Deadspin: tonya+harding

Did George Steinbrenner Help "Gillooly" Nancy Kerrigan?

Dashiell Bennett — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:45:54 EDT

A news report beamed to us from the year 1994, brings together two names you never thought you'd see in the same sentence*—Tonya Harding and George Steinbrenner.

A new biography of Steinbrenner talks about George's generous support of amateur athletics and alleges that back in the day, he even gave financial support to figure skaters Nicole Bobek and Tonya Harding. Presumably, that money was to support their training, but Harding found something else it could be used for.

It later emerged that Harding's husband, Jeff Gillooly, hired a goon to smash Kerrigan's knee to help his wife's chances at the 1994 Winter Games. "After he gave money to Harding, it turned out that some of the money was used for the 'hit,' " Golenbock writes. "When George heard that, he wanted to hunt down Harding and get his money back." But Steinbrenner's rep told us: "George's people have no recollection of giving money to her and have found no records."

Maybe he should have cut out the middle man and just had Danny Tartabull hit Kerrigan with a fungo.

STEINBRENNER'S WEIRD TONYA 'LINK' [New York Post]
Steinbrenner Went Gillooly [Josh Q Public]

*Unless that sentence was, "Tonya Harding will fight a crippled George Steinbrenner on Pay-Per-View next month."

Get Your Morrison/Harding Tickets FAST

Leitch — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:00:49 EST

We are trying to decide which part of this story is the saddest and most indicative of how our planet is in an irreversible downward incline. (Or, you know, "decline," if you want to say that in fewer words.) Tonight, in Brandon, Mo., The Amateur Boxing Club of Branson — such a thing exists — is hosting its monthly Fight Night, and, to "promote" it, there will be a special appearance by both Tommy Morrison and Tonya Harding. We find it unfathomable that Tonya Harding will be attending a boxing event and be the second-biggest freakshow there.

Neither will be fighting — or, for that matter, fighting each other. They will just be standing around, being Tommy Morrison, being Tonya Harding, in Branson.

America!

The Biggest Event In Branson Ever [GO Blog]

All Opera Singers Should Wear Boxing Gloves

Leitch — Wed, 03 May 2006 15:45:46 EDT

The only way Tufts University is going to make it on a sports blog? Staging an opera about Tonya Harding, of course!.

More Peggy Fleming than Renee Fleming, "Tonya and Nancy" follows the lines of "Jerry Springer — The Opera," a London hit based on the equally lowbrow world of daytime talk TV. Al-Doory takes the well-known rivalry between the skaters and recasts it as one in which they both struggle to overcome personal troubles and public perception.

The show premiered last night and runs 40 minutes, which is our kind of opera! We think this is a logical next step in the merging of the worlds of opera and figure skating. As they say, it's not over until the fat lady sings.

Skating Scandal Made Into Opera [Boston.com]

Intimate Fantasies About ... Aw, Jeez, HER?

Leitch — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:00:19 EST

Inspired by a look back at Tonya Harding's career a couple of days ago, a reader, who must be the sports fan equivalent of a cutter, did some research into Tonya and found something so disturbing that pointing it out to you makes us feel like we might be a bad person.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the absolute worst the Web has to offer: Tonya Harding slash fiction. It's a whole message board devoted to sexual fantasies about Tonya Harding. Some things you see that you cannot unsee.

You know what's even worse about this? This is actually a section of Harding's official site. It appears this has been around for a while; perhaps nobody pointed it out before because they were in favor of the world remaining a warm, hospitable place. Alas.

Tonya Harding Fantasy [TonyaHarding.com]

Tonya Harding, The Female Butterbean

mjdeadspin — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 09:43:08 EST

The Sports Pulse takes a look back at the rise and fall (mostly fall) of Tonya Harding over the past twelve years. It's hard not to think about her and Nancy Kerrigan when the Winter Olympics roll around. It was a time when it was OK to be a figure skater and not appear to still going through puberty. Back then, in fact, the competitors were adult enough to have each other clubbed in the knees with pipes. Things were simpler then.

The years have not been kind to Tonya. It's gotten to the point where I officially feel bad for her. When anyone's doing celebrity boxing, getting barred from fighting in Florida because they weight too much, and then getting makeovers on Entertainment Tonight that don't help, I can no longer dislike them.

Twelve years ago, she could have been America's princess. Today, she's sitting around thinking, "I'd totally release another sex tape if I thought I could get back into that kind of shape."

Tonya Harding 12 Years Later [The Sports Pulse]