It’s a hot day and a young athlete has a tough workout on the cross country course. As she laces up her spikes, she sees the boys start their workout. Even though the temperature is the same for both boys and girls, boys have a small advantage. The boys do not have to worry about being stared at or objectified as much as girls. They feel more comfortable showing a little more skin since they will probably not be as harshly judged as the girls. As she waits for her coach to say ‘go,’ a thought crosses her mind. Why can the boys run with no shirts at all, while girls have to cover their sports bras while running in the same heat while doing the same amount of running? It’s a very uncomfortable topic to talk about, but it is a topic that forces people to examine many important issues concerning gender equity, body image and objectification. 

This topic was brought up at Rowan University back in 2018, when the football team and coach complained that girls’ team sports bras were ‘distracting.’ Ever since the beginning of time men and women have dealt with different standards about how to dress. These traditions of how men and women dress are still carried to the current day. 

For many people, sports are their lives. They live and breathe sports. Thankfully today we have the equipment to help people achieve that dream. Sports bras were a great innovation. Women everywhere felt more free and comfortable for whatever physical activity they wished to do. 

Some people care so much about their sport that they will go out in the craziest conditions. Hot, cold, stormy, or even in snow. But specifically when it’s hot, people want to be comfortable. When a team wants to get in a moderate-long run in 80 degree weather they want to feel like they are not going to get overheated. For boys it is sometimes easy just to take off a shirt and just run. But for girls it is not that easy. They are sometimes stared at, judged and followed. It is sad how the world is still like this. 

Note: The opinions written here are solely those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Bulldawg Bulletin.