Before any chants of me being sexist begin, allow me to defend myself. I would've made a separate list for male athletes just to even the field, but then again, who would want me to describe muscular, athletic men in my blog, ranking them by their looks? See? I knew we would all be in agreement.
Parameters: For the list, I only included athletes still active (so no Anna Kournikova or Trish Stratus), and while looks are important to me (and this list), I've also considered success as an important factor, since there is nothing sexier than a successful woman. (so no Daniela Hantuchova, sorry syd or Kelly Kelly either). Lastly, I allowed for no more than three per sport, lest I have a list of only tennis players and WWE Divas.
10. Jessica Mendoza (UAAP Courtside Reporter)
In a previous "Top 10," I listed down the Top 10 Sportscasters, showing my deep respect for great sportscasters. Studio 23's reporters for the UAAP? Well, I'll be diplomatic and say they have a long way to go to even approximate any of my Top 10's greatness. Mendoza (the UAAP courtside reporter), however, is a breath of fresh, (beautiful) air. I've always admired public speakers who never say things like, "ummm," or "ah," and she doesn't, which is quite an achievement if you check out her contemporaries. The cherry on top of the sundae? She is a self-described, "nerd." What could be better? (Thanks to Tibibord for the pic and the info)
9. Natalie Gulbis (Golf/LPGA)
People used to hate watching golf, but now we've got cable channels showing golf events live. Tiger Woods has definitely caused golf's popularity to skyrocket, but I would think the LPGA's success was due to electrifying beauties like Gulbis. Becoming a host of her own reality show, a strong contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice and an FHM columnist, Gulbis certainly breaks the stereotype of golfers being boring or square. She was, however, in danger of becoming a "Kournikova-type," beautiful and popular athletes with no victories, but she went ahead and solved that problem with a victory at the 2007 Evian Masters. Good on you Natalie. Now how about winning another one before you lose your spot here?
8. Candace Parker (Basketball/WNBA)
How is it that Parker has an NBA player for a brother and an NBA player for a husband and yet she is more famous? Well, it probably helps that she is hot, but one has to remember she's a baller through and through. This is the woman that not only dunked in the WNBA, she actually competed (and won) a collegiate slam dunk contest against future NBA stars like Josh Smith and J.R. Smith. She isn't just a dunker too. Parker scored 34 points in her WNBA debut, breaking the previous record set by Cynthia Cooper. Then, she goes and and becomes the first (and only) WNBA Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same year. The only other ballers to do that? Wes Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain.
7. Arianny Celeste (MMA/UFC)
The UFC's original ring girl is also its longest serving one. Seeing the other ring girls who have come and gone, it is clear that looks alone cannot keep you in the job. Obviously, Arianny is good at her job, even beginning to train in mixed martial arts herself. Plus, this is the same woman who granted a fan's (Conner Cordova) wishes by going to prom with him! How awesome was that? That's a lot of points for me.
6. Clara Guerrero (Tenpin Bowling)
The bowling lanes play host to our number 6. Guerrero, a native of Colombia, is among the hottest women bowlers in the world today, and I am not talking about her looks yet. She probably is the hottest if we were talking about looks. A multiple world champion, she now resides in the U.S., where she continues to compete in the Professional Bowlers' Tour. She's probably in for another world championship if my previous theory is proven right.
5. Maria Kanellis (WWE/MMA Reporter)
This fiery red head is no longer a WWE Diva following a disagreement on the handling of her musical album's launch. While most divas would just fade into oblivion, Maria has put what she has learned into good use, gaining needed exposure in the Celebrity Apprentice, and landing a job as a backstage interviewer for Mark Cuban's fledgling MMA promotion.
4. Maria Sharapova
When Sharapova and her father relocated to the U.S. for tennis training, they held a belief in their hearts that she would become great. That faith has paid off as Maria has become one of the more dominant players on the ladies tour. She has already won grand slam titles and achieved the coveted World's Number 1 ranking. While injuries have slowed her recent career down, everyone knows she has a lot of wins ahead of her once she gets back in shape.
3. Michelle Wie (Golf/LPGA)
This much-maligned golf prodigy first burst into international consciousness when she was given an exemption into the men's tour. With her talent and youth, people got a little too excited and began to attack her once it became clear that she could not survive the men's tour (or later on, the women's tour). Wie, though, kept plugging away and finally silenced critics by winning her first LPGA tournament at the 2009 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Hopefully, people will begin to back off her case and just let her play.
2. Ana Ivanovic
Despite her recent plummet in rankings, Ivanovic deserves a spot here. Her disarming good looks and friendly attitude are most welcome in the WTA tour which is always looking for more viewers. Add to that a French Open title and that makes for a most beautiful athlete. I am confident that she will recover mentally and physically from her thumb injury to claim more grand slam titles soon. 1. Melina (Perez)
This former California beauty queen is definitely in the WWE not just because of her looks. One of the few WWE Divas who can really wrestle, Melina took her hits on WWE's Tough Enough (reality show) before getting further training in some of wrestling's best training farms, including the infamous School of Hard Knocks. A three-time Women's Champion, Melina's current knee injury (torn ACL) only serves to keep fans in greater anticipation for her comeback. If there is any doubt as to why she's number 1, I suggest taking a gander at the video below, which features, as Good ole JR says, "The Greatest Ring Entrance in the History of the WWE."
Sharwin L. Tee is Chef/Host of Lifestyle Network's Curiosity Got the Chef. He is a personal chef, catering to prominent families across Metro Manila, Philippines. He prepares meals for their sit down dinners and cocktail parties.
He is also a bowling coach. He was a member of the Philippine National Bowling Team coaching staff from 2006-07, and the head coach of the Xavier Bowling Team from 2000-present. He is one of the first Filipinos to be certified by the United States Bowling Congress as silver-certified coach.
Sharwin has also been an NBA fan for over 15 years, Philippine Basketball Association fan for over 20, Professional Bowlers' Association fan for over 14. He is also a fan of Boxing, MMA, Volleyball, WWE, and Tennis. For some reason, he has accumulated a scary amount of trivia in each of these sports.
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