Party in the USA

Olympic Bodies

The bodies of the Olympic athletes are a hot topic right now, and the USWNT is no exception. Those that compete at the Olympics are at the peak of their physical fitness and it shows. All of their hard works pays off hopefully with a medal, but also with their toned bodies. The media has covered this topic with tones of admiration and titillation. Here is a breakdown of the coverage:



Dominique Dawes, a member of the 1996 women's gymnastic team that won gold, interviewed Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach as part of her Physique with Dominique series. The questions focused on how they keep their bodies in shape and exercises that are used to tone certain areas needed for soccer. This interview was very appropriate. It did not divulge into physical beauty, but maintained an outlook of the body as a means for sport.

Wambach participated in the ESPN the Magazine Body Issue, which was released in July 2012. She joins teammates, Hope Solo and Alex Morgan, in posing nude for magazines. Solo took part in the 2011 edition of ESPN the Magazine Body Issue, while Morgan donned body paint for the 2012 Sports Illustarted Swimsuit Issue. These forms of media are more provocative simply because they are nude images. They stray to the titillating territory, but are fairly tame and are not sensationalized.

Wambach and Solo represent strong female athletes in ESPN the Magazine. They did not reveal too much, but showed off the muscles they've worked throughout their careers to build. It is good to see the female body portrayed in this way and ESPN the Magazine has done a great to not objectify female athletes in the Body Issues. The male athletes are depicted in the same way. The posses they are in are powerful and show that women are serious athletes. These bodies are the new ideal, not the model-skinny that is unhealthy.

Morgan was photographed in body paint in the form of a swimsuit for Sports Illustrated. These photographs are less athletic and more sexualized than Wambach's and Solo's. Morgan is not in powerful stances, but she is also not in overtly sexual or revealing posses. The shoot was done tastefully, but with a different intent than the Body Issue. Morgan is hot right now, in terms of public appeal and physical appeal. The Swimsuit Issue capitalized on the interest she has garnered. 


Several media outlets have composed "Hot" lists for the London Games that feature USWNT players. ESPNW had a bracket of sorts for hottest Olympic body, in which fans could vote for their favorite. Wambach was ousted in the first round by all-around gold medal gymnast Nastia Liukin in the first round, while Morgan was voted the champion. Ryan Lochte was the winner in the men's bracket. E Online compiled a list of the Hottest Olympic Bodies, Morgan and Wambach made the cut. Morgan and Solo are on Shape Magazine's list of Top 20 Sexiest Athletes at the 2012 Olympics. Bleacher Report compiled a list of 100 Hottest Female Olympians of 2012 and Morgan is the second hottest. Lauren Cheney, Amy Rodriguez, Heather Mitts, Hope Solo, and Sydney Leroux are also on the list. I'm not a fan of these lists because I do not like the idea of comparing the physical appearance of one female or male athlete to another. This is objectifying athletes. I do not see tastefully posing nude as objectification because the athlete consents to the photos, while they do not consent to the lists. Also, they are not being ranked and compared by their hotness in the photographs.

Bleacher Report 100 Hottest Female Olympians of 2012
Shape Magazine Top 20 Sexiest Athletes at 2012 Olympics 
E! Hottest Bodies in London
ESPNW Body Edition Winners

Photo Credit: ESPN the Magazine; Sports Illustrated    
         

Studio 90: The WNT Arrives in England for Pre-Olympic Camp

A Change in Number

I was very confused while watching the USWNT Olympic send-off match because I noticed that Abby Wambach was wearing number 14 instead of number 20. I did a google search and found out that she had to change her number because in the Olympics players can only wear numbers 1-18 due to the 18 player rosters. She was able to wear number 20 at the Women's World Cup because a 21 players roster is allowed during that tournament. In 2008, Wambach switched to number 12 before the Olympics, but suffered a broken leg in the send-off match and did not play in Beijing.

Lauren Cheney replaced Wambach in the 2008 Olympics and continues to wear number 12. Although, number 8 is her favorite number, but Amy Rodriguez claimed it on the national team. Cheney wore 8 at UCLA, for the Boston Breakers, and it is even in her twitter handle. Stephanie Cox wore 14 at the Women's World Cup, but is not on the Olympic roster. Sydney LeRoux wore 14 during Olympic Qualifying, before switching to number 11 when Ali Krieger went down with a knee injury.

It will be weird seeing Wambach in number 14 for the next month, but hopefully she can add a gold medal to her new ensemble.

Olympic Roster Announced

The U.S. national team roster of 18 is set for the 2012 Olympics. Many familiar faces made the cut, with only one new addition, Sydney Leroux, from the 2011 Women's World Cup squad. The Women's World Cup allowed for a 21 player roster, so head coach Pia Sundhage had to make some tough decisions to trim it down to 18. Goalkeeper Jill Loyden, defender Stephanie Cox, and midfielder Lori Lindsey were left off the roster, along with defender Ali Krieger who suffered a torn ACL during Olympic Qualifying.

U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Nicole Barnhart, Hope Solo 
DEFENDERS (6): Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Heather Mitts, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn 
MIDFIELDERS (6): Shannon Boxx, Lauren Cheney, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly, Megan Rapinoe 
FORWARDS (4): Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan, Amy Rodriguez, Abby Wambach


There are no real surprises with this roster. It was known that the U.S. would only take two keepers with the reduced roster from 21 to 18. Also, Stephanie Cox did not make the Olympic Qualifying roster, but was added to the Algarve Cup roster due to Krieger's injury. This irregularity for Cox makes it unsurprising that she was left off, especially with Kelley O'Hara's transition to left-back. Lindsey's absence is less predictable. It was thought that a midfielder would be cut and Lindsey is the least versatile of the bunch. Leroux has come on strong as the new super-sub as Alex Morgan has taken on a starting role and she was heavily regarded as a strong candidate for a roster spot.  


The Olympic roster features slight changes of note; Lauren Cheney is listed as a midfielder when she had been previously listed as a forward despite playing in the midfield and Amy Rodriguez is listed as a forward when she had been previously listed as a midfielder. Cheney will most likely be used as a center or outside midfielder and Rodriquez will most likely be used as an outside midfielder. The listing of positions is a technicality but it is interesting to note the differences. 


Sundhage named four alternative players for the Olympics, midfielder Lori Lindsey, goalkeeper Jill Loyden, midfielder Megan Klingenberg, and forward Christen Press. Klingenberg and Press were surprising choices due to their inexperience. Klingenberg has only been capped twice, but is a regular pool player. Press is uncapped and has only attended one national team training camp. 


All-in-all the roster is solid and features few changes. Now we can look ahead to speculate at what the starting line-up will be.