out what gold medal-winning Olympic swimmers Larsen Jensen and Erik Vendt have to say to the Buckeyes, and former track star Quincy Watts says he expects a blowout. Oh ... and do you know how to do the "Sanchez Dance"? Find out here.

Youtube link.

Shawn Johnson Tells Ellen: Creepy Old Men Give Her Phone Numbers, Marriage Proposals

Posted: Sep 11th 2008 9:52 AM ET by Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

0 COMMENTS

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson visited The Ellen Degeneres Show, and it was mostly the kind of lighthearted banter that you'd expect:

But we did learn that there are some down sides to being an Olympic gold medalist.

Golden Child: Michael Phelps Is LA-LA-Loving Life

Posted: Sep 9th 2008 10:50 AM ET by Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

0 COMMENTS

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

In this exclusive video, we find out what life is like for Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. During the Olympics, millions around the world were in awe when Phelps won a record eight gold medals, but these days -- thanks to hanging out with everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Demi Moore -- Michael is the one that is starstruck. We caught up to Phelps while he was in Los Angeles, and asked him a bunch of questions, including who he thinks is the greatest athlete of all time.

Youtube link.

Braylon Edwards and Michael Phelps Make a Bet on Medal Count Versus Touchdowns

Posted: Sep 6th 2008 7:00 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

0 COMMENTS

Attempting to compare Olympic gold medals and NFL touchdowns is an apple-orange type debate. One is a four year culmination of hard work (unless you're a backstroker, then you just need to learn how to swim on your belly like everyone else) condensed into several hundred seconds celebrated on a world stage. The other is a week's worth of hard work condensed into several seconds celebrated on a ... Oh.

Well, maybe they are kind of similar, value and frequency aside. Which would explain why pool-pals Michael Phelps and Braylon Edwards are making a bet on quantity, which was confirmed by an NBC halftime report during the Notre Dame - San Diego State game.

The foot injury wasn't a complete loss. Edwards used the time on his couch to catch up with swimmer Michael Phelps' chase for history at the Olympics.

Edwards and Phelps have University of Michigan ties and struck up a friendship. Edwards bragged before Beijing that he would more than double Phelps' gold-medal total with touchdown catches. After Phelps' record eight golds, Edwards needs to set another franchise record.

So, as you can see, they actually made this bet before the Olympics. Whoops, Braylon.

Michael Phelps Is Human, Appears to Enjoy Touching the Skin of Playboy Playmates

Posted: Sep 5th 2008 2:30 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

130 COMMENTS

If you have eight Olympic Golds, millions of dollars and you could just spend the rest of your life swimming metaphorical laps, what are you interested in? (Yes, you are Michael Phelps.) How about Playboy Playmates? Because that's something that might pique my interest for the remaining 60 years of my life.

And, according to Radar Online, Phelps may also have some interest in women who are paid to take their clothes off doing just that.

Radar Staff Writer Neel Shah spent the evening in Las Vegas (more on that later), and was kind enough to send along these fine photos of Olympic hero Michael Phelps "massively skeeving on girls at the Playboy Club" in that city's Palms Casino. Neel notes that the Olympian was accompanied by an entourage of striped-shirted schmucks, one of whose sole duties appeared to be pointing a flashlight at anyone attempting to photograph the swimmer during his efforts to obtain a gold medal in ass-grabbing. ("It was unreal," says Neel. "Within moments of entering the club he summoned two girls over... I've never seen such an aggressive grip.")

Sure, it's a little creepy that he's so over the top grope-y and whatnot, but come on; dude is rich and famous beyond his imagination.

Have you ever heard him talk about his social life and its non-existence based solely on the fact that he swims five miles a day and needs about four hours just to pound 12,000 calories?

The guy is dedicated enough to kill off 90 percent of the things he enjoys just to train so our freaking country can continue its worldwide athletic domination; if he wants to take a year and spend all 365 days in a strip club fondling Playmates before getting back on the exercise wagon, well, I'm all for that.

Athletes and Playboy Models

Olympic legend Michael Phelps has certainly lived the good life after his record-breaking performance in Beijing. Among his numerous party appearances, Phelps was also seen getting cozy with some Playboy Playmates. But Phelps isn't the only current or past athlete to be connected to Playboy models.

Timothy Clary, AFP / Getty Images

St. Louis Blues player Dan Hinote recently married Playboy playmate Amy McCarthy, sister of 1994 Playmate of the Year Jenny McCarthy, at the Keystone Ranch in Colorado.

Getty Images (2)

NFL safety Adam Archuleta is currently engaged to Jennifer Walcott, who was the Playmate of the Month for August 2001. They had their first child together, Jett James Archuleta, on April 10.

Getty Images (2)

MLB outfielder and former All-Star Scott Podsednik, now with the Colorado Rockies, has been married to July 1998 Playmate of the Month Lisa Dergan since February 2006.

WireImage.com (2)

Michael Andretti, former Formula One driver and son of racing legend Mario Andretti, married former beauty queen and 2000 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jodi Ann Paterson on October 7, 2006 in Napa, California.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

NFL washout and former No. 1 overall pick Tim Couch is married to the 1999 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Heather Kozar. Tim and Heather have a son together, Chase Scott Couch, who was born on August 5, 2005.

Sam Riche, Getty Images

On January 29, 2005, retired MLB star Mike Piazza married Alicia Rickter, who was selected Miss October 1995 and the 500th Playmate in history. Rickter gave birth to the couple's first child, Nicoletta Veronica Piazza, on February 5, 2007.

Diane Bondareff, Hard Rock Cafe / Getty Images

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia married Carmella DeCesare, the 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year, on April 21, 2007 in California. They have a daughter together, Presley, who was born on April 28.

Stephen Shugerman, Getty Images

Former NFL linebacker Glenn Cadrez recently married Brande Roderick, who was a 'Baywatch' star and the 2001 Playmate of the Year.

Getty Images (2)

Not too long after NFL legend John Elway divorced his wife Janet Buchan in 2003, he reportedly had a short romance with Carrie Stevens, who was selected Playboy's Playmate of the Month in June 1997.

Evan Agostini, Getty Images

Michael Phelps Kicks It With Vinny Chase, Makes Cameo on HBO's Entourage

Posted: Sep 1st 2008 2:10 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

0 COMMENTS

Michael Phelps, fresh off winning a medal or two at the Olympics, is doing what every American celebrity sports superstar does when they return home: make money and appear on television. He's already locked down to host Saturday Night Live for the show's season premiere, and now it appears as if he will be making a guest appearance on HBO's Entourage. Also, he may be popular.

When Michael Phelps shot an impromptu cameo for the new season of Entourage this week, the HBO comedy's fab four got a taste of what hanging out with the original Fab Four might have been like.

"It was like being in New York City with one of the Beatles," Kevin Connolly told E! News Friday about shooting a scene with the 14-time Olympic gold medalist, who's been the toast of seemingly every town since returning to the U.S. from Beijing.

"People were stopping in the streets and climbing up things to see him. They were going nuts. He's like a superstar."

The Beatles, Jesus parables, whatever works for you, Connolly. The Entourage spot appears to be a pretty big deal these days, what with Phil Mickelson dropping in for some Pro-Am golf lessons at some point in the season, although there's probably a reasonable point to be made that the show just, well, isn't that great.

Don't get me wrong, I watch the hell out of it (I am, after all, easily entertained). And I'm pumped for Phelps' cameo. But I'm also willing to bet that Drama and Turtle chase some women around while smoking pot, Vince and E have drama with a movie that involves Walsh and Ari swears a lot.

h.t Game On