Frank Deford writes a humorous essay about Anna Kournikova, who by the way has never won a tournament. Apparently, she is some sort of tennis player, who actually used to be pretty good at the sport.

Unfortunately, Anna's beauty earns her just as many sneers as it does cheers. Envy is a powerful emotion, and when it comes to beautiful women in sports, some people think they should only be appreciated for their talent on the court. The fact that Anna gets a lot more attention than some players that have won tournaments is a sore spot with some people.

We are supposed to forget about charisma, and just obsess over the best players. Of course, the world doesn't work that way. Britney Spears isn't loved for her music, just like Dennis Rodman isn't loved for his basketball skills. I won't rehash Deford's entire point, you can read his article for that. But here is one of the money quotes:

Hey, may we get real? Males enjoy watching pretty girls doing ... anything ... walking, standing still, sitting ... at work, at school, at church -- yes, even there -- so why should we think anything would be different with men and boys in the sports world? But the equality police get all out of sorts when fans linger longer over blondes than backhands. And it's not as if Kournikova, who's never won a tournament, hurts her sport.

All you jealous women out there need to learn to relax. After all, we know you don't love Tom Cruise or George Clooney for their acting skills.

UPDATE: Although he has different tastes, Kim would appear to agree.