3 ms·

> men’s and women’s volleyball and beach volleyball As a former volleyball and beach volley professional player, albeit not at the highest levels: this is a fa

> men’s and women’s volleyball and beach volleyball As a former volleyball and beach volley professional player, albeit not at the highest levels: this is a false argument and often in bad faith. There have been drastic changes over the decades in the volleyball uniforms, especially for women. Sport gear evolved enormously, female players in the late 80s (the oldest I can remember watching in person) wore bodysuits similar to those gymnasts use and a t-shirt on that. Now they wear much longer shorts, like swimmers do. Men wore very short shorts, compared to the NBA style that they use now. The attire has always been fit to the body to avoid involuntary net invasions. There was a time when the players used baggy uniforms and it caused a lot of issues. Men now wear skintight sleeveless t-shirt (almost tank tops) because they cause less friction on the shoulders. They are also required to tuck them in, again, to avoid fouls. Nowadays the two uniforms are very similar, except the shorts, because men genitalia are different from women's, and, especially, if it's about people jumping up and down constantly, you do not want to show too clearly what's actually happening down there in television. Beach volley it's another story entirely, when the sport started on California beaches players dressed in the surfer's fashion, men and women alike. Soon women realized that having the literal sand in your unders during a game is quite uncomfortable and opted for more succinct swimsuits, where less sand could deposit, while men where stuck with their surf shorts, because, again, men in speedos jumping up and down and rolling in the sand, is not exactly viewer advisory safe. To put it in another way, players could go and wear whatever they like, but rest assured that uniforms are designed to maximize performances, not looks. There's a reason why full body swimsuits are banned from professional swimming competitions, and it's not because "someone in charge" wants to show more naked skin to the audience. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZR_Racer edit: grammar

OldGuyInTheClub 4y ago
The international volleyball governing body intentionally upped the sex appeal side of things in the mid 1990s. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/30/sports/IHT-for-volleyballs-guru-sex-appeal-is-key-to-future.html https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/30/sports/IHT-for-volleyball... "For Volleyball's Guru, Sex Appeal Is Key to Future" ..."Over the course of the monthlong competition, federation officials — at Acosta's insistence — cajoled, fined and finally paid off teams to conform to the new dress code. The final bit of business at the championships was not the presentation of the winner's trophy, but the most fashionable team award as judged by an expert panel — headed by Acosta."...
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago
  this is how female volleyball players dressed in 1980 - pre Acosta era. https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/gazette.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/d6/fd6a1e88-d75e-5b8d-8405-696a3ba0a1e2/5b334a3503041.image.jpg?crop=1269%2C1269%2C181%2C0&resize=1269%2C1269&order=crop%2Cresize https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/gazette.com/con... I can't see much difference with later periods. Acosta is the man that made volleyball the hugely popular sport it is today on screen, of course he wanted teams to be fashionable and appealing to the audience, just like I want my F1 cars to look beautiful and aggressive and the pilots to be all around cool people with the winner vibe. And that's why Formula-E it's not very popular: cars are ugly and slow and pilots are mostly former mid-low-never-won-a-race field drivers from other more important categories. But if some team for any reason developed an uniform a bit less fashionable, but that gave even the slightest advantage in terms of performances, competitors would have copied them verbatim in the blink of an eye. The best way to be sex appealing is winning.
  - OldGuyInTheClub 4y ago
    He brought in the mandatory high-cut bikini bottoms for the women beach players as was described in the NYT article and many others. If you're defending Acosta and his notorious practices, we have nothing further to discuss.
    - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
      The NYT article you mention is behind paywall. If you don't want to discuss nothing else than what you think it's the point of a discussion, it's fine by me, but I also believe it means you never had anything to add to the discussion in the first place. I am not a judge, I am simply a former mediocre sportsman, with some knowledge about the movement. Acosta left the federation in 2008, 15 years ago, the bikini in beach volley stayed though, even though it was never mandatory for anybody. Maybe we could ask Alix Klineman (look up who she is) why "Beach volleyball was a sport that was developed in Hawaii and Southern California and on the beaches of Rio. And you play, and it's hot, and then you go and jump in the water. One-piece bathing suits won't work, because the sand gets inside and chafes; in fact, the players say, the less material that can trap sand, the better." Ross and her partner Alix Klineman, who helped design their own uniforms, also said it's important that the straps don't restrict her movement or breathing. "For us, this is what feels most comfortable. You're not wearing more clothing in really hot weather; getting sand stuck in places is not fun. But I totally respect other people wanting to be more covered if that's what makes them more comfortable" I confess I believe her more than I believe some anonymous rando on the internet. I also believe she knows what she's talking about and has no hidden agenda to defend Acosta. Which neither have I anyway, I don't care if he is thrown in jail tomorrow, but it's undeniable he was the man that took volleyball from handball level of attention to a global prime time show, Athletes, every athlete, cares about the results of all the sacrifices made to arrive where they can prove themselves to the World. If playing naked gave them an advantage and they were allowed to, they would play naked. Their body is their ultimate weapon in that context, there's nothing to hide or be ashamed of in the minds of champions, when they are competing with other potential champions for victory. I am sure that if tennis player could, they would totally play shirtless.

OldGuyInTheClub 4y ago

The international volleyball governing body intentionally upped the sex appeal side of things in the mid 1990s. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/30/sports/IHT-for-volleyballs-guru-sex-appeal-is-key-to-future.html https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/30/sports/IHT-for-volleyball... "For Volleyball's Guru, Sex Appeal Is Key to Future" ..."Over the course of the monthlong competition, federation officials — at Acosta's insistence — cajoled, fined and finally paid off teams to conform to the new dress code. The final bit of business at the championships was not the presentation of the winner's trophy, but the most fashionable team award as judged by an expert panel — headed by Acosta."...

peoplefromibiza 4y ago
this is how female volleyball players dressed in 1980 - pre Acosta era. https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/gazette.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/d6/fd6a1e88-d75e-5b8d-8405-696a3ba0a1e2/5b334a3503041.image.jpg?crop=1269%2C1269%2C181%2C0&resize=1269%2C1269&order=crop%2Cresize https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/gazette.com/con... I can't see much difference with later periods. Acosta is the man that made volleyball the hugely popular sport it is today on screen, of course he wanted teams to be fashionable and appealing to the audience, just like I want my F1 cars to look beautiful and aggressive and the pilots to be all around cool people with the winner vibe. And that's why Formula-E it's not very popular: cars are ugly and slow and pilots are mostly former mid-low-never-won-a-race field drivers from other more important categories. But if some team for any reason developed an uniform a bit less fashionable, but that gave even the slightest advantage in terms of performances, competitors would have copied them verbatim in the blink of an eye. The best way to be sex appealing is winning.
- OldGuyInTheClub 4y ago
  He brought in the mandatory high-cut bikini bottoms for the women beach players as was described in the NYT article and many others. If you're defending Acosta and his notorious practices, we have nothing further to discuss.
  - peoplefromibiza 4y ago
    The NYT article you mention is behind paywall. If you don't want to discuss nothing else than what you think it's the point of a discussion, it's fine by me, but I also believe it means you never had anything to add to the discussion in the first place. I am not a judge, I am simply a former mediocre sportsman, with some knowledge about the movement. Acosta left the federation in 2008, 15 years ago, the bikini in beach volley stayed though, even though it was never mandatory for anybody. Maybe we could ask Alix Klineman (look up who she is) why "Beach volleyball was a sport that was developed in Hawaii and Southern California and on the beaches of Rio. And you play, and it's hot, and then you go and jump in the water. One-piece bathing suits won't work, because the sand gets inside and chafes; in fact, the players say, the less material that can trap sand, the better." Ross and her partner Alix Klineman, who helped design their own uniforms, also said it's important that the straps don't restrict her movement or breathing. "For us, this is what feels most comfortable. You're not wearing more clothing in really hot weather; getting sand stuck in places is not fun. But I totally respect other people wanting to be more covered if that's what makes them more comfortable" I confess I believe her more than I believe some anonymous rando on the internet. I also believe she knows what she's talking about and has no hidden agenda to defend Acosta. Which neither have I anyway, I don't care if he is thrown in jail tomorrow, but it's undeniable he was the man that took volleyball from handball level of attention to a global prime time show, Athletes, every athlete, cares about the results of all the sacrifices made to arrive where they can prove themselves to the World. If playing naked gave them an advantage and they were allowed to, they would play naked. Their body is their ultimate weapon in that context, there's nothing to hide or be ashamed of in the minds of champions, when they are competing with other potential champions for victory. I am sure that if tennis player could, they would totally play shirtless.