Really, they were just beautiful women in dresses. But the fact that they were basketball players seemed to make all the difference in the world. Last fall, when Florida State University launched its new women’s basketball Web site, seminolehoops.com, they sparked a blaze of unpredicted controversy. It seemed that the concept of women athletes in glamorous attire was a touchy subject. Radio shows received calls, FSU’s media relations phone lines lit up, and Head Coach Sue Semrau found herself facing and responding to tough questions about beauty, identity and femininity in sports.

“Most people will say that any press is good press, and this definitely drove a lot of people to our site,” said Semrau, the head coach of the Seminoles since 1997. “God knew what would happen, so we’ve used it as an opportunity to teach life lessons to our players.”