It took 85 minutes, but it was inevitable. The Americans were up 3-0 on Denmark in tbe first game of the 1999 Women's World Cup, the rout was on and the only thing left to talk about was how hot Mia Hamm is.

Please take my comments about Hamm with a grain of salt. I don't resent her popularity. She probably is the best female soccer player in the world (even if the mantle was placed on her head a bit prematurely, in part because of her "marketability"), so any attention that goes her way is mostly justified. And she is, by just about any objective measure and standard available, extremely attractive. Most guys I know drool when they see her. That ad where she sweats a lot and mud drips from her face? I've seen grown men whimper as they watch it. They don't appreciate it when I bring up her Marine pilot husband.

Okay, that said, there is still no need to go off on how hot she is while a game is being played. Do we hear about Steve "Sweet Cheeks" Young every time he throws a touchdown pass? I don't recall any mention of Brady Anderson's photogenic qualities during any Orioles games I've watched. And for as many Bulls games I've seen, I never heard the announcers once mention the fact that Michael Jordan is, in fact, a very handsome man. Though, to be fair, his smile was discussed from time to time.

There are guys who watch women's sports merely to watch a good game. Yes, I suppose it is hard not to notice that Hamm (or Kate Sobrero or Cindy Parlow, for that matter) are attractive women, probably more so when they are in action (on the field; get your minds out of the gutter). I mean, I was always happy to see Marcus Allen's backfield in motion. But it is possible to get a little rise (no pun intended) and still enjoy the sporting spectacle. Women's sports aren't solely about sex. In fact, they're mostly not about sex.

The WNBA still hasn't figured this out. Probably because it is run by the NBA, which is run by rich white guys, perhaps the least enlightened segment of our society. There's more than one reason why most of the best players played in the ABL. But that's a side point. I'm off track.

All I'm trying to say is that women's sports are more than the latest version of a beauty pageant. Some women find sports (both playing and watching) empowering and uplifting. We appreciate the power and grace of female athletes, regardless of physical beauty. And we're not all a bunch of raging dykes, either. I'm really tired of people whipping that old saw about as well. There's no need for successful athletes to have to defend their sexuality, whatever it may be.

Because sexuality doesn't enter into it. And sex appeal shouldn't, at least not during the games themselves. Guys, if you haven't been able to wrap your brains around it yet, think of women's sports the way you think of the Lilith Fair or Steel Magnolias or other "chick" things. We like to see women doing what we do. Saying what we say. Thinking what we think. We like to imagine ourselves as having the tenacity and talent of a Mia Hamm, the sweet moves of a Cynthia Cooper, the all-out power of a Dot Richardson. Just like you guys like to imagine yourselves as Dwight Clark making "the catch" or Joe Carter winning the World Series with a bottom-of-the-ninth homer or Michael Jordan hitting the championship shot once again.

That's the irony here. Women have watched men play sports since spectator sports were invented. And if women were barred, many wore disguises and showed up as men. It's about time the shoe fit the other foot. I know there are enlightened guys out there who can appreciate women's sports on their own terms. It's not hard. Almost every woman you see on television is a superior athlete. And I'm not uptight about sex. Believe me, sexual objectification has its place. All I'm asking is that you get the timing right. During a game is not to time for a play-by-play announcer to comment on Mia Hamm's physical beauty. After the game? In a profile? In a story? Sure, I can see that. I still find it somewhat annoying, but a case can be made for it, especially since her appeal is tied somewhat to her appearance. But not during the game. Bob Lea has called many soccer games, including many women's games. But his comments about Hamm left boothmate Wendy Gebauer almost speechless, and for good reason.

Mia Hamm is hot. No questions asked. But on the field, she's the best player in the world. And that's what should be discussed.

Tyler Jane Barley enjoys soccer and other physical pursuits in St. Petersburg, Fla.