For two years we lived in an apartment along one of the prime track team running routes. Regardless (almost) of the time of year or time of day, several times within a chosen week I would see a pack of BYU runners jaunting past completely naked but for what roughly amounts to a baggy speedo. Thoughts like, "Put a shirt on, sickos!" and "Save it for your wife!" would come to mind (and occasionally be grumbled aloud). It's my honest reaction, folks.
However, it is not just their near-nakedness that bothers me. It goes deeper. The real reasons for my irritation are as follows:
1) A double-standard on workout attire. I attended BYU, and while there I put up with wearing "BYU Issue" shorts and shirts in order to have access to BYU athletic facilities. Their reasoning was that they didn't want the University misrepresented. One day I dared rebel and got kicked off BYU tennis courts for wearing shorts in nearly all aspects identical to BYU issue but not BYU issue (they had a functional elastic waistband and pockets). I also witnessed one of my roommates getting reprimanded for wearing her "immodest one-piece" to the BYU pool. They sent her away to change. We left and didn't go back.
These are the experiences of the general student body. But by the University turning a blind-eye to their university-sponsored teams, the hypocrisy is revealed. Apparently the fear of misrepresentation does not extend to the specially-gifted athletes, in which case nearly-nude is not only allowed but endorsed.
2) The "modesty police" role I was pushed into, but only on female non-athletes. I had this role as an RA in Helaman Halls, usually with some supervisor breathing down my neck. As an RA, I remember specifically being commanded to approach a girl to have her change her sleeved shirt, because the underarm seam was less than two fingers-width.
If this punctiliousness is exercised on the general student body, why is it not on the athletes?
Or, even better, could we just find common middle ground for student athlete and non alike? Couldn't they all be allowed to wear tank-tops? Or must the divide remain a cavernous expanse -- non-athletes wearing shirts and knee-length shorts, athletes barely covering their privates?
3) The deeper question behind this double-standard. If the women's track team were to dress similarly, only covering the bare necessities, would the reaction be different? I remember so many posters over BYU campus that showed "naughty hotties" wearing their slightly low-cut shirts and short shorts in the "before" pictures getting all sorts of undesired attention with "after" pics showing them with longer shorts and an under-tee now finding Mr. Right. Just sayin' where are the pics of men decked out in short shorts getting similarly made-over?
4) The main reason for running shirtless? Wussiness. I asked my brother-in-law, a former BYU track teamer, why they run around without shirts and was it really necessary, etc. His response was that it gets "way too hot to run with a shirt on." Wussiness. Just look at the picture above. Also, as a runner you can choose the time day you run. Just saying, if BYU did hold their athletes to the same standards as the rest of the student body, I'm sure they would still survive a 1:00 pm uphill sprint. Historically there have been many a successful and shirted runner.
5) Image issues. Some may argue that the track team's tans may get interrupted and make them look goody-goody or "Mormon-y." *eyebrow raised* Well in that case, please run around my neighborhood in your loincloths and only your loincloths!
Lest anyone misunderstand, I am not advocating further rules and regulations, Heaven forbid! But I do ask that the current standards be expected equally of the entire student body, and that BYU avoid the appearance of endorsing this simply by asking their athletes to train in their uniforms or uniform-like coverings.
However, it is not just their near-nakedness that bothers me. It goes deeper. The real reasons for my irritation are as follows:
1) A double-standard on workout attire. I attended BYU, and while there I put up with wearing "BYU Issue" shorts and shirts in order to have access to BYU athletic facilities. Their reasoning was that they didn't want the University misrepresented. One day I dared rebel and got kicked off BYU tennis courts for wearing shorts in nearly all aspects identical to BYU issue but not BYU issue (they had a functional elastic waistband and pockets). I also witnessed one of my roommates getting reprimanded for wearing her "immodest one-piece" to the BYU pool. They sent her away to change. We left and didn't go back.
These are the experiences of the general student body. But by the University turning a blind-eye to their university-sponsored teams, the hypocrisy is revealed. Apparently the fear of misrepresentation does not extend to the specially-gifted athletes, in which case nearly-nude is not only allowed but endorsed.
2) The "modesty police" role I was pushed into, but only on female non-athletes. I had this role as an RA in Helaman Halls, usually with some supervisor breathing down my neck. As an RA, I remember specifically being commanded to approach a girl to have her change her sleeved shirt, because the underarm seam was less than two fingers-width.
If this punctiliousness is exercised on the general student body, why is it not on the athletes?
Or, even better, could we just find common middle ground for student athlete and non alike? Couldn't they all be allowed to wear tank-tops? Or must the divide remain a cavernous expanse -- non-athletes wearing shirts and knee-length shorts, athletes barely covering their privates?
3) The deeper question behind this double-standard. If the women's track team were to dress similarly, only covering the bare necessities, would the reaction be different? I remember so many posters over BYU campus that showed "naughty hotties" wearing their slightly low-cut shirts and short shorts in the "before" pictures getting all sorts of undesired attention with "after" pics showing them with longer shorts and an under-tee now finding Mr. Right. Just sayin' where are the pics of men decked out in short shorts getting similarly made-over?
4) The main reason for running shirtless? Wussiness. I asked my brother-in-law, a former BYU track teamer, why they run around without shirts and was it really necessary, etc. His response was that it gets "way too hot to run with a shirt on." Wussiness. Just look at the picture above. Also, as a runner you can choose the time day you run. Just saying, if BYU did hold their athletes to the same standards as the rest of the student body, I'm sure they would still survive a 1:00 pm uphill sprint. Historically there have been many a successful and shirted runner.
5) Image issues. Some may argue that the track team's tans may get interrupted and make them look goody-goody or "Mormon-y." *eyebrow raised* Well in that case, please run around my neighborhood in your loincloths and only your loincloths!
Lest anyone misunderstand, I am not advocating further rules and regulations, Heaven forbid! But I do ask that the current standards be expected equally of the entire student body, and that BYU avoid the appearance of endorsing this simply by asking their athletes to train in their uniforms or uniform-like coverings.
3 comments:
I would disagree with your line of thinking just on one basis and that is in the location of the men running. If they were running this way with little to no clothes on school property I would completely agree. Your examples of violations all took place on school grounds (BYU Tennis Courts, the BYU pool, as an RA at Helaman Halls). The men were running however off of school property and thus would be under the city laws. If these same men are running this way on schools grounds or more specifically inside BYU athletics property I would take issue.
I also understand the need for equality with the idea of modesty and for the most part I would agree, but I would hate for people to be expected to live BYU standards in all places even outside of the school grounds. I have been reprimanded many times in many different locations for long hair or facial hair because it's BYU standards even if I was not attending BYU or even living in the same state as BYU at the time. School standards should not be common place culturally.
I definitely see your line of thinking. Unfortunately, Jon, the BYU Honor Code is supposed to apply even when off-campus (which means that cool guys with awesome hair like yourself get pigeonholed all across Utah Valley).
If it were men unaffiliated with BYU running around without shirts, I may just avert my eyes and not think about it again, but BYU endorses these men through scholarships, special athletic venues, special parking, etc etc.
Also, while I didn't mention it in my post, they would wear the same skimpy attire even while training on campus. Thank heavens the world doesn't need to conform to the BYU honor code, but since they signed it and are still attending, every BYU alum had to suck it up and endure, why shouldn't they?
loincloths bahahahahahahah
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