Some Aging Competitors Call High-Tech Swimsuits Dirty Pool

I really did intend to leave alone the dead horse. But I think it just moved, so: beat it I shall. There's a joke from the middle ages of a traveler who comes upon a castle that is surrounded by people with levers. They say they are trying to move the walls of the castle. Some animal had left something smelly by the walls, and the king wanted a solution. The sensible traveler, of course, asked: why not move the small and smelly thing, rather than the castle? By the same token, solving the small problem with a huge "solution" of setting new standards for suit design and changing all the swimming businesses from top to bottom - is all out of proportion to what's required to fix the stated and ostensible problem. It's like a bad joke. Unless, of course, people aren't saying what really bugs them about the suits (which is what I think). Tech suits are cow manure? An interesting argument from a suit supporter. I think it is a little harsh, but whatever. Personally I don't think that, when a sport regulates itself, the first consideration should be its effects on businesses. If the NFL decides that current helmets are not safe enough, I hope they don't say "oh, no! What about existing stock and production lines? We shouldn't change a thing." (Having said that, I admit FINA bungled badly in this respect. They could have achieved the same result in a much more business-friendly manner if they had handled things differently.) But it is hard to believe in the thousands of posts on the topic here and elsewhere that the anti tech-suit people haven't said what's truly on their (our) minds. So I'll bite: what is it that you think REALLY bugs us about the suits?

I really did intend to leave alone the dead horse. But I think it just moved, so: beat it I shall. There's a joke from the middle ages of a traveler who comes upon a castle that is surrounded by people with levers. They say they are trying to move the walls of the castle. Some animal had left something smelly by the walls, and the king wanted a solution. The sensible traveler, of course, asked: why not move the small and smelly thing, rather than the castle? By the same token, solving the small problem with a huge "solution" of setting new standards for suit design and changing all the swimming businesses from top to bottom - is all out of proportion to what's required to fix the stated and ostensible problem. It's like a bad joke. Unless, of course, people aren't saying what really bugs them about the suits (which is what I think). Tech suits are cow manure? An interesting argument from a suit supporter. I think it is a little harsh, but whatever. Personally I don't think that, when a sport regulates itself, the first consideration should be its effects on businesses. If the NFL decides that current helmets are not safe enough, I hope they don't say "oh, no! What about existing stock and production lines? We shouldn't change a thing." (Having said that, I admit FINA bungled badly in this respect. They could have achieved the same result in a much more business-friendly manner if they had handled things differently.) But it is hard to believe in the thousands of posts on the topic here and elsewhere that the anti tech-suit people haven't said what's truly on their (our) minds. So I'll bite: what is it that you think REALLY bugs us about the suits?