You Shouldn't "Eww" Michael Phelps; and You Shouldn't Refer to Amanda Beard as a "Nude Pin-Up Swimmer"

You may have heard that two-time swimming gold medalist Amanda Beard denied rumors linking her to Michael Phelps, saying, "Ew!" and "I have really good taste. He's not my type." I'm not sure why she reacted so strongly. Phelps is a good looking guy, seems like a nice dude, and has the whole American hero thing going for him. Maybe she knows something I don't, but this probably isn't the best time to say mean things about Michael Phelps. Whatever.

More disturbing than Beard's comments was CNN's healine about the story (pictured): "Nude Pin-Up Swimmer Disses Phelps, 'Eww!' " The headline alludes to Beard's 2007 Playboy pictoral and her posing nude in a PETA ad campaign. While questioning Beard's decision-making is fair, referring to her as a "Nude Pin-Up" instead of as an "Olympic Swimmer" or "Seven-Time Medalist" is not. Had she not won two golds, four silvers, and a bronze, Playboy and PETA never would have come calling. That's my take.

For what it's worth, Phelps is now being linked to Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice, who won three golds in Beijing and holds the world record in the 200 and 400 IM. And Beard has apologized for her comments.