Sports Apparel Alert: Does intense athletic wear increase our intensity on the field?

Written by DA Staff on 04 April 2010

by Tierney H.

Molly F insists her running tights make her faster; Ned T prefers his short shorts. Maddie B holds pride in her colorful, Adrenaline lax socks.

Sports apparel most definitely has a profound influence on UHS athletes. My first week after joining track, Holland R showed me her Usain Bolt track spikes, pulling them out in the library to moans of longing from fellow runners. It was as if the spirit of Usain Bolt lived in the Jamaican color scheme, as if those wearing them would be automatically blessed with his insane skill.

At UHS, athletes seem to set store by their shoes. Field hockey, my freshman year, we all admired our captain’s leopard print spandex. During tennis season, I couldn’t help but purchase a few new brightly colored tennis skirts. After joining track, I felt myself compelled to buy the hot pink running spikes at Fleet Feet. Do these items actually increase my talent at the sport? Do my pink spikes actually help me run faster? Of course not.  Maybe we buy expensive basketball shoes and brightly colored sports bras because the confidence that comes from looking good on the field makes us feel sure of ourselves as we sweat it out at practice.

Many athletes prefer to wear clothing that demonstrates their skill. Nothing sends the message that you’re an amazing athlete better than a State Championships t-shirt or a penny from an intense sports camp. The aim here may be intimidation, or simply an attempt to feel more athletically experienced than everyone else. Most people take one look at an NCS t-shirt, a Stanford Invitational tank top, am SF Juniors sweatshirt, and immediately know that they are dealing with someone with skill. Once we become aware that Nick P;s fencing jacket is red, white, and blue because it’s from nationals, we are immediately instilled with awe; I am guessing that other fencers would find it daunting. Our clothing becomes evidence of our accomplishment in a sport, and when we flaunt it, we may be unconsciously hoping that others will assume that we are skilled athletes (even when we’re not).

Katherine E remarks that all real volleyball players live in spandex and Mizuno crew socks. This uniform creates exclusivity among the volleyball crew; adhering to the trend is an immediate indicator that one is an experienced volleyball-er. When I went to Nike tennis camp one summer without any knowledge of the sport, I was intimidated by the professional tennis dresses and matching outfits that dominated on campus. My running shorts plainly screamed “inexperienced player!” Those trying out new sports, therefore, may find it useful to research “the look” and find out how to act the part before they try out. After all, no one wants to look foolish at tryouts.

So, is it our desire to appear skillful and self-confident that pushes Americans to spend over $30 billion dollars annually on sports apparel? Our competitive drive seems to be pushing us to go over the top trying to look as athletically aware as possible. As new trends hit the scene, we jump on board, eating up slogans like Nike’s for the new Nike Air: “warning: may cause excessive performance.” As soon as we see Vibram Fivefingers claim that they “will make you stronger and healthier, and improve your balance, agility, and proprioception” we want them, even if we don’t know what “proprioception” means; the dorky looking shoes no longer seem foolish when they will make you look like a stronger, healthier, more agile athlete.

We seem to have eaten up the advertising that tells us that looking like talented athlete will somehow enhance our abilities on the playing field. But even though our flashy apparel doesn’t actually make us more muscular or athletically capable, there’s nothing wrong with looking good while we work out. Take the plunge and go all out with the newest sports trends and brightly colored athletic clothing. If it takes Jamaican spikes or running tights to unleash your full potential, then go ahead and flaunt them.

Tags: clothing, Sports, sports apparel
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