U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo will debut on the newest season of “Dancing With the Stars” on Monday night, joining NBA star Ron Artest as the latest athletes to trytheir hand at the foxtrot, two-step and the Viennese waltz.
“I don’t think I should have been the first from the team to be chosen for the show because of my dance moves,” Soloconfided. “Lauren Cheney can really bust a move.”
That may be true, but Solo is the one fast becoming a pop culture icon, writes Dave Skretta. After losing in crushing fashion at the World Cup final in Germany, Solo has exploded into the public consciousness, recognized by soccer fans, sports fans and thegeneral public alike.
She appeared on the “Late Show” with David Letterman along with teammate Abby Wambach, attended the New York City premier for the finalseason of HBO’s “Entourage” with teammate Alex Morgan, and landed high-profile endorsement contracts with Gatorade and Bank of America. Solo is approaching 300,000followers on Twitter, has embarked on numerous media tours to promote women’s soccer and conducted more youth clinics than she can count.
Now she’s dancing with the stars. Solois partnering with “Dancing With the Stars” veteran Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the popular ABC television show, which pits athletes, celebrities and other personalities in adance contest in which viewer votes help determine the winner.