I have to wonder from reading this article if the author has ever played volleyball, or any sport for that matter.

Beach volleyball takes a highly difficult team sport, cuts the team down to a third and moves players from solid ground to sand.

I also find it quite ridiculous that their attire comes into question. Have you seen tennis players lately? At least these women have a few excuses to wear what they do. In my experiences with sand, the more clothing you wear the more places it has to hide and chafe and irritate.

Riiiiight. So the male beach volleyball players must be in constant pain -- indeed, barely able to function -- from all that chafing and irritation, seeing as how they're fully dressed. Except, hold on! Their game doesn't seem to be affected by all that extra fabric.

If anything, the women are chafing more, from all the sand they are no doubt accumulating in their barely-protected netherparts.

The uniforms are a product of blatant sexism, nothing more.

I've always found Kerry Walsh to be a sexist.

Rinkrat, would you prefer they wear unitards and flowered swimcaps? Or perhaps whale-bone corsets?

I agree that the author seems to be a pasty faced non-athlete who has probably never competed in anything more physically challenging than a raffle. I think the beach volleyball dress might have something to do with the fact that this a sport which evolved at the BEACH, where swimsuits are oddly enough viewed as acceptable attire.

Yeah, you might think that if you didn't think about it very long. As above, the men's outfits are not bathing suits. They wear long sleeveless Ts and baggy shorts. The men's game evolved on the beach as well, didn't it?

It says nothing about the talent of the women in the sport to point out how ridiculous their costumes are.

When you consider all the science that has gone into designing competitive wear for the various other Olympic sports, why in the world would a sport that requires all kinds of jumping, twisting, falling, etc rely on skimpy outfits that are just begging for a wardrobe malefunciont.

If I recall beach volley ball in my few times on spring break, that was exactly the point of playing volleyball in skimpy outfits.

I've played a lot of beach volleyball with adults, and I've found that a woman usually puts on at least shorts if she's wearing aswimsuit.

many of the men play shirtless, and with the amount of diving and laying out involved in the game, banana-hammocks are as impractical as they are visually unappealing (to both men and women for the most plart).

Is there a rule by either IOC or AVP which forbids female cometitors from wearing shorts? If not, shouldn't we be punishing the women for choosing to dress as they do? After all, everyone knows that the burqa was originally designed as proper athletic attire for women with an "appropriate" level of body issues....

Ya, May and Walsh are probably crying their eyes out ........... all the way to the bank.

lol

"The uniforms are a product of blatant sexism, nothing more."

An opinion wholly borne out of ignorance. Ever notice what competitive runners (both long and short distance) wear? You think women marathoners are wearing crop tops and spankies because of some evil sexist conspiracy? Ever consider that there may be some performance-related reasons for wearing those uniforms?

Men wear shirts because they need something for their numbers and corporate/team logos. They don't wear speedos because it's a sport invented/popularized in America, and speedos aren't exactly common beach wear in teh US.

Yeah, why do female runners wear those little outfits and the guys don't?

If men in volley ball wear full shirts for their numbers and logos, then why don't women? And why would the fact that speedos on men are not common in America have anything to do with performance wear? If the women wear little bitty outfits for volleyball because it makes them perform better, then why aren't the men's wear similarly little bitty?

Maybe it is a conspiracy in your mind....

Yes, actually there was a rule that required women to wear bikinis. There was an outcry against it at the time -- mostly from the women (naturally). Why couldn't women just wear shorts? But there is no arguing with a sport's governing body, no pun intended.

If you think about it, a lot of sports outfits are designed at least in part from tradition, not any particular purpose. What's up with the weird baseball socks?

Also, gymnasts always cry and hug after their routines. Is that athletic?

"Yeah, why do female runners wear those little outfits and the guys don't?"

Probably because guys are too uptight to do so. Although if you look at triathlons, many men transition right through and run in their speedos. It probably does feel and work better, so long as you're not too self conscious. I doubt that track and field women went to lighter, form fitting outfits because of some evil sexist conspiracy.

"If men in volley ball wear full shirts for their numbers and logos, then why don't women?"

Because women have sportsbras/bikini tops that serve the same purpose. Many guys wear tank tops, so I'm guessing lighter coverage is preferred to heavy shirts. A woman is mostly likely going to wear a sportsbra anyway, so why wear a shirt over it?

"And why would the fact that speedos on men are not common in America have anything to do with performance wear?"

Because beach volleyball was started in America so it's not unusual that beach volleyball attire closely mimics American beach attire. That's probably why guys wear shorts instead of speedos, and women wear bikinis instead of baggy shorts. If it had started in Europe, maybe we'd have men in speedos and topless women, who knows.

"Maybe it is a conspiracy in your mind...."

Or maybe just in yours. Maybe you should talk to some professional athletes and find out for yourself. The women distance runners I know have no issue with the tight tops and bottoms.

Boy, have you all not played or talked to volleyball players much? Okay, let me explain the origins of the outfit.

Women's indoor volleyball outfit is something called "Buns". They are a little like a cross between hotpants and a bathing suit. Many women who have used this pant will not play in shorts because they find the shorts restrictive of their movement. This is the same reason why female gymnasts wear leotards. It is all about not having material over the thigh. If you are a guy, compare how boxers restrict your leg movement and how tighty whities don't. It isn't a big deal, but over the course of a two hour match (indoor games) or at a very high level (olympic beach volleyball) it can make a difference. Add to the fact that the sport is played on the beach. This is what you do if you play beach volleyball, even at a high level; you play for a while, then when you are hot and sandy you walk over and jump in the ocean. Then you go back to practicing or playing. Note how nice and easy it would be if you were wearing a bathing suit at the time. Now in the Olympics they aren't going to jump in the ocean after their games. But it would be crazy to practice in one outfit and play your games in another. So lots of women prefer to practice in their swimsuits and then they play their games in their swim suits. The only outfit that they were considering switching to from a physical standpoint was biker shorts and sports bras. There is pretty much no way that a high level women volleyball player is going to put on shorts or a shirt to play in. They would just feel weighed down and constricted by all that fabric.

They guys would be more comfortable on one level if they were playing in speedos. Unless you have tried one on in a few years, you would be surprised at how nice they are to some extent. However, the public ridicule would clearly throw you off your game. So the guys wear whatever shorts are popular on the beach at the time. So they can seem cool. Board shorts are still kind of popular. And at over 6' 3" for most of them, even board shorts might look a little short on their legs. So that is what they wear. Really, the guys outfit is totally based on marketing (see the sunglass incident) and the shirts that they are wearing is mainly a chance to get additional sponsors.

Personally, I think beach volleyball is one of the best sports out there, at least to play. It is a great test of both athletic explosive power and finesse and intelligence. At the amateur level I've seen great games between old slow guys getting by on savvy, grit and strategy against young guys with perfect physics and explosive athletic ability. You won't see that in most sports unless the guys are playing completely different positions (see Favre playing QB at 39). I don't like the way they film it on TV (it should be filmed slightly from an angle) and I don't like the huge number of timeouts. But it is as good game as there is out there. And I'm happy it gets some air time when the Olympics comes around.

not according to the women themselves. They were what they want, according to them. In fact, the woman I heard interviewed said that the men would normally compete without shirts, but in competition, they have to have name, number, etc, on their body. The woman I heard said that they don't think of their suits as revealing, only as a really good piece of athletic wear. Just FYI