Jack McCallum, whose feature on U.S. Olympic swimmer
Jenny Thompson in the current issue of SI is accompanied by
a picture in which Thompson poses topless, responded to
criticism over the photo on CNNSI.com: "I do wish we
would've run [the photo] inside instead of as the lead
photo, not because the image is wrong or degrading, but
simply to defuse criticism from those who call us sexist.
Using an action photo would've directed the attention first
to Thompson's swimming and secondarily to her body. On the
other hand, her body -- any athletes body -- is at the
essence of what she does." McCallum added that in the
"objection" to the photo is an "implicit assumption that is
itself sexist, i.e., that a mature, intelligent 27-year-old
-- a woman who has won five Olympic gold medals, traveled
and competed all around the world and will probably attend
medical school at Columbia after Sydney -- would allow
herself to be talked into taking off her shirt" (CNNSI.com,
8/15). In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes that "some
commentators will take this occasion to beat up on [SI]
again. ... But if you beat on [SI], you are going to have to
beat up on Women's Sports & Fitness, too," as the magazine's
September issue features a full-page picture of U.S.
swimmers Thompson, Angel Martino, Dara Torres and Amy Van
Dyken "wrapped in nothing but a very large towel that
appears to be a U.S. flag" (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/16).
SWIM NOTES: In Chicago, Rick Morrissey writes while the
"reality" of swimming is that the "only name half the
population recognizes is Mark Spitz," what the sport "needs
is a personality. It has one [in Gary Hall Jr.] but doesn't
quite know what to make of him." Hall has been "ripped for
his pre-swim antics by the very proper swimming community."
Morrissey adds of Hall, "What he needs is a foil, an
archenemy" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/16). Hall set a 50-meter
U.S. freestyle record yesterday (THE DAILY)....IN Univ.'s
Human Performance Laboratories Dir Joel Stager, on Speedo's
Fastskin bodysuit: "If this is nothing more than a marketing
tool, it's going to represent a financial hardship for a lot
of athletes and their parents. What Speedo is doing is
almost unethical. It did tests, but then had its swimmers
sign disclaimers that they wouldn't talk about the results.
If the suit is too good, it's illegal. If it's not having
any effect, who's going to buy it?" (Balt. SUN, 8/16).
