Will The Real Women’s No. 1 Please Stand Up?
The WTA’s top two pupils were skirt-deep in the ongoing dilemma of the sport’s ranking system last week. The 52-week cumulative scoring system has ranked Russia’s Dinara Safina as the top female of the tour going for 17 weeks. Safina usurped No. 2-ranked Serena Williams, despite never having won a Grand Slam title at any point in her career. Wiliams has won two just this year (Wimbledon and the Australian, where she beat Safina in the finals) and 11 singles titles since 1999.
Last week, Williams repeated her familiar cry that she is “the people’s champ” and that no one who is winless in Grand Slam tournaments should be considered the best in the world.
Forbes’ Most Disliked Sports Figures: Let’s Agree To Disagree
Last week, Forbes Magazine, through E-Poll surveys, polled its readers and compiled a top 10 list of the most disliked people in sports. I was confused at first why it was Forbes and not, say, Sports Illustrated executing such a poll. I mean, these are sports figures we’re talking about, isn’t ESPN’s magazine better equipped? Forbes may not be the foremost expert on sports, but flip through any issue of their magazine or click on any page of their web site … dudes know a lot about hateable personalities.
The 10 Best Nike Commercials of All-Time
After winning Wimbledon two weeks ago, 15-time Grand Slam champ Roger Federer was given a timely spot from Nike congratulating their endorsement face of men’s tennis using other such Nike stars as John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. The “Love Fifteen” campaign is also a nod to a 2007 ad that highlighted Federer’s background and early life. Both commercials are just two instruments in the symphony orchestra that has been Nike’s athletic commercials in the last 20 years. So because it’s the slowest part of the year and because I feel like it, let’s look back at Nike’s 10 best commercials.
Click the pics after the jump.
Why Are Women’s Sports Failing?
This post does not suggest that women don’t have a place in professional sports. It does ask what exactly that place is, especially given sports’ current climate.
The Conspiracy of Wimbledon’s Favoritism Toward Beauty
Halfway through this year’s Wimbledon tournament, stories popped up after a spokesman from the All England Club said that the people who schedule the matches to the courts tend to give the prime spots to the more attractive female athletes. Not surprisingly, the media and the blogosphere (unless bloggers are counted as members of the media, which my lack of a press pass suggests they are not) cried foul and sexism and sexism fouls and foul sexism.
The weirdest thing about the sudden hubbub over hot tennis players is that really, the Wimbledon play committee is far less guilty of it than even they’ve suggested.
