Sportswear and athletes

Sportswear and athletes

 Activewear, often known as sportswear, refers to any article of apparel, including footwear, that is intended for use during athletic competition or training. Most sports and forms of physical exercise need the wearer to dress in gear designed for that particular sport or activity for reasons of convenience, comfort, or safety.

Tracksuits, shorts, T-shirts, and polo shirts are all examples of common sportswear. Swimming suits, diving suits, surfing suits, ski suits, and gymnastics leotards are all examples of specialized clothing (for gymnastics). Trainers, football boots, equestrian boots, and ice skates are only some examples of the types of shoes used for sports. The bikini and some crop tops are also considered sportswear. In addition to its intended function, sportswear may serve as a source of informal style.

Athletes in most sports use a variety of different pieces of gear, including specialized shoes, pants, and tops. Helmets and other forms of body armor are examples of protective gear that may be required in certain sports. Jockstraps (or jillstraps) are required gear at the elite level of sports that require blocking, intercepting, or pursuing tiny, hard projectiles, such as cricket, baseball, and hockey (when balls or pucks are struck at velocities in excess of 100 MPH [45 m/s]). Some underwear, like the sports bra, accomplishes both of these goals. Although they are designed to be worn during sports, most people don't think of protective or supportive orthotics that appear and act like undergarments (particularly flexible harnesses and braces).

In order to maintain comfort while working out, athletes need technical textiles designed specifically for that purpose. The intensity of the workout and the nature of the activity will determine the optimal fabric choice. For freedom of movement, yoga wear should be constructed from highly stretchable materials, thus a knitted fabric is a good option. Clothing designed for long distance running should be able to transmit perspiration from the inside to the outside, keeping the wearer dry and comfortable. Breathable textiles with very excellent insulating characteristics are ideal for winter and snow sports performance wear.

Sportswear is a key sector in the personal health, luxury goods, and leisure arena in advanced countries, where it is promoted with worldwide media presence and star athlete sponsorships. When it comes to peak performance, even the most expensive and technologically advanced piece of sportswear may only need to last for a single competition. There are a variety of trade-offs that may be made between shape, function, aesthetics (fashion), performance style, durability, and cost at lower levels of competition and participation. Particularly in areas where these factors collide head-on, such as footwear (especially runners and court shoes), this has resulted in a dizzying diversity of products, with seasonal difficulties, modifications, and respins from all the big brands, elevated to the level of iconic symbols in some cultural subgroups.

Thinking about how things work

Two teams of male football players, each with a different color uniform, and a referee in a white T-shirt.

Materials utilized in the jersey, bib shorts, and gloves of a summer cycling outfit are elastic.

The standardization of sportswear is not guaranteed. In this photo from the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the Greek women's volleyball team is wearing leotards instead of the usual T-shirts and shorts.

Athletic apparel is often made to be airy and unobtrusive. For some exercises, such as cycling, the optimum athletic clothing should not add unnecessary weight or friction.

Conversely, workout clothes should be roomy enough to prevent stifling your motions. The keikogi worn by karate practitioners, for instance, adheres to a strict stylistic standard. Sports like fencing, American football, and ice hockey, where injuries are common, require protective equipment.

It's possible that standardized athletic clothing may serve as a uniform. In team sports, players and teams are distinguished by their respective jersey colors, while individuals are identifiable by their back numbers.

Sometimes in sports, players and coaches would wear separate uniforms or accessories to show their individual positions. In volleyball, the libero (a defensive specialist) stands out from the team by wearing a distinct color. Goalkeepers in sports like soccer and the GAA codes often wear uniforms of a contrasting color or design to help them stand out from the rest of the team. In certain other sports, a player's uniform may serve as a visual representation of his or her standing or accomplishments. The current world champion in a given cycling discipline is represented by the rainbow jersey, and in important road cycling events, the race leader and the leaders of the auxiliary classes wear jerseys of different colors to signify their status.

Wrestling, track and field, dancing, gymnastics, speed skating, and swimming are just some of the activities that benefit from the stretch and recovery properties of Spandex.

Sportswear is frequently used to advertise a team's or athlete's corporate backers. There are rules governing the placement and dimensions of logos and brand names on athletic wear in several sports.