NBA center Jason Collins came out today via magazine cover (the best way to come out, I think, if you have that luxury), and I encourage you to read everything you can about it. Here’s a snippet from the Sports Illustrated story:

I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.

I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand. (via SI.com)

You’re going to read a lot of unnecessary commentary about it today, so I’m not going to beat you over the head with another LIBERAL BALLYHOO thing about the importance of a gay athlete in pro sports in the 2010s. I will, however, help you deal with some of the shit you’re gonna read in advance, because it’s almost cripplingly obvious.

Here’s your field guide:

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With the first round of the NBA playoffs underway, Kevin Durant is on the cover of the latest issue of Sports Illustrated and he is upset about something. I can’t quite put my finger on what he’s getting at, but maybe you can decipher it from this very vague quote that accompanies his image:

“I’ve been second my whole life. I was the second-best player in high school. I was the second pick in the draft. I’ve been second in the MVP voting three times. I came in second in the Finals. I’m tired of being second…. I’m done with it.”

I’ll tell you the first thing that I noticed – this is a fella that loves to say, “I”. “I” this and “I” that. Last time I checked, an entire team finished second in last year’s NBA Finals, Kev. Otherwise, I like this cover a lot. I like the emotion and the intensity. I like the message.

So I was thinking we could make this a theme and give Kevin the cover every few weeks with a different message about something that’s bothering him. Call it therapy. In fact, I even made a few that he can use.

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For all of its pros and cons, Twitter is, at best, a valuable educational device. For example, on Saturday evening, a few of us took notice of a re-Tweet from our beloved Hall of Fame Celebrity Sports Fan of Every Year, Kate Upton. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model recognized a Russian girl named Ania, who Tweeted an image of herself paying tribute to Upton’s most recent SI cover, as you can see above. Then Twitter did its Twitter thing from there.

Within an hour, Ania’s follower count had jumped by several hundred, which is a little lower than unexpected, but I guess even the biggest Twitter pervs have an off-night. By this morning, the aspiring “mail order bride” was up to 1,362 followers, and she had already gone ahead and locked her account, only after she had openly Tweeted with Sports Illustrated and bragged about her “doppelganger” RT-ing her.

Ania’s 15 seconds of Twitter fame have come and gone, but I’d like to make a plea to our beloved Upton and all of the 18-and-up girls out there who aspire to be like her – let’s make Uptoning the new meme. Attractive girls everywhere can pick their favorite pictures of Kate and they can go out and recreate them. I can’t imagine there’s a single man out there who would object to this, and if there is, he should be monitored by the government because he’s probably Al Qaeda.

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Last week we posted the preview clip of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model Kate Upton spitting hot fire alongside Outkast’s Big Boi and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson for episode 2 of Skullcandy’s Take a Supermodel to Work. The full episode has arrived, and if you’re a fan of watching Kate Upton remove her jacket, you’ll like it.

I was expecting a full-on ‘The Love Below’ effort from Kate, and unfortunately we STILL don’t get to hear her rapping. We just get her saying rap terms while a pair of Not Jean-Ralphios ogle her boobs and Big Boi just plays video games with Stevie. But, you know, Kate is adorable, and it is what it is. I guess Kate singing along to ‘Teach Me How To Dougie’ will have to remain the best Kate Upton rapping memory.

You can check out the full episode below. Spoiler alert:

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THIS IS NOT A DRILL, PEOPLE.

Michelle Jenneke, the contagiously enthusiastic Australian hurdler we made famous last summer who then abandoned us completely to hang out with theCHIVE (like they did anything), is the star of a new Sports Illustrated swimsuit video that is 0% “trying to show people swimsuits” and 100% “LOOK AT MICHELLE JENNEKE IN A SWIMSUIT.”

Highpoint of the clip: Michelle saying that “somehow” the video of her dancing got a lot of hits. YEAH MICHELLE, SOMEHOW.

(Yes, they make her do the dance. Probably 50 times.)
(Video is after the jump.)

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What is this, Family Feud?

Remember last year, when Kate Upton was revealed as the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model, went on ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ to promote it, made jokes in the nightly Top Ten list and wore a Marilyn Monroe dress without a bra that made us lose a week of our lives to hotness-induced amnesia? Actually, you probably don’t remember that.

Anyway, Kate went on Dave to promote THIS year’s swimsuit cover — you’ve probably already seen it thanks to Sports Illustrated leaking it early TMZ spoiling it months ago Chinese hackers — and while her outfit doesn’t come close to matching last year’s, it’s still an enjoyable moment of quality time.

Video of the appearance is below. Warning: It contains Katherine Webb making Brent Musburger jokes and doing pageant twirls, because those are now her two jobs.

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