Well, get your DVRs ready, there’s going to be a lot of Hope and Peace in this fall’s Dancing with the Stars, and no our President is not competing. Instead, Lakers forward Ron Artest or the “Player Who’d Rather Be Called Metta World Peace”, and US Women’s National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo have been announced as dancers, per ESPN.com.
- Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images via Zimbio
Solo, who has been the starter for the U.S. since 2005, was instrumental in the team’s runner-up finish at the 2011 World Cup.
Artest, meanwhile, refused to confirm rumors he was on the show earlier Monday.
“They asked me but I just don’t feel comfortable wearing leotards and lingerie,” Artest told the “Max & Marcellus” show on ESPNLA 710. “I’m afraid. I just don’t want to be dancing and have a wedgie and have a Janet Jackson kind of mistake, now my bootie is all out. I just don’t want that stuff. I can’t dance. I like Prince but I don’t want to wear the same clothes as Prince.”
Artest had recently said he plans to play for the Cheshire Jets of the British Basketball League during the NBA lockout but the team hasn’t offered Artest insurance which could prevent him from joining the team.
Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images via Zimbio
What’s this mean? Well for starters it’s a sign that both Disney and Ron Artest are confident that the NBA Lockout is here to stay. The show is set to air its premiere on September 19, about ten days before NBA camps traditionally start. Both the league and the players association are set to meet on Wednesday, in another attempt to close ground on a new CBA. So while Artest takes the dancing gig to keep busy, it’s a different story for Hope Solo.
Solo joins the cast as just another popular American athlete to compete on the show following a showcase on the world’s stage. Speed skater Apollo Ohno competed after the 2006 games in Turin, and gymnast Shawn Johnson joined the show after the Beijing games in 2008. Plus, a beautiful Hope Solo in a sequinned dress? Chalk that up as a ratings win.
Now, can we start a petition to get Alex Morgan on the show?
For up-to-the-minute buzz, follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook Fan Page.
Michael Castillo is an aspiring writer and artist from Los Angeles. He's currently studying at the University of Southern California. Castillo's work has appeared on ESPN, Yahoo! Sports and SB Nation. He's a National College Football columnist for FanSided.com, and is the Co-Lead Editor at Reign of Troy, covering USC athletics. He is also an Editorial Director for FanSided's College Network, and a member of the Football Writers' Association of America.
All LA Sports
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Galaxy
UCLA Bruins
USC Trojans
