Hottest and Sexy Female Athletes

If we were to break it down and rank these women based on their sport then we could come up with a better foundation. We can only pick one. Not three from one sport, just one from each sport.

There are too many angles to examine. For one, how does a beach volleyball star compare to a female softball player by hotness? The odds are in favor of the beach volleyball players.

Leryn Franco
Javelin

Leryn Franco belongs in our world. She should always be around sports lists that talk about hot women. Why not? She is gorgeous.

Her talent is on par with the rest of the javelin tossers in the world, but it is her look that garners all of the attention. Call me crazy, but isn't that why we read these posts?

Kimiko Zakreski
Snowboarding

Kimiko Zakreski is not an active snowboarder—she was not even involved in the Winter X Games on ESPN this year—but she is not retired. She is just taking some time off for herself.

If more athletes would do this, maybe they could last longer and be able to play until they are 45. Right, Peyton?

Tessa Virtue
Figure Skating

In the wonderful world of figure skating, Tessa Virtue goes unnoticed. She gets little media attention and now that I have done extensive research, I find out that she is quite the looker.

I still can not believe I missed her all these times, but no more. She is the hottest female figure skater of today.

Melanie Adams
Pole Vaulting

Melanie Adams is a model/pole vaulter. So once the modeling thing fizzles out, maybe she can make a living jumping over obstacles using poles.

Claudia Toth
Curling

Have you ever attempted curling? Have you even made it onto the ice without tripping and cracking a few vertebrae?

I have. I tried to play a game of curling this past winter and the only thing that happened was my friends laughing as I attempted to stand up long enough to make a play.

It is harder than it looks. Claudia Toth not only makes it look easy, she makes it look good.

Bruna Schmitz
Surfing

I am as shocked as you are. Bruna Schmitz? Who is that?

She is a surfer from Brazil. Oh great, now Brazil is popping out surfers? This is unfair.

Cope Twins
Racing

The Cope Twins. The Paris Hilton wannabes of the 21st century.

They landed on my radar only a few months ago and now I find them to be one of the sexiest twin sister duo in sports. The fact that they race just makes them that much hotter. How many sexy twin sisters get behind the wheel in NASCAR?

Stephanie Rice
Swimming

Why do we love the Summer Olympics? We can watch Stephanie Rice in a bathing suit and not have to explain to our wives or girlfriends about it. Yes sir!

Roberta Mancino
Extreme Sports

I never forgot about you, Roberta. I just needed to find a place to fit you in.

In the future, I will always make sure to find room for you. Even if I do an article about ants, I will find a way to include you. I promise.

Jennie Finch
Softball

Until I find another softball player as beautiful or as talented as Jennie Finch, she shall remain on top.

It will take a big-time player before I even consider anyone but the sexiest blonde to ever put on a softball uniform in this spot. I am always taking applications.

Allison Baver
Speed Skating

Her body looks amazing in the tight elastic body suit the speed skaters have to wear to improve their overall speed. I am not complaining, I just think they should be painted on instead. Right?

Maria Kirilenko
Tennis

If you are a fan of Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, Daniela Hantuchova, Alona Bondarenko, Gisela Dulko or any of the other 342 beautiful female tennis players out there, I am sorry.

Maria Kirilenko is the hottest tennis player on a list that is longer than the number of Republican candidates for President of the United States. She earned this spot and now deserves your attention.

If you did not like her before, well, here she is anyways.

Blair O'Neal
Golf

From Arizona State to the Big Break, Blair O'Neal is the perfect choice to represent all female golfers.

She is not only beautiful, she is also, well, I'm not sure any more is needed. I usually move on from that previous sentence and I will do so again.

Alex Morgan
Soccer

Alex Morgan didn't make soccer popular. She wasn't the first woman to impress us with her beauty on the field. She wasn't the sexiest female soccer player in the world.

Until now.

Alex Morgan has given us another reason to enjoy women's soccer in the U.S. It does not hurt that she is beautiful. That is just a plus.

Largest Athlete Contracts Ever

The last two decades in sports have yielded the largest athlete contracts ever. See which athletes signed to these mega-bucks deals and ponder the billion dollar question — are they worth it?

Alex Rodriguez
$275 million

In 2000 Rodriguez signed a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers, the largest contract in sports history. A-Rod, now 35, opted out of his Rangers contract in 2004 to sign with the New York Yankees, who in 2007 signed the third baseman to an even larger deal.

Derek Jeter
$189 million 10 years

Before A-Rod came along, the New York Yankees invested dearly in their beloved shortstop. In February 2001, Jeter, now 36, signed the then-richest contract in Yankees history.

Joe Mauer
$184 million contract

In March 2011, the Minnesota Twins put all their hopes – and a large chunk of change – in catcher Mauer. The 28-year-old Minnesota native signed an eight-year contract extension that became the largest ever for an MLB catcher.

Mark Teixeira
$180 million contract

When it comes to shelling out large sums of cash, the New York Yankees seem to have a limitless bankroll. In 2008 they signed free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira to an eight-year deal.

CC Sabathia
$161 million

In 2008 the Cleveland Indians traded the All-Star lefty, now age 30, to the Milwaukee Brewers, but that stint would be short-lived. In 2008, the New York Yankees picked up Sabathia and signed him to a seven-year deal that ended up being the highest contract awarded a pitcher.

Manny Ramirez
$160 million

In Dan Duquette’s biggest splash, the Boston Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez away from Cleveland to an eight-year deal worth millions, with an additional two years for $40 million more. Ramirez helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series, picking up a World Series MVP award as the Red Sox abolished the famed Curse of the Bambino with a miraculous win over the Yankees in the ALCS after trailing 0-3. Ramirez also led them to a 2007 World Championship.

Fernando Alonso
$160 million contract mclaren

Alonso, now 29, took Formula 1 salaries to new heights with his reported 2007-10 contract with McLaren that was to be worth millions. However, Alonso spent only one season with the team – for a reported $39 million – before moving to another team.

Adrian Gonzalez
7 years $154 Million

Adrian Gonzalez, now 28, was traded for the third time in his career on Dec. 6, 2010, to the Boston Red Sox, who promptly signed the first baseman to a seven-year contract extension to keep him in Boston through 2018.

Kimi Raikkonen
$153 million

Former Formula 1 star Räikkönen, 31, took over the role of highest-paid driver in his sport, replacing Michael Schumacher, 42, on the list with his contract with Ferrari from 2007 to 2009. It paid off as he won the 2007 Formula 1 title.

Miguel Cabrera
$152.3 million

In 2008 the Detroit Tigers joined the ranks of the big-spending Yankees and Red Sox when they locked up Cabrera to an eight-year contract. The deal would become the biggest contract ever given to a Detroit player.

Todd Helton
$141.5 million

The Colorado Rockies joined the deep-pockets league in 2001 when they awarded Helton, now 37, a nine-year contract extension, then the fourth-largest contract in sports history. In 2007 the Rockies reached the World Series, where they lost to the Red Sox.

Carl Crawford
$142 million

Carl Crawford, 29, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999, and since his 2002 MLB debut he has led the American League in stolen bases four times and led the Rays to the 2008 World Series. As a free agent after the 2010 season, Crawford (see photos) was signed by the Boston Red Sox to a seven-year contract.

Johan Santana
$137.5 million

The Minnesota Twins traded Santana to the New York Mets in 2008, and as part of the deal, the Mets signed the money pitcher to one of the largest contracts awarded a hurler – a six-year contract extension.

Kobe Bryant
$136.4 million

In 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers kept the star happy by signing him to a seven-year deal. Since then, Bryant, 32, and the Lakers have won another two championships – and are currently battling another Western Conference team in the playoffs.

Alfonso Soriano
$136 million

Alfonso Soriano — after playing for three teams in nine years, including a notable run with the New York Yankees – signed an eight-year contract with the Chicago Cubs before the 2007 season. With Soriano, 35, the Cubs have won back-to-back division titles.

Troy Tulowitzki
$134 million seven seasons

Eager to hang onto their All-Star shortstop, in 2010 the Colorado Rockies signed Tulowitzki, 26, to an additional contract over seven seasons – a deal that means Colorado has guaranteed Tulowitzki a huge payout through 2020.


Michael Vick
$130 million

Vick was all set to be highest-paid NFL player in history when the Atlanta Falcons signed the star quarterback to a 10-year contract extension in 2005. That deal guaranteed Vick an NFL-record $37 million in bonuses. However, in 2007 Vick was suspended without pay hours after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a dogfighting investigation. Vick was also ordered to reimburse the Falcons upon discovery that he had funded the illegal operation. In 2009 Vick was reinstated and signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jermaine O’Neal
$126.5 million

Looking to rebuild and move out of the Reggie Miller years, the Indiana Pacers pinned their hopes on O’Neal back in 2003, signing their new franchise player to a seven-year deal. During the 2008 NBA draft, the Pacers traded O’Neal to the Toronto Raptors as part of a multiplayer, multipick trade.

Alexander Ovechkin
$124 million

While the NHL doesn’t dole out the same kind of cash that baseball does, this list has to include Ovechkin, who holds the largest NHL contract ever. In 2008 the Washington Capitals signed the now 25-year-old Russian left wing to a 13-year deal, which could keep him in Washington the better part of his career.

Donovan McNabb
$115 million

After the 2001 season, McNabb signed a 12-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, including a $20.5 million signing bonus. In 2004 McNabb led the Eagles to their second Super Bowl appearance, where they lost to this team. In 2010 McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins for 2010 and 2011 draft picks.

World Best Road Cycle Racers All The Time

I have not looked at doping verdicts or accusations as trying to separate the “clean” from the “guilty” would lead to absolute chaos. My criteria are that the bicycle racers have performed well in both the three big stage races – Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España – but also in the minor stage races such as Tour de Suisse, Paris-Nice and Dauphiné Libéré and the Classics like Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merchx was born in Belgium in 1945 and became the best road bicycle racer the world has ever seen. He won the Tour de France 5 times in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974, the Giro D’Italia 5 times in 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973 and 1974 and the Vuelta a España once in 1973. Merckx also won the Tour de Suisse once, Paris-Nice 3 times, Dauphné-Libéré once, Paris-Roubaix 3 times, Liège-Bastogne-Liége 5 times and the World Road Race Championship 3 times. Eddy Merckx is also one of only five riders to win all three big stage races during their career, the four others are: Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault and Alberto Contador.

Bernard Hinault

Bernard Hinault was born in France in 1954, and is one of only five riders to have won all three big stage races, and the only to have won each more than once. Hinault is the only rider ever to have finished either first or second in each Tour de France he finished. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985, the Giro D’Italia in 1980, 1982 and 1985 and the Vuelta a España in 1978 and 1983. Among Hinault many other victories are Paris-Roubaix in 1981, Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 1977 and 1980 and the World Road Cycling Championship in 1980.

Jacques Anquetil

Jacques Anquetil was born in France in 1934. He has won the Tour de France five time, in 1957 and 1961-1964, the Giro D’Italia twice in 1960 and 1964, the Vuelta a España in 1936 and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 1966. Anquetil also holds several records:

• He was the first to the Tour de France five times
• He was the first to win all three big stage races
• He was the first French rider to win the Giro D’Italia
• He was the first French rider to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France form the first day to the last.

Séan Kelly

Séan Kelly was born in Ireland in 1956, and became one the most successful rider of the 1980s and the best Classics rider of all times. His wins include the Vuelta a España in 1988, 4 point class wins in both the Tour de France and the Giro D’Italia, 7 consecutive win in Paris-Nice form 1982 – 1988, 2 wins in Tour de Suisse, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liége.

Gino Bartali

Gino Bartali was born in Italy on 1914. He has won the Tour de France twice, in 1938 and 1948, both times also winning the mountain competition, and the Giro D’Italia three times in 1936, 1937 and 1946, also here he won the mountain competition all three times. Bartali also won the Tour de Suisse in 1946 and 1947. Bartali was a good climber and a pioneer of derailleur gears. His style was unusual: he rarely danced on the pedals and often stayed in the saddle throughout a 15km climb. When others attacked, he stayed in the saddle but changed up gear, to a sprocket three teeth smaller.

He rode smoothly on mountains but every now and then freewheeled, always with his right foot lowered with his weight on it. Then a second or two later he would start pedaling again.

Felice Gimondi

Felice Gimondi was born in Italy in 1942. In 1968 Gimondi was nicknamed “The Phoenix” after winning the Vuelta a España, this victory made him the second rider after Jacques Anquetil to win all three big stage races, he is one of only five riders to ever win all three. Gimondi won the Tour de France in 1965, the Giro D’Italia in 1967, 1969 and 1973 and the Vuelta a España in 1968. Gimondi also won Paris-Roubaix in 1966 and the World Road Cycling Championship in 1973.

Fausto Coppi

Fausto Coppi was born in Italy in 1919. He won the Tour de France twice, in 1949 and 1952, and the Giro D’Italia five times in 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953. He also won the World Championship in 1953, the Giro di Lombardia in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1954, the Milan-Sanremo in 1946, 1948 and 1949, and the Paris-Roubaix and the La Flèche Wallonne in 1950.

Miguel Indurain

Miguel Indurain was born in Spain in 1964. He has won the Tour de France 5 times in a row and the Giro D’Italia 2 times in a row. He has also won the Olympic Time-Trial Championship in 1996 and the World Time-Trial Championship in 1995, as well as two wins in both Dauphiné Libéré and Paris-Nice.

Indurain was relatively big compared to other professional riders – 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) and 80 kg (176 lbs) – this earned him the nickname “Miguelón”, meaning “Big Mig”. At the top of his career, Miguel Indurain had a physique that was not only superior when compared to average people, but also when compared to his fellow athletes. His blood circulation had the ability to circulate 7 liters of blood around his body per minute, compared to the average amount of 3-4 liters of an ordinary person and the 5-6 liters of his fellow riders.

Lance Armstrong

The American Lance Armstrong holds the record of most victories in Tour de France with his 7 consecutive wins. Armstrong also won the 2001 Tour de Suisse and the World Cycling Championship in 1993. This earns him a place on this list, but because Armstrong never impressed in the Giro D’Italia, the Vuelta a España or the Classics, I can’t place him any higher on the list.

Jan Ullrich

Jan Ullrich is a German former bicycle racer born in 1973. He won the Tour de France in 1997, the white jersey in 1996, 1997 and 1998, and he has 5 second places in the Tour, this earned him the nickname: The Eternal Second. Ullrich has also won Vuelta a España in 1999 and the Tour de Suisse in 2004 and 2006. Other notable wins are the World Time Trial Champion in 1999 and 2001 and the Olympic Road Race in 2000. Ullrich is a powerful bicycle racer with a soft, athletic style, but he often got out of shape during the off-season and had problems losing the extra weight before racing the big races.

Most Dangerous Sports

The following list shows places where modern sport has devolved into novel death wishes.

Cave Diving

The idea for this sport came as somebody was disposing of a body. Take all the regular hazards of diving (itself a dangerous activity), and add exploring uncharted territory, freezing temperatures, low-visibility conditions, and cramped quarters. And don’t forget that ticking clock on your air supply—you can’t just go “up” to breathe (risking “the bends”). On top of that, it’s still a wilderness experience, and some of the caves actually have wild animals living in them. According to a recovery team based in San Marcos, there have been more than 500 deaths from this sport since the 1960s. The risks are so high that experience affords little protection– many of these victims have been diving instructors and technical divers. As a result, the National Speleological Society defines a “successful” cave dive as “one you return from.” Perhaps they should follow that logic and define an “intelligent” cave dive as “one you don’t take”.

BASE Jumping

You know, we used to call this behavior “attempted suicide”. BASE jumpers willingly hurl themselves from Buildings, Antenna, Spans, or Earth with nothing but a hand-deployed parachute to prevent “deceleration trauma.” In this game, there’s no need to keep score: the winner is the one who DOESN’T DIE. Lucky losers get slammed back into the object they just jumped off of or break everything they have made of, say, bone. Between 5 and 15 people die each year, according to Harry Parker of The International PRO BASE Circuit. This is sport is illegal almost everywhere, and with good reason. R.I.P. Slim.

High Altitude Climbing

Let’s see: a sport that keeps fatality stats and has NO chance of women in bikinis. Nope, I’ll just buy the $945 North Face jacket and read “Into Thin Air”, thank you. Today, about one death occurs for every six successful summits on Everest, and each victim had to pass corpses on the way up. Real mountaineers face every threat you can imagine, up to and including drowning. Gravity must queue up for its chance to kill you, as hypoxia, hypothermia, frostbite and pneumonia all have prior reservations. Even a regular injury can be fatal, as rescue helicopters simply can’t get to you and your buddies may be too gassed to help. But if you do summit (you’ll probably have to wait in line), keep those glasses on or you’ll burn up your corneas from excess UV radiation. Kinda defeats the purpose, huh? To date, 179 out of 1,300 different Everest climbers have died, but mortality rates have started to decline since 1990.

Motorcycle Racing

Motorcycling is the most dangerous motorsport in the world. Just one example is The Isle of Man TT event, which has a rich 100-year history. But during that time, there have been over 220 deaths. The drivers in the race are required to maintain their balance while driving through all types of obstacles such as rocks and trees, and even bugs on their windscreens. This is all done while traveling at an extremely high rate of speed. And don’t get me started about all that X-Games crap.

Cheerleading

Forget the wimps wearing pads and helmets- the real danger is on the sidelines, where estrogen and adrenaline combine in one of the newest recognized sports. It has been estimated that there are over 20,000 reported cheerleading injuries a year, making cheerleading the most injury-prone sport in the world for women. Many common injuries include broken legs and spinal injuries. Think about it—it’s like diving on land, with easily distracted co-eds serving as the water. I’m all for cute girls in skimpy outfits, but this sport has a lot of catching up to do, safety-wise.

Bull Running

The Running of the Bulls (“encierro”) is a “sport” that involves running in front of bulls that have been let loose on a course of a town’s streets. There are actually several encierros, but the most famous is in Pamplona, Spain, and it was mentioned in Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” and “Death in the Afternoon”. The purpose is to entice or herd the bulls from off-site corrals to the bullring. Any fool over eighteen with more bravado than brains (which would have included me at eighteen) can participate. Every year between 200 and 300 people are injured, mostly with contusions due to falls. Since 1910, 14 people have been killed in Pamplona’s Running of The Bulls.

Bull Riding

Rodeo started as the gymnastics of ranching: a series of highly specific competitions taken from key aspects of cattle ranching in the Old West. But there never was and never will be any damn reason to ride a bull: its only practical application is to make you appreciate your own job—even if you’re unemployed. Straddling 1800 pounds of leaping pissed-off beef (an effect achieved by constricting bovine genitals with rope, or TASERING) routinely results in the rider being thrown 10 feet into the air, with a landing cushioned by a mere inch of dirt and feces. And if you don’t break your jaw, ribs, or collarbone on re-entry, you still have that bull to worry about (he’s still bitter).

Big-Wave Surfing

Let’s not get crazy here: nobody’s saying surfing isn’t fun and or that it isn’t a great excuse to get chicks in bikinis. But any sport with rules for when a shark enters the field of play is not for those with functioning frontal lobes. Big Wave Surfing cranks the dial to 11 by towing surfers into monster 50 ft waves strong enough to crush villages. So if the brute force of the wave doesn’t kill you or bury you so far underwater that you drown, you could still bash your head on submerged rocks or fail to avoid your own board (fickle thing!) hurtling past you like a Randy Johnson fastball.

Heli-Skiing

There’s a reason some things are so inaccessible—it’s God’s way of saying, “Don’t be stupid”. Still, people pay top dollar to be helicoptered (at $500 a pop) to untouched snowcaps, where they leap onto virgin slopes and ski far from crowds but very close to avalanches. Even the helicopter ride can be dangerous, and many have died en route to untouched powder (Frank Wells, former president of The Walt Disney Co. died in a helicopter crash during a heli-skiing trip in 1994).

Street Luging

Climb a big hill on an open-for-business highway, lie supine on an elongated skateboard and roll down. Gather speed and try not to die. That’s going to be difficult because you have no brakes, you’re an inch from a road surface itching to see what bone marrow looks like, and you present a visual profile to passing vehicles that’s only slightly larger than a puddle. Which is what you’ll be if you have anything close to a lapse in concentration or luck.