Serena Williams Stirs Up Yet Another Controversy
Serena Williams is just one of many athletes who have posed in the nude for the ESPN body issue magazine. However, Serena Williams is taking the most heat for being on the cover of the magazine that hit the stands today.
Williams is no novice when it comes to creating controversy. She is still being investigated by the International Tennis Federation, for her recent outbursts at her last match. The ITF may ban Williams from the next two grand slams. She has just regained her No. 1 status in the world rankings. Critics think this latest stunt is yet another reason Williams should be fined or banned from playing any upcoming grand slams.
The pose drawing fire shows a naked Williams sitting cross legged, with her arm covering her breasts. Although nothing is seen that should not be, the pose is considered to be too risky by some standards. The magazine has featured numerous athletes in similar poses, covering their naked bodies with posing or athletic equipment.
ESPN has dubbed the spread as the bodies we want. The athletes featured are not runway models, nor do they have the skinny, underfed looked. The athletes featured have the ideal bodies for their chosen sport. They work long and hard to achieve these bodies, and ESPN is honoring their efforts.
ESPN is releasing its first issue of the magazine Body Issues with Serena Williams striking a nearly nude pose on the cover. In the photo Serena is nude covering her breasts with one hand while covering her private parts with the other. According to the magazines Editor and Chief Gary Belsky, “The athletes are a part of the bodies we want section essentially our version of the best bodies in sports.”
What this shows is that like in life sex plays a dominant role in world of sports. With athletes now being more than just a great athlete, instead they are becoming sex symbols. This can be seen by looking no further than the Serena Williams photographs, why else would she agree to have her picture taken in such a position? She obviously has fame, notoriety as well as wealth the only logical explanation is to be seen as something beyond the world of sports.
The hype was there. The Ultimate Fighters promoted a good fight. There was the street fighter against the legendary titleholder. So why was everyone disappointed at the winner? The TV did a good job of setting the stage. Everyone for weeks has been reading every morsel printed about Kimbo and Roy Nelson. Sports casters and viewers were holding their breath as the fight aired Wednesday night. Even when it was over, they were left sitting in awe. Everyone got through round one thinking, “What?”
Roy Nelson’s girth was the topic of several stories before the bout. There were glimpses of it throughout the preview, but no one understood what it meant until the fight. Everyone saw Roy land flat on Kimbo. Roy barely tapped Kimbo with his balled up fist, but Kimbo could not move. It was a disappointing fight. It was like watching the saddest thing in the world. Nothing was happening. There was nowhere for Kimbo to go. He was stuck. Roy could not move. He just laid there, his arms tapping, tapping, and tapping Kimbo.
I had never heard of Kimbo before the scheduled event. The hype for the fight was fierce. Supposedly, Kimbo and Roy were fighting for a contract that will come later down the road. They portrayed Roy as a burger eating has-been. Kimbo was the new kid on the block. However, Kimbo lost the fight. The pudgy burger-eating has-been won. The excitement is just starting, where will it go from here?
Kimbo Slice vs Roy Nelson
In the Ultimate Fighter’s tenth installment, an awaited match between Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson took place. For anyone not familiar with Slice so far, they may be under a rock, as he has beaten his way to the top of street fights in and around Miami, Florida. But against the doughy and UFC trained Roy Nelson, this did not seem as much of an issue. Kimbo did very well on his feet, and had Roy Nelson backpeddling every time he threw a punch. Unfortunately, this did not last long, as Nelson eventually took him down to the mat. When it comes to the ground game, Kimbo doesn’t really seem to shine.
After jockeying for position, Roy Nelson seemed to wear Kimbo Slice down at the end of the first round, even after a few unsuccessful attempts by Slice to kick off from the cage. In the second round, Nelson did not want to take any chances standing toe to toe with Slice’s amazing punching power. After a couple of jabs, Nelson managed to ground Kimbo again in the second round. When this happened, as with most UFC fights, the books were closed on this one. After a few weak punches to Kimbo Slice’s head, the match was over. While he did not tap out, it was evident that he was very beaten.
It is noteworthy to state that UFC president Dana White was not impressed with the win, as Kimbo is still not versed when it comes to many elements of the UFC. Even though the world has seen him decimate many opponents on popular streaming video sites, he is still a long way from excelling in MMA.
Tim Tebow, quarterback for the #1 ranked Florida Gators, suffered a concussion during Saturday’s game against Kentucky. After a sack by Taylor Wyndam in the 3rd quarter, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, lay motionless on the field. The play was not flagged and appears to be, by most, a good hit in the hard knocks of football. The concussion came as a result of Tebow’s head hitting a teammate’s knee while falling backward. Tebow was taken to a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where he remained until Sunday morning.
However, coach Urban Meyer’s call to leave his star quarterback in a 31-7 game has come under scrutiny. If the injury is serious and Tebow is unable to play, it will be a major blow to the offense. Fortunately, the Gators have a bye this week and Meyers had already planned on giving the players a couple of days off. As unfortunate as it is, Saturday was as good a time as any for it to happen. Tebow’s status for the upcoming Louisiana State game is unknown, but fans hope that he will be ready to play after some much needed rest.
John Brantley went on to lead the team to a 41-7 victory over Kentucky.
Vitor Belfort made good on his return to the UFC, in his UFC 103 headlining bout against former UFC champions Rich Franklin.
Belfort, a vetren of the sport, hit Franklin with a right, then dropped him with a left before forcing Yves Lavigne to call a stop to the contest with more punches to the downed Franklin.
It was Belfort’s third straight knockout win, and first in the UFC since he halted Marvin Eastman at UFC 43 in 2003.
“I miss this I miss this vibe, and I’m here for a reason,” said Belfort. “I trained so hard and I’ve been away from my family or three months.”
Tonight’s bout was held at a catchweight of 195 pounds. Belfort’s plan is to move back down to the middleweight division to pursue current 185-pound boss Anderson Silva.
“I’m here to work,” said Belfort, now 19-8. “Anderson is my friend and I like him as a fighter, but I’m here to fight anybody.”
Franklin, 27-5, 1 NC, who has lost two of his last three, will take some time to figure out his next move.
“Losing wasn’t part of my plan, so I’m going to let the dust settle and see what’s going on,” said Franklin.
UFC 103 results
Main Fight Cards:
Vitor Belfort defeats Rich Franklin at 3:02 via TKO (Round 1)
Junior dos Santos defeated Mirko Filipovic at 2:00 via TKO (Round 3)
Paul Daley defeats Martin Kampmann at 2:31 via TKO (Round 1)
Josh Koscheck defeats Frank Trigg at 1:25 via TKO (Round 1)
Tyson Griffin defeats Hermes Franca at 3:26 via TKO (Round 2)
Preliminary Fight Cards:
Efrain Escudero defeats Cole Miller at 3:36 via TKO (Round 1)
Tomasz Drwal defeated Drew McFedries at 1:03 via TKO (Round 2)
Jim Miller defeats Steve Lopez at 0:48 via TKO (Round 2)
Nik Lentz defeats Rafaello Oliveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Rick Story defeats Brian Foster at 1:09 via TKO (Round 2)
Eliot Marshall defeats Jason Brilz via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-30)
Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Igor Pokrajac by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rafael dos Anjos defeated by unanimous decision Rob Emerson (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
On Saturday night shortly before 11:00pm Serena Williams left officials speechless and fans asking, “what did she say?” There are many rumors about what exactly Serena said. Here’s what happened.
Earlier in the match Serena got a warning for smashing her racket after losing a heated point. The next thing she did was both demeaning to herself and the officials so they awarded her opponent with a point. The point happened to be match point. Serena was called for a foot fault on her second serve and she didn’t agree with the call, so she said something along the lines of this “If I could, I would take this f—k ball and shove it down your f—k throat,” The poor line judge also said Serena threatened to kill her. Serena denies this allegation. It’s downright unacceptable for a tennis player to lose control on national TV. Articles are littered all over the internet shunning her.
Overall Serena should be much more professional. Tennis is meant to be a quiet game not a loud rude game. Serena quickly regained her control, but by then it was too late. Later when she was interviewed by Sports Illustrated she said, “Well, I said something that I guess they gave me a point penalty. Unfortunately it was on match point.” When asked exactly what she said to the line judge her reply was, “What did I say? You didn’t hear?” I think Serena deserved her punishment and I hope she learned her lesson.
The media has been boiling around the latest news on Caster Semenya and the results of her sex tests. She is a hermaphrodite, which refers to the combination of female and male sexual organs.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has yet to confirm these results, however, whoever has watched Semenya run knows that her body, not only her abilities, do not immediately resemble that of a woman’s. So the question is, when these results do become confirmed, what will become of Caster Semenya?
Will she be ousted by the athletic federation and prohibited from competing as a woman? Will she be allowed to compete as a woman after hormone treatment to reduce her testosterone levels and even surgery to remove her internal testicles?
And if she agrees to this, will she be able to compete on the level she has so far?
The answer is no. If she undergoes anti-androgen therapy to correct her condition, her masculinity, strength and endurance will decrease, and she will no longer be able to compete at her current levels.
Since testosterone is directly related to athletic performance, it would be unfair for any woman to compete with her, in the same manner that injecting testosterone (a form of doping) is also unfair.
After IAAF confirms the sex test results, the IAAF’s actions will have the potential of turning this into an identity debate of what it means to be a woman or a man and where those identities become blurred.
US Tennis star Serena Williams was unapologetic after an outburst directed towords a lineswoman which eventually led to her exit in the semi finals at the US Open.
Williams, the defending champion, was two points away from defeat in the semi-finals when she was judged to have made a foot fault on her second serve to go 15-40 down, ESPN reported.
Williams took was far from impressed with the call and initiated a tirade at the lineswoman.
The tennis player reportedly said: “I swear to God I’m… going to take this… ball and shove it down your… throat, you hear that? I swear to God.”
Williams, 27, was the defending US Open champion.
After the match, Williams spoke of the outburst. “I don’t think that’s necessary for me to speak about that. I’ve let it go.
“I didn’t threaten (her). I didn’t say…I don’t remember anymore, to be honest. I was in the moment. And, you know, everyone’s fighting for every point. It was a really crucial
point, 15-30, actually.”
When asked of the Lineswoman deserved an apology, Williams replied, “An apology? From me? Well, how many people yell at linespeople?” Williams said.
Caster Semenya Gender Tests to be Revealed
Caster Semenya, 18, has been thrown into the middle of a controversy recently due to her women’s 800m win last month. Her gold medal win for South Africa set a world record for the year. Semenya, who lives her life as a woman, has been met with extreme scrutiny because of her appearance. Semenya, has a large muscular frame, and a somewhat deeper voice than the average female. This brought speculation, that she was actually a male.
Her win came as a big surprise, due to her being relatively unknown before this race. There have been unconfirmed reports that gender testing revealed Semenya had male and female organs.
According to a report from the BBC, medical tests have established that the young athlete no womb or ovaries and that she also has internal testes – the male sexual organs responsible for producing testosterone.
She has pulled out of the women’s 4km in South Africa this weekend. Her coach has only said she was not feeling well. Semenya’s team is not commenting on the hermaphrodite reports. The IAAF, has said they are reviewing the results and will make a decision regarding Semenya’s ability to compete against other women. Semenya was put through the gender testing without her knowledge, she thought she was completing standard drug tests.
She has the support of the South African government behind her. The South African president has promised there will be ramifications if Semenya is stripped of her title. The violation of her privacy is being addressed legally as well.