Objectively, it is hard to define
any one professional athlete
as “The Sexiest.” Most people
can agree that there are a wide variety
of sexiness factors when considering
a professional athlete — and yes,
I am treating this like a scientific
analysis. This includes skill in the
sport, personality, height and perhaps
even popularity. However, there is
one professional athlete who recently
captured the hearts — and the eyes — of
the entire nation. Her prowess on the
field and her unabashed love for having
fun and looking good has allowed her
to participate in celebrity competitions
and magazine photoshoots galore, all
within a year of her relatively-rapid rise
to fame. I am, of course, talking about
Ilona Maher.
If you have not heard of Ilona Maher
before, my first question is whether
or not you live under a rock. Maher is
a professional women’s rugby player
who competed in the 2016, 2020 and
2024 Summer Olympics as a member
of the U.S. women’s rugby team.
Though she gained recognition during
the 2020 Olympics for her TikTok
documentation of Tokyo during
COVID-19 lockdowns, she rapidly
became a commonly-known athlete
through her social media presence
and rugby skills during the 2024
Paris Olympics. She helped lead
her team to a bronze medal and
arguably rejuvenated interest in
rugby throughout the United States,
all while looking hot as shit both on
and off of the field.
Maher’s skill alone would be
enough for me to consider her a
contender for sexiest athlete, but
alongside this skill is an unmitigated
desire to interact with her fans and
have the most fun possible. She
recently participated in “Dancing
with the Stars” season 33, where
she finished second with her dance
partner, Alan Bersten, and drew
even more interest in her career.
Her dancing skills are on point, and
her outfits were gorgeous and fit
like a glove. Maher’s overwhelming
dedication to having a hell of a good
time and looking her best while doing
it greatly benefited her fame and her
fanbase, who were overjoyed to see
her on stage and celebrated her every
win. Overall, the combination of skill,
humor and general attractiveness
makes Maher’s place on the sexiness
scale absolutely off the charts (in my
opinion), and though she is far too
old for me, a girl can still dream.
Alongside her endeavors in
dancing and rugby, Maher is an
outspoken activist for body positivity,
women’s sports and equal pay within
the industry. On her Instagram page
and other social media platforms,
Maher has repeatedly talked about
the ways she felt uncomfortable in
her own body when she was younger.
She notes that in rugby, her size is an
advantage and not a sticking point,
something that has allowed her to
feel far more comfortable in her own
skin, while also inspiring her to speak
about her experiences with body
image issues and self worth. This
willingness to confront her personal
struggles and present her internal
conflict with the world is amazing,
especially in how her courageousness
to speak has influenced both mine
and others’ perceptions of ourselves.
As a player, Maher has spoken about
the ways that social media allows for
her and her teammates to gain more
attention and get themselves noticed,
not just as players, but also as people
who deserve to be compensated for
their skill on an equal level with their
male peers.
“It’s about building the brand.
We are female rugby players – we’re
not getting million-dollar contracts,
we’re not getting paid the money that
we should be. Me and my friends are
keen on getting the sport out there
and getting us noticed,” Maher stated
in an interview with The Guardian.
This focus on increasing attention
towards female athletes and celebrating
their achievements makes Maher so
unspeakably sexy that I cannot even
articulate it properly.
Currently, Maher is playing with
the Bristol Bears in the Premiership
Women’s Rugby League and living in
England, an unfortunate situation for
her American fans, but a great benefit
to the Premiership league and her new
team. She continues to be fun, sexy
and skilled, and consistently posts
on Instagram and other social media
platforms to support her teammates
and document her day-to-day life.
You can catch her next match with the
Bristol Bears on Saturday, Oct. 24 at
9:30 a.m.
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