NAAS Female Athlete of the Year

National Academy of American Scholars announces its female athlete of the year award for 2008. Swedish golfing sensation Annika Sorenstam (f/k/a Lorena Ochoa) is our choice for winning the first NAAS female athlete of the year award.

Although the Associated Press has selected Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks (citing her participation in the U.S. Olympics), we do not believe that professional athletes (whether male or female) should be allowed to participate in an event that was originally designed for amateurs.

The decision by Parker, and other U.S. male N.B.A. athletes to compete against amateurs may be considered by some to be a reflection of their morals. It is a known fact that a number of U.S. Olympic Committe (U.S.O.C.) officers have been indicted in the past for criminal conduct, and that the original Olympics barred professional participation.

It is the opinion of National Academy of American Scholars that the inclusion of N.B.A. and W.N.B.A. athletes in the Olympics to compete against players who are not qualified to even sit on the bench, let alone, actually play in the league, is a fraud by the U.S.O.C. designed to generate marketing revenue at the expense of
fair competition.

According to an online website (SignonSandiego), Candace Parker plans to play in
Russia in 2009. This is the same country that has nuclear missiles pointed at every American man, woman,and child.

We believe it is excusable for any American athlete to prostitute their purses for a country that has weapons pointed towards the men,women, and children of the U.S.