I must admit, I did get swept up in this year’s World Cup. What’s so wrong about cheering for the U.S. as if I actually understand what’s going on? So what if I hesitated each time before saying “score!” because I wasn’t sure if it was the correct terminology in soccer.

One thing’s for sure: even for someone who doesn’t quite understand sports (ahem, myself), it sure is fun watching those sexy men run up and down a field (court? stadium?). So here are my top reasons why athletes are a particular breed of mouth-watering man candy.

They sweat
Something about a guy getting all hot and steamy is just irresistible. Sure wouldn’t mind hitting the showers with them after the game… Okay, I’m getting carried away here, but seriously, it must be some kind of primal attraction that draws us to perspiration.

They show their badass side
When opposing team members get all up in each others’ space, penalties are called, yellow cards tossed out, a whole bunch of other sports jargon I don’t know, it is just plain exciting. Who doesn’t have just a little bit of a weakness for guys opposing authority and getting into trouble?

They have muscles
And lots of them. Especially in the abs region. Anyone want to join my organization to make all sports shirtless?

They are a package deal
Most spectator sports are played in teams. Teams mean hoards of attractive men in one place. A bunch of guys, even only somewhat good-looking guys, become instantly hotter when they are together. Simple as that.

They are successful
Alright, now I don’t mean this in a gold-digging, materialistic way, but an athlete’s celeb status really only adds to his appeal. We can’t deny our love for male celebrities, and athletes just take it a step further with their sporty skills.

They are passionate
You know if a guy is playing a sport professionally, he’s gotta be in love with the game. Just think of how devoted he could be to some lucky lady (namely, me). Knowing a guy is determined in one aspect of his life makes a gal confident he’s that hard-working in a relationship.

So keep ogling those athletes; it’s the most exciting part of watching a game anyway.

As summer solstice just passed, there is only one more indication that it’s summer: it’s time to put on a bikini and head to the beach/pool.

There’s usually anxiety surrounding your first time each year in a bikini, meaning it’s time to hit the gym (if you haven’t already started.)  While you may dread going to the gym even more than putting on a swimsuit, there are so many fun ways to get into shape now that it’s warm out.  There’s hooping, tennis (with the best clothes EVER!), soccer, jogging, rollerblading and much, much more.

And what better way to encourage yourself to get active then with a set of new gym clothes!

Workout clothes have gotten a serious face-lift these past few years giving you a million sexy/cute/functional items to choose from. So toss out your uninspiring, oversized sweats and the t-shirt you stole from a one-night stand and pick up some clothes that are both cute and made for exercise. There are different styles for every activity, as well as special styles to soak up your sweat and keep you as comfortable as possible during your ball-busting workout. So choose your activity and dress the part as you prepare to bare your favorite bikini this year.

While The US Open is typically a tournament to crown the best of the best on the tennis court, this year it was more about the Lust-Lust than the Love-Love. (That’s a really bad tennis score reference, if you didn’t get it.)

Men across the nation were drooling as jailbait Melanie Oudin battled and triumphed over Maria Sharapova, both in skill and looks.

But the men aren’t the only ones who got a little bonus feature at the Open this year. Us ladies had some eye candy of our own in the form of newcomer and new champion Juan Martin del Potro. He fell from like the sky like an Argentinean god sent here to out-play and outshine reigning champion Roger Federer.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I tuned in to the Open primarily for the man-meat. What is it about men in awkward-length white shorts that makes me swoon? Maybe it has something to do with the sexual grunts that escape their lips as they return a serve. Or perhaps it’s the way the wind whips through their flowing locks as they dash around the court. But whatever it is, I still can’t decide which tennis superstar has captured my heart.

Patriotism and my affinity for blonds has kept me loyally at Andy Roddick’s side, but after watching the Del Potro/Federer match, I’ve been seriously considering testing out foreign soil.

"Did you guys know this beer can make your hair stronger, too!?"

Labor Day may be an awesome third day to a typically-too-short weekend, but sadly, it’s also pretty much the last day of summer. But just because those summer days are drifting away, does that mean the fun is o-v-e-r?

Not for CollegeCandy readers! Psh, we can have fun no matter where we are and September is just brimming with some awesome stuff to take part in. Here are some fantastic things to do after Labor Day that don’t involve any heavy labor… or white shoes.

1) Enjoy (useful?) beer at tailgate.
Beer has better uses than just giving you the guts to talk to that cutie you’ve been eying at the party. You can use it to clean your hair and unclog pores, make your own facial mask concoction, and draw a uniquely-colored bubble bath.

2) Do the Downward Dog.
You can get a full week of free yoga at a studio near you during the first ever National Yoga Month. And since yoga is supposed to improve your sex life, why not try it? Your boyfriend can thank me later.

3) Get ready for the New Moon movie premiere by using Twilight makeup.
The Julie Hewett Los Angeles Twilight Palette was inspired by the phenomenon that is the Twilight saga. The Twilight Palette contains the following four eye shadows: Brunette, Pola, Black Chandelier, and Swank. Together, they make for a quite a sexy, sultry and mysterious look. If only it also came with Taylor Lautner.

4) Learn how to decrease risk for ovarian cancer.
It’s Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so take this quiz and see if you know how to limit your chances of being one of the 21,000 women that get it each year.

5) Stay away from Swine Flu.
I had no idea that the primary targets for Swine Flu were young people as opposed to the older generation for the general flu. Everyone: wash your hands! Can’t stress it enough. At least now with this sweet iPhone app I know where the latest outbreaks are (AKA where not to go).

6) Be bold and embrace the new fall makeup trends.
Purple, blue and nudes are in! At last that’s what Becki Newton of Ugly Betty says. And since I totally love her and want to be her and trust whatever she says, my toenails are now a rich plum color. Too cute.

7) Watch the U.S. Open.
Andy Roddick’s hot bod is more than enough reason to tune in. And after all the eye candy, put on an adorable tennis skirt and try to imitate the Williams sisters’ moves (and grunts) on the court.

8) Improve your health by doing more volunteer work.
Studies have shown that even people who did just 40 hours of volunteer work yearly lived longer and saw other very significant health benefits including reduced rates of depression and Alzheimer’s. Oh and, obviously, greater life satisfaction. Mia Hamm volunteers, so why shouldn’t you? She probably does it better though.

9) Rumored Apple event on September 9th???
Anyone know the deets? Will my computer now be obsolete…again? Will there be a $10 iPhone? Is Steve Jobs still alive?! Ahhh! Must. find. out.

Because I have undying allegiance to my favorite sports star, I just have to get this out of the way before I move on: I LOVE ROGER FEDERER. I LOVE HIM, I LOVE HIM, I LOVE HIM. He is my favorite.OK, that’s out of my system.

Is Rafa Nadal not the hottest male you have ever seen walk the face of this Earth? I thought I was going to have a heart attack every time his upper-arm muscles rippled during the Wimbledon final (which means I almost had a heart attack approximately 18273476 times).

Let’s face it: Sunday’s Wimbledon men’s championship match was probably the most amazing final to take place in any tennis tournament, ever. Drama. Grace. Tears. Sweat. And arm muscles.

Yes, the man who didn’t even make CC’s recent (and admittedly hot) ”Boys of Wimbledon” list has gone and run away with the Wimbledon title. I can’t say I’m surprised—Rafa played an unbelievable match, and you know what I’m talking about if you caught even a few minutes of that five-hour epic battle.

Plus he oozed graciousness and humbleness in the post-match interview, he adores his family (the end of this article is really sweet), he is like a teddy bear off the court and a wild tiger on the court (rawr), and his English is just about the most freaking adorable thing in the entire world.

VAMOS, RAFA!

[Image courtesy of PhotoBucket.]

Wimbledon 2008 kicked off today in Wimbledon, England (and I thought it was just a creative name!). In honor of this exciting event, we at CollegeCandy have put together a very handy little gallery of all the most important players at this year’s event. And by “most important players” we mean, “The hottest guys of Wimbledon.” God, we love our jobs.

 So, peruse; enjoy; tell us which one is your favorite.

And thank us later.

[Album=62]

“More sports?” you’re asking? Well, yes, especially if you’ve already given a new guy the impression that you at least kind of know what you’re talking about. I can’t stress enough the importance of at least feigning like you know what’s going on, because there are no limits to how hot sports-loving guys find girls who also seem to like sports. So what, if anything, should you be discussing this week? Here’s the rundown:

The NBA Finals – It’s the San Antonio Spurs vs. the Cleveland Lebrons, (ahem, I mean) Cavaliers, and after three games, it hasn’t been much of a series at all. The Spurs, led by Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, have simply dominated thus far, and with Lebron James being totally stymied by the Spurs terrific team defense, this series hasn’t even been worth watching. And that’s a shame, because the Spurs are easily the best team of this decade, and they are entirely under appreciated. Girls, do yourselves a favor. If you’ve ever liked or been interested in basketball at all, take some time on Thursday night to watch Game 4 of this series. Watching the Spurs’ offensive execution is absolutely a thing of beauty. And for you Desperate Housewives-loving girls, you can always get off on watching Parker, the soon to be Mr. Eva Longoria, as he flashes his quickness all over the court. Just so you know, if the Cavs win one game in this series, it’ll be a terrific accomplishment.

The French Open – A lot of excitement over the last two weeks in the world of tennis, but the results had a very similar feel to them. That’s because the tournament ended the same way it did each of the last two years, with Justine Henin-Hardenne and Rafael Nadal hoisting the Women’s and Men’s Championship trophies. Nadal once again got the best of Roger Federer, ensuring that Federer’s quest for that elusive first French Open title will continue for at least another year. This tournament also served as further evidence that American tennis players simply stink when forced to play on clay, as only Serena Williams reached even the Quarterfinals of either draw. In fact, American men were so bad that no player even reached the second round! Sad… Hopefully, American tennis will have more success as the circuit heads to the grass courts of Wimbledon in a couple weeks. The truth is, many guys don’t care about tennis. But if you live in the Northeast or West Coast, you’re much more likely to run into a boy who used to play tennis, and probably still follows it, so this information can be useful.

Baseball – It’s Interleague time! Those two weeks in June when baseball decides to switch it up and have American League teams play their counterparts in the National League. This fan-friendly bit of scheduling affords fans the opportunity to see teams and players they otherwise would only get to see on TV, and also provides the sporting world with exciting (sort of) matchups like Kansas City vs. Philadelphia, and my beloved Atlanta Braves facing the Twins of Minnesota. With 90 or so interleague games already in the books, the Junior Circuit (AL) is once again dominating its Senior counterpart (the NL… major bonus points if you can throw out the lingo!), already holding a 20 game advantage. There’s no getting around it. The American League is simply the better league right now, and I don’t see any vast changes on the horizon.

Also worth noting… Barry Bonds, who besides being the best hitter our generation has ever seen and who may or may not also be the biggest steroid user that Major League Baseball has ever seen, is now nine home runs away from becoming the all-time home run king. This is much to the chagrin of just about every person who’s ever called themselves a baseball fan. Girls, I promise you. Walk into any sports bar, approach any guy you want, and tell him that you think Barry’s been getting a bad rap. Sure, you might get the guy really fired up, but I for one can tell you that nothing gets my libido going like having a heated argument with a sexy female sports-talker.

Professional Golf’s US Open is this coming weekend, but unless you live in the south, or are hitting on men older than 30, the likelihood is that your guy won’t care, so don’t even bother.

Ladies, I implore you… don’t look at this article as fluff that you don’t really need. Obviously, as girls, you all carry a major advantage over guys in that, basically, we’ll do whatever it takes to try and get in your pants. But as easy as it should be for you, why not make it even that much easier? If you can talk sports with a guy, you’re more or less giving yourselves the pick of the litter. So take this knowledge that I’ve bestowed on you, and run with it. Sports never stops, so if you’re gonna use them as a way in (which you should), you should also be prepared to keep up the facade!