If there's one thing we've learned from the sports world over the last 15 years, it's this: Jocks are hot.
We don't mean the dudes, we mean the lady athletes who go out there and give it their all. The Russian bombshells who'd ace you at tennis; the Olympic swimmers who'd leave you in their wake like hurried mermaids; the downhill skiers who'd give you the cold shoulder without missing a gate; the soccer babes who'd slide-tackle you and be on their merry way, ponytails a-bouncing. These days, the on-field talent is likely to be not just athletic, but beautiful.
This, we think, is a good thing.Â
You could pin the start of this Age of the Beautiful Athlete to Katarina Witt, whose two Playboy photo features are still among the best sports spreads ever published. Anna Kournikova became more famous for her looks than her on-court skills. Amanda Beard stole the show every four years in sexy pre-Olympics shoots. Now, we're seeing a crop of hot lady golfers. Yes, hot lady golfers. Not something you could say in the '80s with a straight face.
Prepare to have your ass handed to you by some girls who got game. Here are the 25 hottest female athlete photo shoots.
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