BMI Stand for Blind Male Idiots

In many articles I read about fitness and weight loss something called the BMI is mentioned. I looked it up recently to find out exactly what it was and how it was calculated. BMI is the Body Mass Index. According to the CDC's web page on it, BMI is "a number that shows body weight adjusted for height." There is even a simple formula for it and the site provides a calculator. You punch in your height and weight and it tells you if you fall in to one of four categories: underweight, normal, overweight or obese.

At 5'8" and 240lbs, my BMI is 36.5. Obese. No arguments from me. But I've heard a lot of bitching about the BMI, so I decided to test it for myself. I went to cnnsi and pulled stats about different athletes and punched them in. It's been interesting.

Jerome Bettis is considered Obese on the BMI. Now, you Steelers fans know that Jerome is a big boy, so I thought I could let that one pass.

I tried Ben Roethlisberger next. He's a tall man and in great shape obviously. According to the BMI, he's overweight.

Okay, I figured it's all the muscle, right? It's throwing it off. So I looked at the kicker, Chris Gardocki, one of the few guys on the team listed as less than 200lbs. BMI says? Overweight.

Well, maybe a different sport then. I turned to my Boston Red Sox and speedy outfielder Trot Nixon. At 6'2" and 210lbs, Trot is considered overweight and actually pushing obese a little by the BMI. I looked up Michael Jordan's old playing weight. BMI says he's overweight. Did that man have an ounce of fat on him????

Who came up with this horse shit? And how much did they pay him?