General / Off-Topic Why do female athletes compete in their panties?

Para Handy

Para Handy
We just had the indoor athletics championships and the Commonwealth Games are not too far away now so I would like to ask a question that pops into my head every time I catch a glimpse of this on the TeeVee or in the newspapers. I am asking a serious question so please so sleazy stuff fellas:

Why do the female athletes compete in their panties? (Note the American-friendly wording.) Why can't they compete in shorts? I see that there are female tennis players competing in shorts now so why not everyone? Worst case is beach volleyball - guys wear these baggy things yet the women might as well have on g-strings.

Is there a real honest-to-goodness reason or is it just for ratings?


P.S. I only ask here 'cos it is "the off-topic" forum and it isn't about politics and I am not a member of "mumsnet". Sorry if a mod thinks it an inappropriate subject, just delete it if so.
 
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AJW

AJW
The simple answer is that 'panties' are more streamlined than shorts, and offer less resistance to leg movement too. The real question is why men have to wear loose-fitting shorts, and I suspect that is mostly a matter of modesty.

Ancient Greek athletes (who were all male) used to compete in the nude.
 

Bob Lighthouse

Banned
Bob Lighthouse
AJW said:
The simple answer is that 'panties' are more streamlined than shorts, and offer less resistance to leg movement too. The real question is why men have to wear loose-fitting shorts, and I suspect that is mostly a matter of modesty.

Ancient Greek athletes (who were all male) used to compete in the nude.
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That's actually not true.
Clothing that smooths out creases (ie covers them) including the hip joint, reduces cavitation and drag.
Compression is also a benefit in that regard, and allegedly fatigue as well.
Can't compress something you don't cover.

The reduced risk of "wardrobe malfunction" is an often cited benefit of longer shorts etc.
As far as the athletes are concerned anyhow.

"Marketing."
 
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C64Fan

C64Fan
Personally I wouldn’t question it. It’s one of the best parts of sports known to men [yesnod].

On a more serious note I do know of a womens handball team who were asked to wear shorter shorts because it would increase audience.
 
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through the hole backwards

T
Perpetuating the reality that women's sport is dominated by a patriarchal hegemony perhaps? Same reason women wear skirts and make up.

AJW said:
'Cavitation'?
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Air or more usually liquid turbulence caused by pressure differentials in and around a created cavity or orifice caused by excessive torsional rotation., usually although not always causing mechanical inefficiency.
 
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AJW

AJW
through the hole backwards said:
Air or more usually liquid turbulence caused by pressure differentials in and around a created cavity or orifice caused by excessive torsional rotation., usually although not always causing mechanical inefficiency.
Click to expand...

Big whirls have little whirls that feed on their velocity,
and little whirls have lesser whirls and so on to viscosity.

Lewis Fry Richardson


Seriously though, I'd prefer to hear from Bob Lighthouse what he meant.
 

AJW

AJW
through the hole backwards said:
Air bubbles caused by ships propeller for example
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You are aware that we are discussing athletes moving through a gas (the atmosphere) rather than a liquid? Because 'cavitation' of the form seen with ships propellers can only occur in a liquid. And for the record, the bubbles aren't 'air', they are (mostly) water vapour. The Wikipedia article gives a reasonable description of the phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation
 

Frank

Frank
AJW said:
You are aware that we are discussing athletes moving through a gas (the atmosphere) rather than a liquid? Because 'cavitation' of the form seen with ships propellers can only occur in a liquid. And for the record, the bubbles aren't 'air', they are (mostly) water vapour. The Wikipedia article gives a reasonable description of the phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation
Click to expand...

When I read "cavitation" I did wonder what sorts of speeds swimmers were reaching these days <grin>
 
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through the hole backwards

T
AJW said:
You are aware that we are discussing athletes moving through a gas (the atmosphere) rather than a liquid? Because 'cavitation' of the form seen with ships propellers can only occur in a liquid. And for the record, the bubbles aren't 'air', they are (mostly) water vapour. The Wikipedia article gives a reasonable description of the phenomenon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation
Click to expand...

I am . You are aware that this is a games forum and not a university lecture theatre?
 

Bob Lighthouse

Banned
Bob Lighthouse
Frank said:
When I read "cavitation" I did wonder what sorts of speeds swimmers were reaching these days <grin>
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Underwater video analysis is common in elite level swimming for stroke correction, technique analysis and as a visual aid to support coaches and athletes. Because of the challenges of the underwater visual environment and ambulatory camera work, video can be degraded and considered non ideal, additionally the athletes movement can lead to blurred vision and bubbles from cavitation effects.
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705812017511

It's poolstulated that "clean" swimmers (and clothing) are less draggy.
 
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