Maria Sharapova is NOT SO PRETTY

Nike just put out a new commercial featuring tennis ace Maria Sharapova. In it, Sharapova is on the move, heading to a tennis match while everyone around her sings, “I Feel Pretty.”

I saw this commercial only once before my friend Tara mentioned it today. We began talking and finally You-Tubed it.

So after we viewed it a couple more times we discussed what Nike wanted to portray with the ad.

Could it be that Sharapova is a good looking chick who must be admired though a TV commercial? Was the commercial’s audience supposed to be men because not everyone thinks she’s pretty? However, I must applaud Nike for getting almost every race to sing Sharapova this West Side Story song.

I mean, she just isn’t pretty! At least to me she’s not. I don’t think her facial features are that great. She has a body, but I just want to scrunch my nose at the thought of her being this super sexy fem.

Besides me questioning her looks, is Nike trying to go forward or backwards in what femininity should mean?

The answer seems to be Maria Sharapova is the embodiment of beauty and we should just sing about how pretty her face, dress, and smile are. Nike is obviously thinking backwards since they are defining what beauty should be in our eyes.

And why did Sharapova agree to do a commercial about her looks? It seems a bit vain. And she almost looks snobbish in the ad as if she’s saying, “I know I’m pretty so go ahead and sing.” I wonder if “Pretty Woman” was another song option.

Hm.

Nike is playing with the notion she is attractive and then, when she finally returns a serve the crowd and John McEnroe go silent. Oh, yeah, the audience was so entranced by her beauty everyone feel into a hush when, she acted in an un-pretty manner of being competitive, aggressive and a force to reckon with on the court. Perhaps these are unattractive male qualities a pretty girl shouldn’t have?

Its true Sharapova must have won over men and teenage boys by posing for Sports Illustrated’s 2006 swimsuit magazine. They happily sat glued to their toilet seats or laid on their backs on top of their beds. Nevertheless, not all of us are turned on by her beauty. The message (I’m still not sure what it is) is lost in this Nike commercial. Nike, which usually comes up with clean and simple storylines the masses, didn’t make the cut.

Here's the nike commerical if you haven't seen it yet:

Matt Leinart is Going to be a Daddy?!

I just went to one of my favorite websites, www.people.com, and what did I learn but that Matt Leinart is going to be a daddy. What in the world! Oh Matt, why oh why. But, you know what, babies are always blessings. The article says they are happy but come on. The mother-to-be, USC basketball player Brynn Cameron is sidelined for this coming season and is supposedly due in November, as said by several news outlets. That means both knew of the pregnancy for a while and were able to keep it out of the media for some time. I bet she wasn't planning on this happening but stuff happens. I mean, are they even a couple? I was shocked to say the least since Leinart acted like the, "All-American Guy" on teleivision and print. Even tough I love him, people tell me he's a ladys man. He has been linked to a couple celebrities already. The drama of it all.

Who Does God Root for in Sporting Events?

I went to church today. As I sat there listening to the priest talk about God I wondered, well who does he root for in sporting events? I mean, when Cal plays Stanford and both teams are praying in their respective locker rooms to win, win, win, what’s the big man supposed to do?

I personally think every player who asks to do well in his/her prayers will do well. God or whoever one prays to will help him do his best. But, I don’t think God throws magic “victory” dust to one particular team. So to conclude, he doesn’t have favorites, but lets everyone perform to the best of their ability. What do you think?

After the thought passed, I went back to listening to the priest and his homily. The things I come up with in church.

A Socaler Ready to be Transplanted Back to the Bay Area

Tomorrow I leave for Berkeley. I spent the whole summer in Southern California or the SGV (San Gabriel Valley) doing a sports internship with the SGV Tribune. When I wasn't working, I split my time between L.A., Walnut, San Pedro, Santa Monica and anywhere else where my family and friends were located. On Monday I start my second-year at UC Berkeley's graduate program in print journalism. I'm ready to see my buddies up there. I can't wait to see Berkeley, a city so eclectic you can't feel out of place because it doesn't allow you to. Besides the city (S.F.), bart rides and old movie theaters in the Bay, I must say I will miss Southern California. The constant heat wave and sports are just a few things I love about the bottom and better part of California. I know I should either be an Angels or Dodgers fan, but I'm a Socal fan. I watched at least one game this summer in each stadium and during the spring I also caught an As and Giants game too. But believe me, I can't wait until the Dodgers roll into AT&T Park late in September to play the "halloween" colored team. That's what I call the Giants b/c their uniforms are orange and black. I don't hate the Giants, I just despise them. I'm okay with the A's though, b/c they seem like nice guys who, unfortunately, are stuck in a grim stadium. The sporting event I'm most looking forward to is the Cal vs. USC game. Some of you may not know I'm a twin. And my twin happens to be getting her graduate degree at USC. So, as you can see, we're ready to watch our teams duke it out. We already bought the tickets. I'll be sitting with my family in the USC section decked out in blue. The only blue one in the sea of red. So, tomorrow I'll be back in my little studio (apartments are super tiny up there). I'm glad I got the opportunity to work at the Tribune for the last few months and more importantly, be with my family. More sports entries to come.