Following up on
my post earlier today, early in
the article referred to therein, Buzz Bissinger refers to watching women's beach volleyball in the Olympics. In what appears to be the journalistic equivalent of opening a presentation with a joke, Bissinger confesses that he watches "not because it's a sport" but because he enjoys watching "skimpily-clad, leggy women rolling in sand." As a lead-in to an article primarily about the abuse of female gymnasts, this is a bit odd and opens him to various criticisms, and sure enough, one reader comments huffily that volleyball players are too athletes (which Bissinger doesn't deny, of course).
But
this article, with our president apparently thinking his predecessor's way with women helped his ratings, illustrates (literally) the hypocrisy of anyone who doesn't see the hypocrisy in the way women's volleyball is marketed and presented:
Show me a sport for men whose uniforms reveal this much asscheek, and I'll stop believing women's volleyball isn't a featured Olympic event primarily to drive ratings. There's no doubt these women are fine athletes...but that's not how they're being presented.
4 comments:
Fifteen years ago my wife and I went to Fort Lauderdale to see a Broadway tour. Our hotel was also hosting women's pro beach volleyball tour event. I had to swear I had no idea it was there. The "uniforms" were skimpy then and they haven't gotten larger.
Show me a sport for men whose uniforms reveal this much asscheek, and I'll stop believing women's volleyball isn't a featured Olympic event primarily to drive ratings.
Swimming?
In men's beach volleyball, the players wear full t-shirts and baggy shorts. If beach volleyball is featured in the Olympics as a ratings grab, why don't they feature more beefcake for gals (and gay guys)?
And to clarify, this is beach volleyball. Indoor volleyball (men's and women's) is a legitimate sport, where players dress like athletes.
I actually thought of swimming...but even there, I don't think you get quite such a generous serving of ass.
Arguably, though, even if you did, in the case of swimming such tiny outfits would be functional, as anything which adds drag to the swimmers' bodies as they propel themselves through the water would be a problem - which is why you don't see bikinis on female swimmers: the one-piece minimizes areas of resistance, whereas the bikini, uh, creates areas of scoop. And there's your new euphemism for the day.
Yes, I know it's probably the last thing anyone seeing this photo is going to notice, but...why the hell is she wearing an enormous, chunky wristwatch? That would seem rather an impediment to volleyballing...
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