We have all heard the phrase “I only watch volleyball for the butts.” While you might think this a great reason for you and all your buddies to come to a home game, it is disgusting. Most importantly, it’s demeaning.
I have been playing volleyball for three years now and have played on teams ranging from varsity, club, and college camps.  In fact, I’ve spent most of my days in spandex. I am used to wearing them by now but the one thing I will never get used to is the unwanted attention and comments that come along with my Nike Pros.
I get that what we wear as uniforms can be seen as provocative; they are skintight. But how do my shorts that the school requires me to wear give you an invitation to tell your friends about how “good we look”? At away games for varsity, there have been numerous occasions of referees having to kick boys out for saying profane things to us while were playing. It’s not cute or funny;  it is distracting and rude.
My biggest problem is how my game has changed because of it. Imagine at your wrestling match warm ups, a bunch of my friends and I come in and start hollering at you about how nice your singlet looks. First off, it sounds dumb right? Second of all- don’t you think that’s the least bit distracting? Warm ups are a time to get loose and ready to smash the ball in the other teams’ face. That becomes kind of difficult when we are even more tense because we have to worry about you on the sidelines.
The last thing I want this article to do is to deter people from coming to volleyball games. We have a lot of fun with cheers and it’s one of the most up close and personal sports you can go to during the fall.Our games are entertaining, and when people come to cheer, they’re even more fun. But as people who love the sport and who work so very hard to perfect, there are some things that we would love to see happen. For one, keep your comments to yourself. Even if one of my teammates looks like an actual goddess on the court, keep your comments in your mind. With that said, also tell your friends and family to be respectful of the athletes too!
A safe and happy game is better for everyone involved. So thank you in advance from all your female athletes and we can’t wait to see you at our next game.