There are lots of photos and videos of these eight hot men after the jump. The swimmers in the video are: Frederick Bousquet, Romain Magula, Grégory Mallet, Maxime Bussière, Florent Manaudou, Camille Lacourt, Dorian Gandin, and Fabien Gilot.

Hat tip to OhLaLaMag and Queerty.

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Photo: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

The people have spoken. Outsports readers picked American gymnast as the 2012 King of the Hardwood, emblematic of the hottest athlete. He beat out defending champion Eric Decker in the finals at the end of a 64-man tournament. Contest organizer Mariner Duck Guy (who does an amazing job putting this together every year) wrote this on our Discussion Board:

In the closest Championship Match ever, the winner of King of the Hardwood VIII:

Jake Dalton 50.4%
Eric Decker 49.6%

Photos of the new champ:

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I have the feeling that pro-athlete photos like Humphries’ will become increasingly common. Pro soccer player Lance Parker hasn’t been afraid to show off his body. And there’s more and more money for men with lean bodies to take off their clothes in front of a camera.

A little insight into the photo shoot, from HollywoodLife.com:

Kris, 27, was apparently interested in doing the shoot because of the James Bond action hero theme and “he thought it would be a fun thing to do. He’s a guy, so the action figure theme was appealing. Plus, he wanted to help out his friend, stylist Derek Warburton, who is WestEast‘s fahion director,” an insider told Hollywoodlife.com.

While European athletes have been naked in videos, photos and ad campaigns for a decade, American pro athletes are starting to break into this more and more. We’re not complaining!

By the way, did you notice the automatic weapon in the background of the photo? What were you looking at?

You can see more of Chris Logan’s work on his Web site.

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Do you agree with our straight-female friend’s picks? My guess is Brandon McCarthy would now be near the top of the Outsports list…

PHOTO: Apr 28, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano reacts during batting practice before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

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Derek Dimke

With the NFL Draft this week, we decided to check out the prospects via the best way for a guy to find the relationship he’s looking for: Grindr. Profiles for some of this week’s draftees highlight everything they have to bring to a relationship, no matter what somebody’s looking for. Soft hands? We’ve got those. Lean bodies? Yep, done. Cox? Yes, we even have a Cox.

Check out the NFL Draft Grindr profiles we “dug up.” Most of the text for the athlete’s Grindr profiles was taken directly from what scouts have said about the player. “Versatile” indeed. 

Which draftee would you want to be 200 feet from?

Photo credits: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE; Kelly Lambert-US PRESSWIRE; Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE; Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE; Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE; Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE.

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Rugby's Alex Cheesman

Voting has started in the Sweet 16 of the King of the Hardwood contest, and it is dominated by NFL and rugby players. Still alive is 2011 champion Eric Decker of the Denver Broncos, one of six NFL players. One to keep an eye based based on his photo for aussieBum (full photo below) is 23-year-old English rugby player Alex Cheeseman, one of four from his sport.

Here are the matchups in the Sweet 16 (vote here):

Rob Gronkowski (NFL) vs. Alexandre Pato (soccer); John Carlson (NFL) vs. Jordy Nelson (NFL); Ryan Harrison (tennis) vs. Eric Decker (NFL); Drew Stanton (NFL) vs. Jake Locker (NFL); Alex Cheesman (rugby) vs. Ryan Kesler (hockey); Brett Lawrie (baseball) vs. Danny Care (rugby); Jake Dalton (gymnastics) vs. Danny Cipriani (rugby); Sidney Crosby (NHL) vs. David Pocok (rugby).

Yes, you will notice that all 16 jocks are white. Layne, aka Mariner Duck Guy from our discussion board, is very inclusive when assembly the full field of 64, so don’t blame him if these guys are not your taste, but those are the ones who got the most votes. Layne even detected some ballot-box stuffing that he investigated this year.

As promised, Alex Cheesman in aussieBum:

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Outsports: I first came across your name on a gay Web site. Then another. It seems you’ve built quite a following among gay men. How do you feel about that?
Lance Parker: I am happy that I have been able to grow a fan base that appreciates my soccer and modeling, regardless of who they are.

How long have you been a model? How did you get your start?
I have been modeling for only a couple of years now, on and off. It all started one day at the airport when I was flying out for a soccer game and was approached by someone that told me I had nice legs. My first thought was that they were just creeping on me, but then we got to talking for a bit. They had some people that they wanted me to meet regarding modeling, and so we exchanged information. I was thinking that they probably told this to just about everyone they ran into, but I figured, what’s the worst that could come from it. Whenever I was back from the trip, they got in contact with me, we met up, and the next day I was with a modeling agency. I never really saw myself modeling, but I was happy that I had a way to bring in some extra income. And although I don’t ever really have time to model during my soccer season, it has become something that I really enjoy doing whenever I have some off time.

The vast majority of pro athletes in America would never do underwear or speedo photo shoots. Why do you think that is?
I think it all has to do with just being comfortable in your own skin, and also your surroundings. When I first started modeling, I was a bit uneasy about it, but the more I did it, and the more practice I had, the more comfortable and confident I became. While some guys would never even consider doing a photo shoot, I bet a vast majority of players would consider it if they were put in a comfortable environment and had enough self confidence in the way that they would look in the pictures.

Do you do anything differently when you model? We hear of guys dehydrating themselves right before a shoot. Is that one reason it’s hard to model during the season?
The main reason that it is hard to model during the season is because many shoots last anywhere from 1-3 full days. Seeing how I have a practice or game almost every day during the soccer season, it makes it very difficult to have time for a shoot since I cannot be at it all day long.

Also, you usually have to fly to a different city for the shoot, and that takes an extra day as well. There are definitely different things I have to do when I am modeling, as oppose to playing soccer. While I am playing soccer, I have a bit more leniency on what I can eat. Also, since I have to be extremely explosive and strong to be a goal keeper, the way I train is different. When I am not playing soccer and just modeling, I have to focus on my diet a lot more, and my workouts change. During this time I need my body to look good, and not necessarily have the strength that I normally would during soccer season. All show, and no go. As for guys dehydrating themselves when they model, some do, but I choose not to. You can look a little extra cut and shredded out, but it is terrible for your body.

Have you gotten teased about it by teammates?
Haha, yes. I had done a pretty good job about keeping my modeling a secret from most everyone except for my family and close friends, until this past year. A few of my teammates were looking around on the computer, and when they searched my name, a bunch of my modeling pictures came up. The cat’s out of the bag! A few days later, I came into the locker room to find some of those pictures, blown up to poster size, hanging up on the walls of the main room and showers. It was all in good fun though, and we all had a laugh.

Why are you so comfortable with it?
Like I said earlier, it took some time for me to become comfortable and confident in front of the camera. I think it is like any other thing that you do. The more that you practice that certain craft, the better you will become at it.

Have you ever played on a team with an openly gay player?
No, I have never been a part of a team where I had an openly gay teammate.

How do you think your current team would accept an openly gay teammate?
All of my teammates are really great guys, and everyone gets along with everyone. We have become just one big family. Some teams have these cliques where certain guys will only hang out with certain other guys, and not really talk with anyone else. My team does not have that. So if we were to have an openly gay teammate, I am sure that he would be accepted just as everyone else is, and would have no problem becoming a part of our family.

How often do you hear gay slurs like “fag” in practice, in the locker room, or during a game?
I have actually not heard it much at all, if ever lately. I don’t know if that’s just due to the slur becoming outdated, or people actually starting to realize how much damage it could have on someone.

Do you have gay friends or relatives?
Yes, I have actually become friends with many gay people. Seeing as how the majority of people in the fashion and modeling world are gay, I have had the chance to meet people with all different kinds of personalities and backgrounds. I feel very lucky to have been able to create the great friendships I have through the years.

Are “gay” issues being discussed more amongst your teammates?
No, it doesn’t seem to be a topic that comes up very much, so we never really have a reason to talk about it.

How do you feel about gay marriage?
I think that if two people love each other, then they should be able to be together, regardless of who they are.

Black and white photos courtesy of Scott Teitler for Fantastics Magazine. Color photos courtesy of Chosen Models.

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Jake Dalton (Photo: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE)

Voting is underway in the round of 64 for the King of the Hardwood, where fans choose the hottest male athlete. The contest, run by Mariner Duck Guy from our Discussion Board, is an annual favorite. Gymnast Jake Dalton (photo right) is handily defeating baseball’s Dan Uggla in this round.

This round also includes defending champion Eric Decker of the Denver Bronocos. He made news this week when it was announced he was engaged to country singer Jessie James. It’s easy to see why Decker won a year ago:

(Photo: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

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