That’s MY Jockstrap

I guess I just have to accept it. The jockstrap is dead.^» 01 For reasons that get debated on many forums, the jockstrap as fallen out of guys’ lockers and right into the trash.

Old-school guys, like me, aren’t good with its passing and I think that’s why the topic comes up again and again.

It makes little sense to me that men have abandoned what is a tried-and-true support garment that is both comfortable and functional.

Just as an aside, there is a whole trend today in men’s underwear to move toward “fashion jockstraps” (i.e. underwear that has a pouch up front and instead of a full seat, has straps or strap-like support), to which my comments are not really addressing.

Like the thong or even bikini briefs, I think the fashion jockstrap is a niche piece of underwear fashion that appeals, and should probably only appeal, to a special segment of the underwear buying masses.

An athletic jockstrap is something every male should have in his wardrobe.

But today’s athlete doesn’t even know what a real athletic jockstrap looks like and certainly would never consider wearing one for sport, never mind pulling one on with shorts or denim when you’re headed out.

If you play a sport or spend time in a gym you more often than not see compression shorts – which for some reason some men call “jockstraps” – or worse, you find plenty of men wearing regular cotton-underwear briefs or boxer briefs for athletics these days.

I blame Michael Jordan.

Urban legend has it that in the mid-1980′s Jordan wasn’t at all cool about wearing the short basketball shorts because he preferred to wear what at the time were a new style of underwear for men, boxer briefs, instead of a more commonly worn jockstrap.

Those boxer briefs he was wearing would show below his basketball shorts of the day and that wasn’t good for his image or very appealing to his team, sponsors or the NBA.

Until Jordan, no guy worth his hairy balls would be caught without a jockstrap in his locker for any sport.

In fact, for many decades men wore them with pride and putting a jockstrap on was a rite of passage for many men.

In the 1960′s and even into the 1970′s and early 1980′s regular men’s shorts (not just athletic shorts) had an inseam of about 3″. That makes sense. I wear shorts cause I need freedom of movement (i.e. comfort), less bulk and want to be at a cooler temperature for whatever activity I engaged in.

Today, thanks mostly I think to Jordan and other prudish athletes of his time, shorts run about 11″ and have become more bulky than ever.

What passes for athletic shorts today is laughable. And the shorts men wear to relax and recreate in are a joke.

A bulky garment hanging below your knees made of heavy cotton fabric blends shouldn’t be called “shorts”.

The shorts only got long cause Jordan and others didn’t like the fit and feel of jockstraps.

The whole premise of a jockstrap is to provide comfortable support to your cock and balls WITHOUT BULK.

So why Jordan, and since him, thousands of other men, abandon the jockstrap remains somewhat of a mystery to me. I say somewhat; because I have a theory.

The primary complaint I hear from guys who say that will not wear a jockstrap is because they say it is uncomfortable.^» 02

Sorry to tell you this gentlemen, a jockstrap is NOT uncomfortable.

If you are wearing a jockstrap and it is not comfortable, you have the wrong jockstrap on my friend.

Like any other fitted garment a jockstrap needs to be sized right for you and constructed well and be composed of fabric blends comfortable for both your shaft and balls.

It use to be your dad (if you were lucky), your brother (if you had one) or a close male friend (if you hung-out with other athletic guys) would advise you on what a good jockstrap felt like – but again, our overly prudish male locker culture prevents those discussion these days.

A jockstrap is a minimal design because it’s designed not show under shorts or other athletic gear and keep your overall body temperature as cool as possible.

Less is better in this case. A jockstrap’s pouch isn’t designed to hide your cock or balls and certainly isn’t designed to provide modesty.

It is also not a “sanitary” layer like most people still think underwear should be these days.

Wake up, it’s not 1822, we don’t wear underwear cause we need a sanitary layer between us and the clothes we never wash.

You wear underwear to the gym or field and CHANGE INTO YOUR JOCKSTRAP for the activity; afterwards you would shower and change back into other clothes.

This was common sense, but now you see many men arrive, play and relax and return home all in the same gear.

And therein lies the challenge.

Men have become body-image “retarded” and overly prudish in the locker room.

Where once men use to walk the locker room with confidence in their jockstraps (or less), these days men creep around behind towels, long compression shorts and baggy sweatpants.

Mostly because they see this behaviour exhibited by professional athletes on TV during interviews or in behind-the-scenes-type documentaries or movie scenes about the sports personalities they idolize.

The behaviour is then reinforced by a popular cultural stigma attached to anyone who wears anything less.

If you’re seen in a jockstrap, you’re “gay”.

What men fail to understand, is that pro athletes are in a completely different realm than they are.

Those athletes are forced into a very public forum where they are forced by conservative athletic organizations, television producers and overly sensitive advertisers into being overly modest while anywhere near a camera or reporter.

Trust me, Tim Tebow wears a jockstrap.

When the cameras are off and the reporters are gone, even Tebow stands around wearing it. Even he knows its a locker room, not a church.

I have news for you guys, you aren’t pro athletes and NIKE doesn’t sponsor your games so they shouldn’t be making the rules on what you wear to be comfortable.

Sorry; truth hurts.

For the thousands of men out there who refuse to break the stigma and pull on a jockstrap at their local gym it is too bad.

I must have about four or five good jockstraps I press into service every week for the gym or just going out when I want to stay cool under my shorts or denim.

I don’t care who sees it or what anyone might think.

Women aren’t stigmatized for wearing a bar, and I wont be stigmatized because I wear a jockstrap.

Jockstraps are a staple in my wardrobe and I think if you got a set of balls they should be in yours too.

Loading …

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feeds or follow us on Twitter!

UrbanGuyTO

UrbanGuyTO is your average suburban gay guy trying to make his way in the urban landscape.

Invited by turnipHed to guest blog about his daily interactions on TURNIPSTYLE.COM because we share an interest in men’s fashion, which includes; underwear, swimwear, leather, rubber, neoprene, spandex and being nude.

UrbanGuyTO is the Pride48 2012 Best Package, title holder.

If you like UrbanGuyTO’s work and want to follow the pieces he publishes. You can subscribe to his RSS feed or subscribe to email notifications by visiting this page here.

2 Responses to That’s MY Jockstrap

underwear wearer Reply

24 October 2012 at 10:39:35

Great article. Personally I no longer wear jockstraps. I did when I played competitive sports and there was a very valid reason for it, because it held the protective cup in place.

In the last few years I have tried wearing them (without a cup) to work out and they do work work to keep your package in one place, but so does the right brief or trunk.

To work out I wear the Euro trunk and Euro brief from the Intymen brand. It keeps everything in one firm spot. Maybe it wouldn’t be best if your workouts included a bunch of jumping up and down, but for my needs, they keep everything perfectly in one place.
- UrbanGuyTO Reply
  
  24 October 2012 at 10:51:02
  
  Thx underwear wearer – I agree Intymen is a great brand – it’s supportive and super-comfortable gear for guys.