LBSU Sand Volleyball Uniforms

Before this class I never would have taken notice that our sand volleyball team’s uniform includes bikini bottoms whereas the majority of our competition wears shorts. While I was at one match versus USC, I overheard a mother of one of the Trojan athletes criticize the 49er uniforms. She said the bikini bottoms were fine for the AVP tour because they attract revenue and are good for television, but USC’s “more collegiate-looking” outfit was more appropriate for the current event. As a woman, female volleyball player and a student of KIN338I, what she said confuses me to no end, because it asserts that college female athletes should be watched for their skill, but it is acceptable to sell the bodies of the very few female elite athletes who reach the pro level. This reminds me of the discussion in class about the differences in the representation of female athletes in collegiate media guides as opposed to the mainstream media. I can only hope that one day the latter will lend the majority (if not all) of its focus to the skill of female athletes.
-Therese Weed