Headline writers just love it when an athlete with an unusual surname excels at something, and it allows them to either unleash a pun they have been sitting on for a while, or indulge in some stereotyping. Or both.
For example, take last week's European Championship semi-final between Turkey and Germany, in which Germany's Philip Lahm scored the winning goal. The headline in the Sun? 'Lahm Kebabs 'em.' Poetry. You just know that someone in Sun Towers had been itching for the German left back to score against the Turks for a couple of years now, just so that said headline could be trotted out. [Also, see the Swiss newspaper which portrayed Turkish coach Fatih Terim as a kebab being carved by a hungry looking Hakan Yakin.]
A perfect opportunity for more such fun presented itself over the last week with the exploits of the sprinters Tyson Gay and Marshevet Hooker at the American Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. And the headline writers did not disappoint.
Of Tyson Gay's performances, including his amazing [but wind-assisted] 9.68 second 100m sprint on Sunday, we had:
Gay Blows Field Away (With Wind's Help) [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
Gay Cruises into 100m Finals [NBC]
While for Marshevet Hooker, we had the following:
Hooker Leads Women's 100m Heats [The Register-Guard, Eugene]
Eye-Popping Hooker: American Sprinter Clocks 10.76 in US Trials [Malaysia Star]
I'll guess that they've gone with the 'Gay Cruising' line before. Due to the wind assistance, they also got to explore the whole 'Gay Blows' angle. Nice. However, I still have no idea what an 'Eye-Popping Hooker' is. Anyone?
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