Samantha Ponder-Steele, ESPN
Samantha Ponder's star has been rising, essentially, since the day she graduated college in 2009. She was immediately hired by FOX Sports as a sideline reporter and made the jump to ESPN's Longhorn Network in 2011.
But Ponder's popularity exploded in 2012, when she was pegged as the successor to the dearly departing Erin Andrews, and joined the College GameDay crew. Her much buzzed-about romance with Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder quickly gave way to an even more buzzed-about marriage.
The couple were married in late 2012, but are apparently planning another wedding in April.
I suspect their quickie first wedding was orchestrated as a loophole to having to save themselves until their real wedding.
Sarah Savage, WAG
The last year has been quite a ride for Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, a freshman charged with the mighty task of replacing Ryan Tannehill, who was chosen by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
From relative obscurity to Heisman-winning "Johnny Football," who handed mighty Alabama their only loss of the calendar year—all in a matter of months. Along for the ride, every step of the way, has been his girlfriend Sarah Savage, a part-time model.
Savage's online popularity has rivaled Manziel's, and every time these two are spotted in public, it's breaking news all over the web.
Jenn Sterger, Sports Personality
During a nationally televised Florida State football game, ESPN's resident eagle-eyed FBI (Female Body Inspector) Brent Musberger spotted Jenn Sterger in the stands and famously remarked,
"I think 1,500 red-blooded American men just decided to go to FSU next semester." Why does that sound so familiar?
Musberger's shoutout led to a slew of opportunities for Sterger, including appearances in Maxim and Playboy. In 2008 she was hired by the Jets to be their "Gameday Host," which we all know is where she crossed paths with Brett Favre.
Sterger was one of the most talked about women in sports in 2010, after Deadspin published an explosive article detailing Favre's skeevy attempts to lure the busty brunette into his clutches.
An unfortunate way to be immortalized in sports history.
Allison Stokke, Track and Field
Former University of California pole vaulter Allison Stokke has been one of the most buzzed about female athletes on the web, dating back to her freshman year with the Bears in 2008.
How she was discovered is a bit of a mystery, but from what I've gathered, it seems like some creeper got the ball rolling by publishing her track photos somewhere on the web. Those photos were quite popular with men browsing the web looking for hot broads.
They were less popular with her father, Allan Stokke, a top criminal lawyer in California, who didn't appreciate seeing his little girl plastered all over the web. He eventually sued everyone on the Internet twice and had her photos pulled from the Cal website. Ms. Allison dropped off the face of the earth for years, but has since resurfaced on Twitter. Please don't go perving on her like this weirdo.
Brittney Palmer, UFC Ring Girl
Brittney Palmer has been working as a UFC octagon girl for the last four years. In January 2013, she was named the Ring Girl of the Year at the World MMA Awards in Las Vegas.
Palmer is one of the most well-known female personalities in the male-dominated sport, routinely making guest appearances on shows like The Ultimate Fighter.
Outside of MMA, Palmer is an accomplished performer who has appeared in a number of shows on the Vegas strip, as well as a successful artist. In March 2012, she was featured on the cover of Playboy.
Palmer maintains an impressive presence on social media—to date she has collected over 150,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 50,000 Likes on Facebook.
Lindsey Vonn, U.S. Women's Skiing
The Winter Olympics only happen once every four years, but unlike so many snow bunnies, gold-medal winning alpine skier Lindsey Vonn doesn't disappear from the headlines in the interim. Thanks to her success on the slopes, Vonn is one of the most recognizable female athletes in the world. Although, high-profile appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and ESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue have definitely contributed to her fame. In recent years Vonn has become a red-carpet regular at award shows, magazine parties and Hollywood premieres.
In 2011 Vonn found herself at the center of "Tebow Mania," after she celebrated a win by 'Tebowing,' sparking rumors that she and a member of the Tebow clan were dating.More recently, Vonn has made headlines for a rumored romance with an even bigger sports star—Tiger Woods. Details are scarce, but the pair have been spotted together in Europe recently. Something tells me this is gonna be a very big story this year.
Kate Upton, SI Model/WAG
Busty model Kate Upton has been on the scene for the last few years, but she had a breakout year in 2012. Thanks in large part to landing the coveted cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and the flurry of publicity that comes along with it. She was rumored to have been dating Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez early in the year, but that was never officially confirmed. In February, Upton landed a spot in an ad for MLB2K12, which is where she met Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who she seems to have been dating ever since. In June she teamed up with photographer Terry Richardson, who filmed Upton doing her best 'Cat Daddy' demonstration in a barely-there bikini. The video has received over 12 million views to date. Hopefully we're in for an encore performance in 2013.
Katherine Webb, Model/WAG
Two weeks ago, there was nary a soul outside the state of Alabama who aware of the existence of Katherine Webb, a former Miss Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University.
Then she attended the 2013 BCS Championship to support her boyfriend, Bama quarterback A.J. McCarron, and attracted the wandering eye of ESPN's Brent Musberger a number of times during the live broadcast. Perhaps bored by the blowout on the field, Musberger made a habit of returning the discussion to Webb, shamelessly gushing about her throughout the game. But in his defense—he wasn't the only one impressed by the beauty queen. Prior to Musberger's musings, Webb had no more than a hundred or so followers on Twitter. By the end of the game, that number had skyrocketed to over 100,000 and has since ballooned to 270,000 and counting.Among her followers are NBA superstar LeBron James, NFL player Darnell Dockett and bloated, bronzed business blowhard Donald Trump.
Webb's sudden fame has been good for business, too. She is set to appear in the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and will be covering the Super Bowl for Inside