WNBA

Highlights from this week on the web.

• The Root recognizes 15 years of the WNBA. Here's to tall women!
• Despite the endurance and growth of women's professional sports, Feministing reports on Wimbledon's contest to choose the best looking female player. One ace forward, two unforced errors back.
• xoJane endorses the My Body Gallery. What do you think of this body acceptance project?
• Philadelphia Weekly reports on Broad Street Review editor and Douchebag Decree nominee Dan Rottenberg's recent opinion article blaming CBS correspondent Lara Logan for her sexual assault in Egypt.
• Did you know that Geraldo Rivera called Casey Anthony a slut on Fox News last month? Mediaite asks why did he get away with it?
• Tiger Beatdown's Flavia Dzodan exposes Tumblr as the "White, kyriarchical, status-quo upholding, oppressive medium" that it is. In other news, my addiction to Beyoncé-themed Tumblrs continues to grow unchecked.
• At Jezebel Irin Carmon explores what effect the Wal-Mart case will have on female Costco employees' own class action suit. For some context, check out EvMaroon's Political InQueery from earlier this week.
• SPARK discusses new research on the sexualization of girls. Soon after Jezebel reports on the AMA's new stance on Photoshop in advertising.
• Thirteen's Riff City wonders Where Are the Lady Rappers? at this year's BET Awards.
• The Daily Beast asks whether or not Bristol Palin's account of losing her virginity in her new memoir constitutes date rape. What do you think?
• Calling all writers, Professor Jessie Daniels is looking for essays for "Aint I a Woman: Race, Feminism, and Social Media."
• We're really bummed we're not at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit right now! You can keep up with the goings-on by checking out their LiveStream, following the #AMC2011 hashtag on Twitter, or by browsing their conference guide for more online interaction.

And you? What are your reactions? What have you been reading?

Since 1954, Sports Illustrated has honored the "Sportsman of the Year." Roger Bannister, the man who broke the four-minute mile, was the first Sportsman cover boy; Michael Phelps was the most recent one. In fifty-four years, the only female athletes honored have been the U.S. Women's Soccer Team (1999); runner Mary Decker (1983); and tennis player Chris Evert (1976). Three others shared the honor with men: tennis legend Billie Jean King with John Wooden (1972); gymnast Mary Lou Retten with Edwin Moses (1984); and speedskater Bonnie Blair with Johann Olav Koss (1994).

Total count: Two female standalone athletes and one team were honored, while three others were honored alongside a male sports figure, for a total of six times out of fifty-four opportunities that Sports Illustrated has celebrated the accomplishments of women athletes with its most prestigious yearly title. (I am leaving aside the time that the amorphous, "Athletes Who Care" were named Sportsman of the Year in 1987).

It begs the question: what's the deal, yo? Not enough female athletic talent out there?

OK, so before addressing the controversy surrounding the use of the word "lame" in my earlier post (that one’s gonna take some time), allow me to share some videos I stumbled upon while gathering my thoughts on the WNBA. They’re all of women who can dunk. And, while I’m partially of the mind that women dunking might actually diminish what makes women’s hoops special, it’s still pretty cool to behold. So check it out (sorry—some of the footage is a little grainy):

I remember back when the WNBA started, back in 1997. I remember how the league’s slogan, "We Got Next," was one of the best marketing slogans I’d ever heard....