Topic: Olympics

Lolo Jones Proves She’s More Than A Pretty Face, Joins The US Bobsled Team

Lolo Jones Proves She's More Than A Pretty Face, Joins The US Bobsled Team

Remember all that hullabaloo about how Olympian Lolo Jones was only getting attention because she was pretty, and not because she was a good athlete? We all knew it was bogus–she came in fourth at the London games, and will definitely compete again in 2016. But now, the hurdler has added another reason to respect her skills: She’s joined the U.S. women’s bobsled team. More »

Tanning, Makeup, Glitter: What Professional Runners And Prom Queens Have In Common

Tanning, Makeup, Glitter: What Professional Runners And Prom Queens Have In Common

During the London Olympics, I watched a lot of track and field events. And while the physical prowess and muscle definition were certainly impressive, I kept finding myself distracted and intrigued by something that wasn’t linked at all to performance (I thought): The hair, makeup, and overall styling of the female runners and field athletes. They were tanned, their hair was colored, they wore elaborate makeup. And apparently, that’s actually a pretty common thing for competitive and professional runners. More »

Paralympics Are Clearly More Inspiring Than Olympics In This Viral Video

Paralympics Are Clearly More Inspiring Than Olympics In This Viral Video

The London 2012 Paralympics begin today, and nothing is getting us more excited than this viral video called “Meet the Superhumans.” It’s one of those videos that will move you and make you stand up and cheer for these disabled athletes. And dare we say, it makes these Games much more inspiring than the Olympics–and not because we feel sorry for these athletes. It’s because this video makes us realize how awesome they truly are. More »

2012 Olympics Was ‘Year Of The Women’…And Creepy Media Body-Snarking

2012 Olympics Was 'Year Of The Women'…And Creepy Media Body-Snarking

The 2012 London Games have been called “the women’s Olympics” and rightfully so. Female Olympians from the U.S. outnumbered their male teammates for the first time, and they earned more medals than women from any other nation–and even more than American men. It was also the first time in history that all countries had female athletes (go, Sarah Attar!). Too bad the media didn’t always see it this way and chose, instead, to focus on crappy body-snarking. More »

Doping Gets Olympic Shot Putter Stripped Of Gold, Validates Jerk Who Said She “Looks Like A Man”

Doping Gets Olympic Shot Putter Stripped Of Gold, Validates Jerk Who Said She "Looks Like A Man"

Belarusian shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk placed first–but she didn’t get the take the gold home with her. The Olympian was promptly stripped of her medal after multiple doping tests showed she’d used an “anabolic agent.” Adding insult to injury? That Welsh shot putter Brett Morse, who body-snarked her on Twitter, is being vindicated by the ruling. He issued an apology for hinting that she may have been doping just last week. More »

Kinesio Tape: Olympics Fashion Statement, Or Performance-Enhancer?

Kinesio Tape: Olympics Fashion Statement, Or Performance-Enhancer?

Kinesiology tape (or kinesio tape) has been spotted on many an Olympian at London this year–the most notable example has probably been German volleyball player Katrin Holtwick‘s blue tape arrangement over her torso. Although varying kinds of tape have been used in sports for a long time (think: ankle wraps and taped-up foot sprains), the fluorescent colors and odd placement on athletes’ bodies are new, and have been getting it a lot of attention this year. Which is making a lot of people wonder: Is the blue tape a fashion statement, or is it helping athletes perform? More »

New York Times Admits Lolo Jones Piece Was ‘Too Harsh’; What About The Racist, Sexist Remarks?

New York Times Admits Lolo Jones Piece Was 'Too Harsh'; What About The Racist, Sexist Remarks?

In new Lolo Jones news, New York Times public editor Arthur S. Brisbane released an apologetic letter this afternoon for Jere Longman‘s hotly-debated article about the U.S. hurdler, published in last Sunday’s paper. His apology, for what it’s worth, sounds sincere. But unfortunately, his explanation misses the most important points that have been made about Longman’s piece. More »

Claressa Shields Wins First Gold Medal Ever In Women’s Boxing

Claressa Shields Wins First Gold Medal Ever In Women's Boxing

In the shadow of McKayla Maroney’s meme and this week’s Lolo Jones controversy, US boxer Claressa Shields has been quietly working her way towards not one, but several of the greatest accomplishments at the London Olympics in 2012. She won the first ever gold medal in women’s boxing (this was the first year the event was allowed at the Olympics), the only gold medal for U.S. boxing in 2012, and became the second-youngest fighter to win gold in either men’s or women’s boxing. More »

Click for more posts