I will admit it: I have a girl crush on Jennie Finch.
When I was growing up, softball was not the phenom of a sport that it is now. It was the best alternative when our mothers decided that we were too old and too "ladylike" to play Little League (which usually happened sometime between 7 and 12 years old). When I was little, it wasn't an Olympic sport, but I loved it anyway. Softball was a huge staple in my life and I am grateful for all the lessons I learned from it.
Enter 1996 Summer Olympics: Here comes softball! Team USA dominates and softball explodes. It's on ESPN. The College World Series are televised. Lisa Fernandez and Dottie Henson and Michelle Smith are recognizable names that the softball girls aspire to be.
Enter Jennie Finch. A dominate pitcher from the University of Arizona and Olympic gold medalist, the most interesting thing about her becomes the fact that shes pretty. She's voted the "Hottest Female Athlete", ousting Anna Kournakova (who, inarguably, has a lesser professional career). Finch took the opposite route. Instead of becoming a Model (with a capital "M"), she honed her skills and became a better player.
I found this article on the Olympic website. One of my favorite parts was Finch's response when she got the offer to pose for PLAYBOY:
"My brother was like, ‘Jennie, I think you need to rethink that.' I asked why, and he said, ‘If a little girl goes to the grocery store and sees that magazine and says ‘Daddy, there's Jennie. Can I get that magazine?' And then the dad has to say, ‘No, that's not appropriate.' How would that make you feel?' That hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was like forget it, there's no way. I accept being a role model and I love the fact that I have the opportunity to be the best role model I can be for the youth of today and tomorrow." (emphasis mine)
In the world of Paris Hilton and "The Girls Next Door" and scandelous politicians and athletes, it's awesome to see one with a good head on her shoulders. Finch is probably the most recognizable to those outside the softball community (aside from Lisa Fernandez). Unfortunately, it's mostly because of her looks, but she takes that in stride and is more concerned about being a role model and staying true to herself than to being the fashion model.
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That was great that her brother was the one who recognized the problem with the sitch.
Too me, a role model would be one who did whatever made herself happy, without allowing the opinions of strangers to affect her and who stood by her decision.
Besides, when was the last time a little girl wanted a Playboy at the grocery store? Playboy is rarely carried at grocery stores and when it is, it has a plastic cover.
I agree that role models like Finch are a much needed alternative to the rash of silly celebrities, but really, the Playboy example does nothing to impress me.
Minor correction: Jennie Finch didn't consider posing for Playboy. From the article:
"For sure, I would never do Playboy. One of the other magazines offered a cover I believe, and I was thinking about it. My brother was like, 'Jennie, I think you need to rethink that.' I asked why, and he said, 'If a little girl goes to the grocery store and sees that magazine and says 'Daddy, there's Jennie. Can I get that magazine?'"
"Too me, a role model would be one who did whatever made herself happy, without allowing the opinions of strangers to affect her and who stood by her decision."
Very adult, very Randian. Jennie Finch was considering little kids, who pay more attention to behavior than the motivation behind it. Apparently, she's also a "devout Christian", so I'm guessing what 'makes her happy' is following her faith.
Too bad softball and baseball are both being dropped from the Olympics after this year :(
For the record, Anna Kournakova has gotten a bad rap from tennis journalists, feminist critics, and brain dead males who only see her beauty. Kournakova, although she never won a top tier tournament was ranked in the top 20 at one time.
She was the type of player who consistently made it to the quarterfinals or semifinals but was unable to close the door. However, it is quite an accomplishment to consistently come in 3rd or 4th in tournaments that often have 50 to 100 participants.