Asexuality and athletics

[RoseGoesToYale]

I have yet to find one (as the almighty Google led me nowhere), but I was thinking about asexual pro athletes. I'm sure there are some out there, and they're either not out or don't know yet or some such. It must be incredibly difficult, since there are so many subtle sexual undertones in the sports world. E.g. I'm a big hockey fan, and I can't find any LGBT players in the NHL (that are out, at least), let alone ace players. It seems like there's a lot of pressure to a) be straight, b) get married, and c) have kids that you can pass your legacy on to. But the NHL is an extreme example in this case. It's gotten a lot easier for LGBT athletes to come out in recent years, and it wouldn't be hard to make a list of them.

 

But it still kind of bothers me that athletic ability is strongly associated with virility. Like, what does one have to do with the other? I guess... does it really all come down to physique? Then I have sexual friends that cite a plethora of factors that determine sexual attraction, even to the exclusion of physical fitness, so that can't be the only determiner. Maybe it's historical remnant. I don't know. Perhaps one day the athletic world will have it's own sexuality revolution. But I feel it will still be a long time before not wanting sex will be okay in the culture of professional athletics.

[everywhere and nowhere]

I very much dislike the sexualization and commodification of women in sports. Just look: once the female athletics outfit consisted of a T-shirt and short pants. Now it consists of something more like a sports bra and something that are not even pants anymore. Hell, my panties - seen by nobody (with the exception of them hanging to dry, but I don't care about my underwear being visible in disjunction from my body... I just don't want to be seen with my legs and chest uncovered) - cover more than those supposed "pants". Just look at beach volleyball: sleeveless vest and short pants for men and an almost ultra-small bikini for women. And this way of filming... neutral during men's matches and extremely sexualized for women, with all those close-ups on their buttocks. For me it's just horrible.

I've seen a few examples of Muslim athletes who wore some kind of aerodynamic overall with a tight "hood" used as a hijab. However, are there really no female athletes who reject this kind of clothes simply because they feel UNCOMFORTABLE at the thought of being so exposed? Are there no female athletes for whom the refusal to wear sexy outfits is Pure Choice?