Olympics - Part 1

Olympics 1896-1920

Today is the start of a series on nudity in Olympic athletes.  The modern Olympics started in 1896 in Athens.  There was no official poster for the 1896 Olympics.  Above is the cover of the 1896 Olympic program.  There's no nudity – or is there?  To the right of the woman is a small image of a famous sculpture of the naked infant Hercules battling a serpent, which is a story from ancient Greek myth and a reference to the athletes as the modern Hercules.

In the ancient Greek Olympics, the athletes were all male and they competed nude.  Unfortunately, this nude tradition was not revived in the modern Olympics, but some Olympic athletes have been photographed nude outside of the games or portrayed nude by artists.

Above, British athlete Launceton Elliot won a gold medal in weightlifting in the 1896 Olympics.

Greek runner Spyros Louis won the marathon in the 1896 Olympics.  The 1989 statue above, In Memory of Spyros Louis by Nikolaos Perantinos, honors him in a modern version of an ancient Greek kouros statue.

The 1900 Olympics were held in Paris, along with a World's Fair.  Many athletes didn't know whether they were competing in Olympic events or World's Fair events.

French scientist and polar explorer Jean Baptiste Charcot won two silver medals in sailing in the 1900 Olympics.  Ten years earlier, he had been photographed nude kicking a football (above) by motion picture pioneer Albert Londe.

The 1904 Olympics were held in St. Louis, also in conjunction with a World's Fair.  Again, there was confusion about whether competitions were Olympic events or World's Fair events.

I couldn't find any nude photos of 1904 athletes, but the statue above of Estonian wrestler Georg Lurich by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson won an art contest at the World's Fair.

Lurich did not compete in the 1904 Olympics, but here's a photo of him posing as Hercules, c. 1900.

This butt-naked statue of Vulcan was also exhibited at the 1904 World's Fair, above.  It's the largest cast-iron statue in the world, and it now resides in Birmingham, Alabama.

Another butt is seen on this Grand Prize certificate for the World's Fair.  Olympic gold medals were also awarded.

The 1908 Olympics were held in London, and it was finally just an Olympics, not a World's Fair, so there was no confusion about the competitions and the awards.  Above is a gold medal from the 1908 Olympics depicting a naked athlete being crowned with a laurel wreath.

The 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, had the first official Olympic poster, above, with an almost-nude figure waving the Swedish flag.

One of the Olympic athletes in 1912 was Swedish runner Ivan Lönnberg.  He later became a painter, and this is a self-portrait from 1914.

The 1916 Olympics were cancelled due to World War I.

The 1920 Olympics were held in Antwerp, Belgium.  Above, a 1920 Olympic poster.

French weightlifter Ernest Cadine, above, won a gold medal in the 1920 Olympics.

And here's a more revealing photo of Cadine.

Next time: Olympic games 1924 to 1932.

Vintage Athletes - Part 24

 Gump Worsley, Andy Bathgate, Bobby Orr

Today's post is about three vintage hockey players.  Lorne 'Gump' Worsley (1929-2007) was a goalie for the New York Rangers.  He was the last NHL goalie to play without a face mask.  "My face is my mask," he would say.  Above, the Gumper, as he was known, was knocked out cold in 1972 after taking a puck to the head.  Even after that, he didn't wear a mask.  Finally he wore a mask for six games in 1974.  "I don't like it," he said, and promptly retired.

Gump, at left above, was also a favorite of sportswriters for his quips.  In the 1950s, his team, the New York Rangers, was pretty hapless.  After being pelted by forty to fifty shots a night, he was asked by the press, "Which team in the league gives you the most trouble?"  He replied, "The New York Rangers."  Later, playing for the Minnesota North Stars, he was asked about a claim that he did most of his training in St. Paul bars.  He responded, "That's not true.  I've switched to Minneapolis now."

This photo and the previous one show Gump Worsley in 1962 in the shower with fellow New York Rangers player Andy Bathgate (1932-2016), at right.  Though not as colorful as Gump Worsley, Andy Bathgate was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players.  It certainly looks like the two guys got along.

Our other vintage hockey player today is Bobby Orr, born in 1948 and considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time.  The 1970 photo above is an iconic sports photo.  Orr has just made the goal in overtime that meant that his team, the Boston Bruins, won the Stanley Cup.  "I saw it go in, so I jumped," said Orr.  As he jumped, raising his hands in victory, opposing team member Noel Picard tripped him with his hockey stick.  Newspaper photographer Ray Lussier caught him at just the right instant.  It looks like Bobby Orr is flying, like Superman.

There don't seem to be any naked photos of Bobby Orr, though some of you might appreciate this photo of him in a jockstrap.

Artist Kurt Kauper says, "I’m not a hockey fan ... but when I was 6, I — like many other boys in Boston — idolized Bobby Orr. Looking back, it was as if I was in love with him.” Kauper has created some (unauthorized) portraits of Bobby Orr nude, which he painted based on photos and hockey card images.  This is Bobby #3.

This is Bobby #2.  I should say, based on photos, hockey card images, and his imagination.

You'll see more of Kurt Kauper's artwork tomorrow.

Vintage Athletes - Part 23

 Ted Kazanski

Ted Kazanski, born in 1934 and still living, made the news when in 1951, right out of high school, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies for what was then an astronomical signing bonus.  An article in the July 16, 1951 issue of LIFE magazine with the title "The Phillies Get a Shortstop" said:

By baseball law he could not be approached until the day after graduation from Detroit's St. Ladislaus High.  One minute after midnight Bob Carpenter, owner of the Phillies, appeared at Kazanski's home.  "Do you like the Phillies?" he asked.  When the lad nodded he asked again, "Would you sign a contract now if we gave you anything you asked for?"  Kazanski asked for $80,000.  That was it.  The deal was made, he was farmed out to Terre Haute in the Three-Eye League.

LIFE sent Ralph Crane to photograph Kazanski on the minor league team in Indiana for the article.  As always, the photographer took tons of photos, including some in the locker room.  Above is a photo of Kazanski, second from left, getting dressed or undressed, but the photographer happened to catch another unidentified player on the right who just got out of the shower.  None of today's photos were published in the magazine, but a couple of Crane's photos of Kazanski on the playing field were used.

From other photos in the photo set, we see that Kazanski has number 1 on his uniform.  Nothing was off limits for the LIFE photographers.  Here, Kazanski is standing at a sink with his pants down, while player 16, also with his pants down, is using a trough urinal.  Why were their pants down?  Didn't the pants of their uniforms have a fly?

Now we see why, as player 16 departs.  Yes, their pants had a fly, but they were wearing jockstraps, so in order to pee they had to pull down the jockstrap, which meant pulling down their pants.

After playing in the minor leagues for two years, Ted Kazanski joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 1953, where he played as shortstop for six years.

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Tomorrow is World Naked Gardening Day.  So, if you can, get out there and get naked!

Vintage Athletes - Part 22

 Raymond Berry and Lenny Moore

Today's photos are from a 1959 set in the LIFE magazine photo archive about Baltimore Colts football players Raymond Berry and Lenny Moore, taken by LIFE photographer Paul Schutzer.

Some of the photos in the set showed the action on the football field.  Some showed the players in the locker room.  A few showed Raymond Berry putting in or taking out his contact lenses (above).  Contact lenses were still uncommon in 1959, and they were rigid plastic.  Soft lenses were not approved in the U.S. until 1971.

A few photos showed Lenny Moore (above, right) with another player who seems to be getting up close and personal.

When Berry and Moore went into the shower room, the photographer seems to have followed them right in.

They were joined by quarterback Johnny Unitas at left.

"Who, me?" Johnny seems to be saying, as the photographer's field of view keeps slipping lower.

Yeah, that's better.

Vintage Athletes - Part 21

Henry Armstrong

Henry Jackson, Jr. (1912-1988) was an American boxer who competed under the name Henry Armstrong.  On Jan. 12, 1938, LIFE photographer Carl Mydans photographed his fight against Enrico Venturi at Madison Square Garden.  In a previous post on naked weigh-ins, I showed this photo of Armstrong weighing in.

LIFE published that picture in the Jan. 31, 1938 issue, above, in a feature about Armstrong on the day of the fight.  In those days, even family magazines like LIFE were not prudish about rear nudity, although they didn't show frontal nudity.

My previous post also showed his opponent, Enrico Venturi, weighing in naked, above.

But the LIFE photo set included many more naked photos besides the weigh-ins.  Here's Venturi being examined by a doctor.

And here's Armstrong with the same doctor.

Here, Armstrong is taking off his shorts ...

And putting on his jockstrap before the fight.

Here's Armstrong getting a rubdown, a side view ...

And a front view.  None of these photos (except the very first one) were published in the magazine.

What happened in the fight?  Armstrong knocked out Venturi in the 6th round.  ESPN ranked Armstrong as #3 in their list of greatest boxers of all time.

Vintage Athletes - Part 20

Turkish Oil Wrestling

Turkish oil wrestling, the national sport of Turkey, is extremely ancient.  It is said that it was practiced 4500 years ago, and one tournament in Edirne, Turkey has been running since 1362, the oldest sporting competition in the world.

The first five photos were taken by LIFE photographer Stan Wayman in 1961.  Above, competitors kiss before a match, a sign of respect.

The wrestlers wear only leather pants (no underwear) and are completely covered in olive oil to make it hard to get a grip on them.  However, it's legal to stick your hand down your opponent's pants to get a grip.

This guy has gone elbow-deep.

Sticking your hand down your opponent's crotch is perfectly legal.

Here, the opponent's pants seem to be coming off, which is a winning move, as we'll see.

The remaining photos are not vintage, but the rules have not changed in over 600 years, except in 1975 a time limit was placed on matches.  Before then, matches could go on for hours or even days.

Although it's legal to stick your hand down your opponent's ass or crotch, you're not allowed to stick a finger up his ass or grab his dick or balls.

Although who can tell what goes on inside those leather pants?

You lose if you land on your back, even for an instant (if your "belly sees the stars").  You also lose if your opponent lifts you up and takes 3 steps (or 5 steps, depending on the location of the match).  You also lose if your pants are pulled down, exposing your "shameful parts."  That happens very rarely, because the pants are so tight, but it may be happening above.

This looks like exposing "shameful parts", but it may not count if it's only momentary.

This short video shows what goes on.  Note that it ends with a wrestler losing because he went down on his back (his "belly sees the stars").

With the athletes wearing leather pants and covered with oil, the sport is already homoerotic, and then adding the groping inside the opponent's pants, this has to be the most homoerotic sport on Earth.

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An addendum to yesterday's post on Arches National Park: although the park is best known for its rock arches, it has other rock formations, too.  This formation is called the Phallus.  There are other phallic rocks in the world, but I think this one takes the prize for best shape.  It's visible from the main park road, but easily missed among miles of rocks and cliffs.  They should have a turnout and sign to point it out.  After all, how often do you see a 100-foot-tall penis?