Are women's bodies really THAT different?

[SoCalDem]

In most sports that both sexes participate in, the "uniform" is pretty much the same (except for the obvious ones like ice skating)..Danica, the race driver wore the same get up as the guys..female jockeys wear the same gear...baseball/softball players wear the same..soccer..ditto..

Why does the body difference go completely haywire in ONE sport?

I'm thinking volleyball....Men dress in comfy loose "uniforms", and then there are the getups that women "get to/want to" wear..

The old lady in me wants to tell these women that the huge crowds they draw (mostly male?) are not about their level of play..The feminist in me says they should wear what they want...but do they really want to wear those brightly colored spandex bandaids? or are the using their bodies to generate "heat" for their sport??



GUY....................................................................not guy

[grace0418]

1. Yuck

I don't want to see her butt sweat. And don't those get-ups cause serious grundies?

[SoCalDem]

3. My point exactly.. How can they feel "comfortable"

in a sport that requires diving into sand...jumping...running.. with a sand-coated,neoprene wedgie:shrug:

and of course the only photos that the AP can seem to get of these women, are the ones shot low, from behind, or onces where the "players" embrace each other...or ...(well you get my drift).

[redqueen]

2. Treating women like props seems to be getting more popular, not less.

:(

[gmoney]

9. Treating PEOPLE like props...

...it's everywhere.

[MissHoneychurch]

4. those "uniforms" are requirements

the girls don't wear those short pants for fun. There is one case that a team had to pay a fine because they wore longer pants

[progressoid]

5. That's crazy.

What century is this??

[SoCalDem]

6. and if all the players refused, would women's volleyball cease to exist?

That's the problem.."someone" is forcing those uniforms on them to 'sex up' their sport.

I guess soccer could be played in bikinis, and so could other sports, but when women aske to be taken seriously, and then tolerate a dress code that makes no sense...well.....

[Piltdown13]

7. Same thing with track uniforms

At least in high school, we got to wear regular running shorts like the guys, but in college....well, the guys kept their shorts while we switched to "briefs" with our singlets (a little more coverage than a bikini, but not much). According to my coach, the briefs were "more aerodynamic" than shorts; I didn't believe this for a second, because if it were true, you better believe the guys would be wearing Speedos or the like. Unfortunately, it came down to a team vote, and most of my teammates bought into the "aerodynamics" explanation, so I spent four years with a wedgie. Those damn things actually flattered only about ten percent of the women at the average meet -- most of the distance runners were skinny enough that the briefs were actually baggy, and most everyone else had a large enough backside that they rode up unmercifully. Nothing quite so classy as watching race after race end with each participant pulling her uniform out of her ass as she crosses the finish line.

[gmoney]

8. They don't want the tan lines?

<flamebait removed>

And I'm sure there's the commercial/prurient appeal of scantily clad women. These women are fully aware of it when they take up the sport -- they are ENTERTAINERS first and foremost, as are all other athletes. It's like wondering why Vegas showgirls don't wear long sleeve sweaters and cargo pants.

And besides, if I had the body of a professional athlete, you couldn't keep the clothing ON me... of all the things in the world to complain about.

Would it help if we blamed the tiny outfits on global warming?

[XemaSab]

11. Most female athletes are NOT

entertainers.

Cheerleaders yes, volleyball players maybe, most other female athletes no.

Do men play sports just to be looked at? Even the pickup game in the corner lot?

NO.

[gmoney]

12. Right, but all PROFESSIONAL athletes are entertainers.

If you want to play volleyball in your backyard, you can wear a suit of armor if you like... but if you want to get paid and play on TV, it's going to be made entertaining, including the uniform.

Look at baseball uniforms... they are a LOT more snug than in the old days. Same with football uniforms (although there tight clothes serve a function in not providing an easy place to grip). It's an effort to make the athletes look more like the V shaped male ideal, which makes them look more athletic to males, and may provide a certain sex appeal to women and some men.

And the pickup game at the corner lot is largely a form of entertainment and showmanship, especially these days, since everyone imagines themselves as part of the movie "White Men Can't Jump" -- people still get mugged for their pricey shoes or jerseys.

Back in the day, men basketball players wore pretty tiny uniforms -- not sure if it was to keep cool, or to emphasize their physique or freedom of motion. Today, the NBA uniforms are strictly fashion, and the fashion is LONG shorts and baggy. Same for the WNBA players... who are lucky to get a respectable number of people at a game and more than a handful of games on TV. I don't know... would dressing these players like beach volleyballers boost the ratings/turnout? I doubt it would hurt.

But when did women't soccer finally start getting attention... when they started marketing that adorable Mia Hamm, and when Brandi Chastain took off her jersey. If she hadn't done so, would that women's championship have received more than a passing mention on TV or other MSM? Not too likely.

Sex sells. It sells to men and women. All the professional sports are competing for ad dollars and ticket sales, and they'll do everything they can to leverage an attractive player, whether it's based on ability or looks or some other intangible. Would Michael Jordan be Michael Jordan if he wasn't photogenic and well-spoken and ENTERTAINING? They might have won the championships, but he probably wouldn't be as visible outside the game as he's been, even in the years since his retirements. Anna Kournikova isn't the greatest woman tennis player, but I'll bet she gets a higher percentage of her matches on TV than other players with similar ranking. It's all part of the entertainment.

[StopTheMorans]

10. it's a "beach" sport, like surfing

men wear popular men's beach wear, while women wear popular women's beach wear (similar to surfing). i would assume that this is why regular women's volleyball players (not beach volleyball) don't dress like this :shrug: