Here is a question for the lawyers out there.
Do FINA regulations supersede US federal anti-sex discrimination laws?
Granted, I am not sure I know what the latter are. However, if I were to show up at a USMS swimming meet, wearing a perfectly legal women's swimming suit, one of the zipper-free kneeskin type models that also covered my ample boobage, and the officials rightly disqualified me for wearing this get-up because it is against the FINA/USMS agreed upon New Order, could I then turn around and sue under some federal statute prohibiting discrimination because gender?
In my mind, the new FINA rules are going to end up making swimming even more of a dying sport for boys in the US than the unintended consequences of Title IX, etc. Girls, especially in the younger age groups, can often beat boys in swimming, and in fact our own Mr. Qbrain got a top 10 time in the men's 30-34 LCM 1500 this summer. His wife, if I am remembering correctly, beat his time but failed to make the top 10 in the women's category.
If anything, it is we men who are now at a disadvantage. I say make the dystaff gender wear thongs and let us wear body suits fashioned to look like very streamlined tuxedos.
Suits for women now remain pretty much unchanged by the new FINA ruling, with the exception, that is, of getting rid of zippers and getting rid of non textiles. But that means women can continue to swim in what are still arguably very fast suits--FS1's, for example, that are very close to the short john types that helped loads of people get their best times. Men are prohibited from wearing anything but jammers.
Chicks, in other words, get 2004 technology; guys are back to the 60s. Why not let us go back to the 20s instead, when Johnny Weismuller wore a full body suit, albeit of wool?
So, in the spirit of Larry David, who recently concluded an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm with the line, "I'm Larry David, and I am comfortable in women's underwear"--I propose that any men who want to join me in the latest civil rights battle of our time show up at nationals this summer in women's suits and accompanied by our class action lawyer, and join me in echoing in a collective voice that rings out in natatoriums all across the fruited plain:
"I am a male USMS swimmer, and I am comfortable wearing women's suits."
Provided I can find an esquire who will agree to take the case on a contingency basis, I say this to the USMS sexist powers that be:
See you in court! Suckers!
Former Member
Ok, I gotta say, there's this fellow who goes to my gym who comes in wearing those iddy-biddy little short shorts, and when he gets on the crunch machine, let me tell you, it clears the room.
No one wants to look at his junk, even if it's tucked into tightie whities.
I was having lunch in my favorite taqueria a few weeks ago when they had an ESPN classic basketball game on the tube, a college game from the '80s, and all I could think was, "Dudes, put on some ******* clothes!"
(Ymmv.)
Personally, I'm all for the trend away from briefs for men. Whenever I see a guy changing out and he's got the briefs on I wonder if I'm back in the middle school locker room.
Call me a boxer bigot, but I can't understand why any male over the age of 14 still wears briefs.
Hey Sharpsburger
You are a boxer bigot.
I don’t understand what your problem is. Don’t we have enough prejudice and discrimination in society without creating more senseless taboos like men wearing short shorts or briefs?
I realize I'm going waaayyy out on a limb with this incendiary comment, but there have been many studies that indicate that men who are offended by gay men (and anything that they perceive as being purportedly gay) are in fact uncomfortable with their own sexuality and their dislike of men wearing short shorts is just a form of homophobia. If this is not the case, then just what exactly is the rational for this illusory taboo?
With regard to your comment about why any male over 14 would wear briefs, it’s because they feel the best in the water and I personally hate the “swimming in a washing machine” sensation of wearing boardies or anything else with more coverage. Furthermore, unless someone’s wearing goggles or a diving mask, ther’re not going to see anything below the water line anyway.
And if someone’s opposed to me wearing short shorts or swimming briefs and has the colossal gawl to make the comment “Hey dude put on some ******* clothes!”, my response will be to promptly tell him “Hey dude, catch a ******* express elevator to Hell!!!”. :censor: :censor: :censor:
D2
Hey Sharpsburger
You are a boxer bigot.
I don’t understand what your problem is. Don’t we have enough prejudice and discrimination in society without creating more senseless taboos like men wearing short shorts or briefs?
I realize I'm going waaayyy out on a limb with this incendiary comment, but there have been many studies that indicate that men who are offended by gay men (and anything that they perceive as being purportedly gay) are in fact uncomfortable with their own sexuality and their dislike of men wearing short shorts is just a form of homophobia. If this is not the case, then just what exactly is the rational for this illusory taboo?
With regard to your comment about why any male over 14 would wear briefs, it’s because they feel the best in the water and I personally hate the “swimming in a washing machine” sensation from wearing boardies or anything else with more coverage. Furthermore, unless someone’s wearing goggles or a diving mask, ther’re not going to see anything below the water line anyway.
And if someone’s opposed to me wearing short shorts or swimming briefs and has the colossal gawl to make the comment “Hey dude put on some ******* clothes!”, my response will be to promptly tell him “Hey dude, catch a ******* express elevator to Hell!!!”. :censor: :censor: :censor:
D2
Oh, sorry, I didn't mean brief-style suits. I was referring only to undergarments. Brief-style suits don't bother me at all. They seem a little out-of-date nowadays, but nothing more than that.
And I find your comments regarding sexual preference rather puzzling. I've never associated a style of swim suit or underwear with sexual orientation. The notion seems rather bizarre.
Besides, you don't even know what my orientation is.
I freely admit that my objection to "tightie-whities" is irrational. Well, partly. To me, they're quite uncomfortable.
As for the short-shorts in the gym, again, that's got nothing to do with who anybody does or doesn't sleep with. Call me prudish or old-fashioned, but I don't care to see anybody's sweaty underdrawers in the gym. There are also women who come in with outfits that are unnecessarily revealing, and I don't like those, either. It's a matter of decorum in a public place.
Ditto for the young guys sporting t-shirts with the sleeves and sides ripped out so that there's a gaping hole between the neck and bottom hem. You just gotta kind of chuckle at the vanity of that.
And even though I might think "Put on some clothes", I'm not going to say anything unless someone's actually flashing people. Wearing short-shorts that show off your BVDs may be tacky (and I firmly consider it to be tacky) but I have no standing to tell someone else not to do it.
I have two friends who are dook/Heels couple. They can't watch the games together, it's bad. I don't know how you do that.
Chris wants to be able to sleep in his bed and not the couch.
Chomp, chomp.
As a UF alum I will obviously cheer for them to win the national -- er, I mean SEC -- championship.
But whoever the SEC champ is I'll be rooting for them to trounce Mack Brown.
I would much rather live in Florida than Alabama. Well, maybe not in Orlando. Or anywhere south of I-4.
Crunch, crunch.
Roll Tide! All is well in Alabama. We are all very happy now and have gotten so fat we won't we able to fit into our suits for the next meet.
It wouldn't be fittin' if the Elephant was from a state with skinny folks. We're looking forward to taking our fat selves out to California to watch the National Championship.
Crunch, crunch.
Roll Tide! All is well in Alabama. We are all very happy now and have gotten so fat we won't we able to fit into our suits for the next meet.
It wouldn't be fittin' if the Elephant was from a state with skinny folks. We're looking forward to taking our fat selves out to California to watch the National Championship.
Bama fans must like kicking people when they are down: Saturday was one for the books for me as a sports fan. All three of "my" college teams lost (all three are -- or were -- defending national champions, by the way):
-- UF beat down badly by Alabama, which honestly has little effect on me (I didn't form as strong an attachment for my grad school teams, for whatever reason)
-- UNC held off by UK (much more of an effect, compounded by the fact that I despise Calipari and think UK fans have little class; but it is still early in the season)
-- U of Richmond lost a heartbreaker to App State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs (probably affected me the most since I've had some of these students in my classes)
Best of luck to Alabama; it seems fairly obvious to me that the SEC game was once again the true national championship, so I hope that you don't blow it against overrated UT.:)
Bama fans must like kicking people when they are down: Saturday was one for the books for me as a sports fan. All three of "my" college teams lost (all three are -- or were -- defending national champions, by the way):
-- UF beat down badly by Alabama, which honestly has little affect on me (I didn't form as strong an attachment for my grad school teams, for whatever reason)
-- UNC held off by UK (much more of an affect, compounded by the fact that I despise Calipari and think UK fans have little class; but it is still early in the season)
-- U of Richmond lost a heartbreaker to App State in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs (probably affected me the most since I've had some of these students in my classes)
Best of luck to Alabama; it seems fairly obvious to me that the SEC game was once again the true national championship, so I hope that you don't blow it against overrated UT.:)
All in good fun! Admittedly, Alabama fans can be a little tough on the opponent after a game. I wish the fans would stop singing that obnoxious, "Rammer Jammer" after the game. At least the team shows humility. I thought it pretty cool that the QB took a knee with 1:20 left in the game when Alabama was inside the Florida 20. Some teams probably could not have resisted trying to score another TD.
I don't think UT is overrated. Alabama will need to play as well against them as they did against Florida to win.
Now that the regular football season is over, guess many of us will now be even more focused on the suit issue. I'm eagerly awaiting the decision from FINA to see if I can get one race out of my B-70.
Chris - don't fret the UK loss. UK hired a thug coach who will have them on probation in just a matter of years, with a graduation rate in the single digits to boot.
Sorry for continuing this hijacking, but I think I will have to disagree with your statement as the most dominant team in any college sport. Im thinking either Kenyon's men and women swimming teams or Indian River Junior College...If were going any sport in college. While UNC has won 20 of the 27 NCAA championships, I think Kenyon's 29 straight Mens NCAA Championships is pretty good. Indian River while its a JR college still brings in some amazing swimmers and just cleans house at NJCAA championships, still impressive none the less.
True, I suppose I was thinking of D-1 collegiate sports.
Iowa in men's wrestling is up there too over the past 30 years or so. I am sure there are others.
