Shecky’s

Although US swimming sensation (and certified fox!) Ryan Lochte made a huge splash at these Olympic games and cemented his title as a serious sex symbol, the Florida-bred fella’s been getting a bit of a bad rap on the blogosphere lately, from his lackluster interview skills, limited vocab (his favorite word is the made-up, Lil Wayne-esque “Jeah!”), silly stars ‘n’ stripes grill and reported penchant for one-night stands. Sure, there definitely are elements of the meathead about the swim star, from his frat boy fashions to his less-than-A+ math aptitude, but we still love us a little Lochte, and it’s not just because of his cover boy looks and chiseled-out-of-marble bod. Here are five reasons we’re able to look past Ryan Lochte’s sometimes douche-y ways and see him for the gold medal-worthy gent that he is!

-Christina Izzo

Underneath Those Rock-Hard Abs, He’s a Big Softie

If you’ve ever heard the 11-time Olympic medalist talk about his beloved Doberman Carter, you know that underneath all of those big muscles, this sports star is a total softie. When he’s not bonding over action movies with his best bud Carter, who he calls his “big baby,” he’s hanging out with actual babies, regularly tweeting photos of his adorable baby nephew Zaydin all curled up in those bulging biceps for a shared nap. Bestill our ovaries. To make matters all the more adorable, Lochte gifted both Carter and Zaydin some seriously stylish sunnies. Too cute!

Image Credit: tumblr.com , theberry.com