You can't ask to wear uniforms that never existed in the first place, though.

I do wonder if any of the current crop have actually worn them at all.

Aside from all the "other reasons" the body suits were changed, at the time they said it was all about marketing. Every young fan at the time wanted a Lauren Jackson singlet to collect, not a body suit.

If the players like 'em, I like 'em.

It's up to the girls/ladies what they want to wear but from the sidelines I noticed that every girl (wearing a "onesie") would forever be tugging at their thigh-hems. Seemed to be a distraction and certainly whilst adjusting said thigh-hems, your hands aren't ready to play.

I have never(ever) worn one (a onesie) so I wouldn't know.

Unlike Luuuc, it seems!

The fact that they haven't been in use since before most of them would have been in a position to wear one?

Finally some good news this week.

It's a yes from me.

Start of April fools?

As far as I can tell, most of the twitter 'outrage' consisted of koberulz trying to explain sexism/feminism to the Opals players.

Good work koberulz!

So what happens if some of the Opals refuse to wear them? (Thinking of Liz in particular)

It seems that got added into a news article about it. That would explain the number of idiots in my mentions.

The number of people who read "there is no reason for these uniforms to exist" and see "there is no reason for the Opals to wear these uniforms, given that they already exist" is staggering.

And for that matter the number of people who read "is there any reason for this?" and see "there is no reason for this". Which apparently includes me now, but the sentence was getting too unwieldy for my previous point.

they were brought in in the 90's in the hopes that they would increase viewership by making the product more appealing to men. This is a backwards step, whether the players have requested it or not.

Unlike Luuuc, it seems!

c

A lot of ridiculous pearl clutching around the non-issue of body suits going on. It's as though they think the big bad patriarchy boogeyman has forced this on the poor, voiceless Opals. No.. that's not what has happened. These sportswomen have made the informed decision to wear the bodysuit because it has history for them. There is PRIDE in wearing that Opals body suit. When they were watching the girls, dreaming Olympic dreams, they pictured themselves in that body suit.

But no, because the body suit is a body suit, and is "tight", I suppose, suddenly questions of sexism arise. For whatever reason Kobe has been on a Twitter campaign to try and pinpoint the sexism, and has failed miserably to do so. When he cant say the current iteration is a reflection of sexism, he goes "well yeah but, the body suit wouldn't exist if not for sexism!" When asked to provide absolutely any evidence that men were behind the original body suit, that women didn't design them, or anything else, he falls miserably short again.

No one is getting a free perve out of the Opal's body suit. Theyre not made to sexually accentuate anything. They're practical for their purpose. And when people argument "but men wouldn't wear that", well... men and women dress differently if you hadn't already noticed. You cant superimpose your expectations of men and women and then act like sexism is the only answer when both don't do the exact same thing. I think women are very comfortable vocalizing their feelings these days. They're not shrinking violets and the times when they might have been are long in the past. If wearing the body suit was upsetting any Opals this year, I would bet my bottom dollar you'd be hearing about it. I don't think they need the likes of KobeRulez to save them and speak for them.

"It will be scrapped after olympics when they look at shooting percentage."

Yeah, because shooting percentage really hurt the Opals every single time they've medalled.... lol.

It's as though they think the big bad patriarchy boogeyman has forced this on the poor, voiceless Opals

When he cant say the current iteration is a reflection of sexism, he goes "well yeah but, the body suit wouldn't exist if not for sexism!"

This place doesn't really matter because people who don't really matter throw their 2 cents worth in thinking it matters ;).... Having said that, i completely agree with your last comment & with ME's as well. It's sport, it's modern gym/fitness apparel most women now wear, nothing sexist about it. I've had 2 ex's that played WNBL in them & loved wearing them. Even men wear them in other sports like Track & Field so anyone that's crying out 'sexism' it's really just a bra burning feminist still craving attention... That should wind a few up! Hahaaa:)

Being disagreed with by people who think "feminist" is an insult makes me all warm and fuzzy.

I remember the NBA tried skin-tight jerseys a few years back, and all the players were very against them. And those weren't one-piece uniforms, either.

"Being disagreed with by people who think "feminist" is an insult makes me all warm and fuzzy."

Don't flatter yourself champ. That's not what's happening. At all.

I am not sure Kobe has a point. Classic virtue signalling. If there were any question the girls weren't happy with the uniform, I too would be screwing my face at the decision. But they've asked for it. There is nothing even vaguely revealing about the uniform. The girls actually look formidable in them. Kobe is just trying to pull from the past to find unsubstantiated reasons why this uniform, which women probably invented if we look close enough, is somehow sexist, for god knows what reason.

He then inferred women feeling any need to look feminine is somehow sexist. This inference assumes that masculine dress standards are the 'norm' and that it is the feminine dress choices that are 'otherized'. He pulled some photo out from the 1980s where the girls were wearing some sort of speedos on a baskebtall court. And yeah, it's a bit vexing to see that given today's sensibilities. But if we remember clearly, the boys were wearing short shorts that no one would ever choose to wear today. The world was a very different place in the 1980s. That doesn't mean women wearing those things was anything to do with sexism. I don't think anyone thought seeing particularly butch women in speedos was going to somehow draw the male viewer.

There is nothing even vaguely revealing about the uniform.

Kobe is just trying to pull from the past to find unsubstantiated reasons why this uniform, which women probably invented if we look close enough

He pulled some photo out from the 1980s where the girls were wearing some sort of speedos on a baskebtall court. And yeah, it's a bit vexing to see that given today's sensibilities. But if we remember clearly, the boys were wearing short shorts that no one would ever choose to wear today. The world was a very different place in the 1980s.

"There's nothing even vaguely revealing about women not being able to vote, either."

Oh my god. I cant even. I just cant. Kobe is comparing wilfully wearing body suits to women not having the right to vote like 130 years ago. Holy crap.

"Do you think women are incapable of sexism?"

Now women are sexist to themselves and they need Koberulz to save them. Is this really your mating strategy, Kobe? Just go to the gym and lift some weights. You dont have to be a white knight.

"The bodysuits didn't come about in a vacuum. Context is important, and those 1980s uniforms are context."

Context that the uniforms were in line with the other uniforms they chose to wear in that time - CHOSE TO WEAR. Yeah I am sure some women didn't like them. I also recall Andrew Bogut complaining about the Kings uniform being a bit uncomfortable. Are you saving him from the horrors of sexism too, because if women can be sexist to women, surely men can be sexist to men and design them uncomfortable uniforms?

Men and women wear different things by choice, therefore sexism - KobeRulz entire bizarre argument in a nut shell. Someone find him a woman who dresses like a man so he can be happy

Liz in in the news again

Liz Cambage threatens to boycott Olympics over team photo

Australia's biggest women’s basketball star has threatened to abandon the Tokyo Olympics after taking issue with a team photo.
Liz Cambage says she will "sit out" the Tokyo Olympics after taking issue with the athletes chosen to represent Australia in promotional shoots ahead of the Games.

Cambage, 29, who has played for our national women’s basketball team the Opals at the past two Olympics, made the threat on Instagram on Thursday in a series of posts.

She shared two images — one of athletes showing off Australia’s uniform for the Games and another promoting the official underwear sponsor of the team — she said were examples of whitewashing and did not represent the diverse backgrounds of Australia’s athletes.

“If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT A COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T EVEN REPRESENT ME,” Cambage wrote.

The second image included Indigenous Rugby Sevens player Maurice Longbottom but Cambage wrote: “Also fake tan doesn’t equal diversity.”

Yeah, spent most of the article thinking it was another beatup about a genuine issue, and then she throws in actual racism of her own? Piss off with that bullshit.

Saying Maurice is using fake tan is a low blow

Seriously though, if you wanted to make a difference here, I would
Think you would take the effort to make your self available to participate in the promotional photo shoots.