Is the WTA Website Pimping Tennis Stars?

A recent check at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website show an article published on December 9 that's titled "Vote for Ana & Maria Now!". The website is urging visitors to vote for Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic in AskMen.com's 2010 edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women. The said article explains that AskMen.com has "been compiling the Most Desirable Women list since 2001" and that the highest ever rank for a tennis player in the compilation was way back in 2006 when Sharapova received the "honor" of placing in the top 31. The article concludes by providing a link to the AskMen.com website and asking visitors to "push Sharapova or Ivanovic into the Top 30".

A check on the AskMen.com website reveals scantily clad pictures of ladies with brief one-liners. See below for screenshots taken of the profiles of Sharapova and Ivanovic.

Sharapova and Ivanovic are not the only ladies in the list with links to tennis. Model Brooklyn Decker, Andy Roddick's wife is also nominated.

Here's my take on this - it's enough that AskMen.com "honored" Sharapova and Ivanovic by considering them in the list. However, should the WTA really consider it important to put this as a headline post in their official website? What message are they telling the hundreds of girls that access their website? That being included in such list is an "honorable" thing to aspire for? One only has to check the main page at AskMen.com. The following topics and links are displayed:

- "Sexy Video"
- "Sex Tip of the Day"
- "Where do the Hottest Women Reside"
- "Joke: Extra Large Condoms"

Are these the topics that the WTA want to be associated with? Right now, not only are they associating with it, they're promoting it. Goodness gracious, stop!