Sex Appeal at the Olympics

August 25, 2016

There, I got your attention with the one word that seems to stop most people in their tracks. Now that I opened the can of worms (sorry worms …not sexy), let's discuss the subject.  Most of us living and breathing sports fans watched a portion of the Olympics with lots of young and amazing athletes performing on the world's biggest stage. The athletic bodies were in full display for us to marvel at, and we only wish we had a set of abdominals and biceps to match.

Maybe it was only me, but I suspect that I was not alone in noticing the track and field runners seem to be wearing less than usual.

As a man, I am not so prudent to complain, but I have to wonder why a track runner is competing in basically a swimsuit along with jewelry and lipstick. Maybe these athletes that are dolled up are presenting themselves to potential suitors when the Olympics are done. As for woman's beach volleyball, the two-piece athletic gear is a bikini. I am not sure why they are playing in a bikini, but maybe it is keeping the spirit of the beach intact.

Not to be lost in the shuffle are all the men parading around in all their athletic glory. My wife enjoyed swimming and couldn't help herself to remark about a swimmer's physique. The usual comment after that was that I should ramp up my workouts to incorporate more upper body weightlifting and perhaps some added core work. I can take those comments two ways, I can either be insulted and not understand why she can't accept the way I look, or I can think that she couldn't take her hands off of me if I had a swimmer's body. Honestly, I don't swim much but enjoy the challenge she has presented to me.

I enjoy the Olympics, but I like the Summer Olympics more. There is a broader range of events, and I can relate to athletes because of the same sports that I once competed in. The Summer Olympics seem more compelling and offer more meaningful stories, and world records and milestones are constantly being set. For instance, the young man from South Africa, Wayde van Niekerk who won the 400m in track and field, broke the world record.  He ran in the far outside lane and broke the world record with 43.03, a record that stood for seventeen years.

Now, what does Wayde van Niekerk have to do with sex appeal? Probably nothing, but it goes to show you that the Olympics are no different than a Hollywood movie, give me drama, give me some conflict and give me some sex appeal. As pure as we want the Olympics to be, they are packaged and presented with the things that all humans desire. I don't want all of the showings of skin to drift off in some weird tangent like women's judo in two-piece outfits. There must be some restraint on this trend unless scientific studies prove athletes perform better in less clothing. I am just not sure; we will see in Tokyo in 2020 if anybody competes in clothes.