I thought I'd dig up and old subject for debate, from CBC Sports Online:

The head of soccer's international governing body has caused an uproar by suggesting women soccer players wear tighter shorts to bring more attention to their sport.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the women's game needed different sponsors from men's soccer and could attract these clients with the use of "more feminine uniforms."

Blatter made the comments during an interview with the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick.

"Tighter shorts, for example," Blatter told SonntagsBlick. "In volleyball the women also wear other uniforms than the men. Pretty women are playing football today. Excuse me for saying that."

In the report, Blatter suggested women's soccer should try attracting fashion and cosmetics sponsors.

Several women's soccer players have shrugged off or lashed out at the FIFA president's comments.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," English goalkeeper Pauline Cope told the Associated Press. "To say we should play football in hotpants is plain ridiculous. It's completely irresponsible for a man in a powerful position to make comments like this."

Canadian national team coach Even Pellerud said women's soccer is popular enough that it doesn't need to alter the players' uniforms to attract fans.

"It sounds like women's soccer is not popular which is the opposite of the truth," Pellerud told Canadian Press Friday.

"If FIFA or soccer nations are not able to sell that product...maybe there's another problem than how the players look."

It didn't take long for FIFA to comment on Blatter's remarks. Spokesman Andreas Herren said Blatter never mentioned the word "hotpants."

"The remarks were by no means meant to be offensive, not at all," said Herren.

"Whatever he said, it was more a general remark, 'Let's take a look at that.' But it's not the ultimate recipe to salvage the women's game because he went on to say women's football has established itself and it has a future."

_____________________________

What are your opinions on the remarks?

That is the kind of mentality that keeps more girls from playing football. A totally irresponsible comment by Blatter. I really don´t like the women´s uniforms, and I do think they should be different, but not because of sponsors or whatever, just for a matter to adjust it to women´s bodies.

yeah some of the womens uniforms just need to fit our bodies more rather than have short/tight shorts and shirts. Thats just wrong and it would be kinda uncomfortable to play in and make future women players turn away from the game

sex sells so if women wear sexy shorts more people would probably watch it.

ok, so lets make the men play with tight shorts and shirtless...I bet more women will watch football

exactly what I was gonna say

ur right they wud but :-
1)there are more guys interested in footy then girls(dont take this as a sexist comment as i'm saying it is general)
2)guys would be put off so there would be lesser of us watchig the half naked men
3)with women wearing sexirer uniforms v(guyz) get to watch footy and ahem... stuff, the 2 things that v are very intersted in.(so thewn v wud turn to womens soccer for watching, except in times when we want to c pure class and skills and hard tackles etc.)

exactly what i was getting at. more guys watch football than women so if u put tight shirts on women and shorts on women more men would watch because we guys like that shit.

not a big shock when you know how crazy this old perv. man is..

I don't think women should be made to wear tighter/shorter shorts or more skimpy tops, but I do think they would prefer to wear them.

In other sports, such as tennis, female players choose to wear short dresses or hotpants as a fashion in the sport and i'm sure that this would be the case in football aswell. In men's tennis, the fashion is to play in long shorts and baggy shirts, just like in men's football. Why should women's football follow the men's style and etiquette, when in no other sport or situation they normally would?

I think that changes will be made and the players (and fans) will be more than happy with them. This would also help to get more female players into the game as they would want to look more feminine and dispell the myth that only lesbians are allowed to play football. That's the stereotypical view taken by much of the UK anyway.

Wow, if all guys think like that, I live in a lost world....
So, you´re basically saying that having girls wearing tighter uniforms would make more guys watch it to look at their bodies, not the game itself? And then we, girls, are the ones accused of just watching football because of the hot players.



That is the reason why I think the uniforms should change, just to make it more adjusted to the ones wearing it, the ladies. Not because some old pervert(and all the young ones too ) want it.

guyz do play with tight kits

if it were any tighter he couldn't breathe:


in the old times we men played in skimpy outfits like this:


totti trying to show off his muscles..... ooohh, turning me on already:


look at those sexy shorts:


yea ladies, he's showing off his gorgeous legs. take a peep while it lasts:


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so in conclusion i think it would be sexist NOT to allow women tighter kits. that would be having double standards now wouldn't it?

ok well you say guys would be put off if men played half naked, but dont you think the same could be said for women who may want to watch women play football without their butt cheeks hanging out of their shorts?

Personally, I think his comments unfortunately represent the sentiments of many men, but that doesnt make them right. He should know better than to speak out publically about something so ridiculous. Soccer/football is a sport, not another form of sexual stimulation for the average joe who by the way has more resources for satisfying his perverted fantasies than ever before. If you like watching girls kick around a ball in really short shorts, then go rent a video and leave the girls to play their damn sport with some dignity and respect. It's bad enough that their sport is not taken seriously because "their chicks".

^Great posts Catwoman and Fe.
And by the way Owen4ever, Fe said guys that are running around shirtless, not in tight shirts

still really sexy kits tho you must admit

Haha damn you got me there

no offense meant , but isnt the womens football game kinda slow .

gimme one good reason to watch a womans game minus the sexy outfits .Might as well watch Wolves and Norwich battle it out in Division one .

Now if we r talking abt say Wimbledon where tennis is played at a very fast pace , yes the woman's game is better becoz there will be more volleys contrary to the mens game where it is all serve .But such a scenario cant be qualified as a reason to watch women's football .

Doesn't Blatter have a wife ?

Err... so 30,000 people watch Wolves and Norwich 'battle it out it in division one' because of the sexy outfits the players wear?

There's a lot you need to learn about the game, it's not all about total football and supporting the best teams in the world. What a surprise, your favourite teams are Real Madrid and Brazil!

It may be 'kinda slow' compared to the mens game, but what it lacks in pace and power it makes up in skill. Try watching a game yourself sometime

oh , so becoz i support the best teams in the world - i need to learn a lot abt the game .

dont crack me up .

And more importantly dont assume things .

Anyway for the record , i have watched enough of womens football .Its funny when u bring an argument like 'It may be 'kinda slow' compared to the mens game, but what it lacks in pace and power it makes up in skill. Try watching a game yourself sometime '

There is zero logic in that argument rofl .Why .

Becoz the mens game has as much skill and more pace and power , whether u like it or not .

So which is better ?

A game with skill or a game with skill , pace and power .

answer that question if u plan to reply .

And another thing , people support teams like Norwich city and Wolves not becoz they play brilliant football but becoz the people that support them are locals of those clubs .I am pretty sure that a Norwich or a Wolves wont have somebody from Asia , Africa or America supporting them unless and untill the person in question is a local .And its least of all becoz they wear sexy outfits .U know it and i know it .Why bullshit?

Its plain commonsense .why bring ridiculous analogies to prove a non existent point?

Anyway one thing regarding the womens game .I hve assumed for the sake of politeness in the above question that the womens game has as much skill as the mens game , but frankly speaking , it doesnt .

but i must admit , skills can be developed as long as the game is developed over the years but the reality is which is still better ?

A game with skill or a game with skill , pace and power .

Since when was this topic a "men's football is better than women's football" topic?

Blatter you're an idiot, you're probably also gonna lose half your possesions and assets soon...

I think the important question referring to women´s uniform is not "which is better : men or women football?". The question is : "why not give a chance for the sport to grow, make more girls play, have organized championships all around the world before saying that people(well, guys) will only watch it if the girls wear hot uniforms?".
I think that is the main point here, it had nothing to do with men´s football at all

for the same reason they would watch any game : its football!
I dont know, I watch pretty much every football game I can. No matter how bad the teams suck, no matter if they have cute players in it, no matter what division they are playing. I watch it because its football, and even a bad game makes you learn more and more.
I am sorry that you dont think like that, but for me football is much more than just good skills, flair and all. You may not believe what I am saying, but that is the way I face football.


Oh, good, you deleted your post and made me look stupid

Absolutely correct

Thats the point i'm trying to get across here, but some people seem intent on continually putting the womens game down. No names anmed and I'm not accusing you The_Real_Deal.




The skill level, as I detailed in my post earlier today to which you replyed quite angrily. It's football. It's cheaper than watching the overpaid overpriced men's players. There can be more passion on show. It's different.

You wanted one, there's five reasons.



A game with skill, pace and power seems the clever answer, but if you look under the surface the question could be seen as:

"So which is better ?

A game with skill, passion, technique played in a happy environment, or a game with pace, skill, power, laziness, cheating, over-agression and bad temperament.

answer that question by PM if you plan to reply because this whole discussion is off topic."


I know thats a best vs worst case scenario, but if you look deep into the situation you have to take possibilities like this into account.

Anyways this is all besides the point, this 'which is better' part of the argument is better suited to the General Football forum. Now lets get back on track.

lol now u want a discussion over PM .

Becoz 'apparently' its deviating from the topic .

hilarious discussion .

sure we will go back to topic .

As i said before , and as i say now , the skill set of a womans game is equivalent at its very best to a norwich /Wolves game .

how many people in SP right now follow such a game ?

If a person was given an option to watch a Manu/Arsenal game and a Norwich/Wolves game , trust me , one will see neutrals opting to watch the Manu/Arsenal game rather than the Norwich /wolves game .

Apply the same thing to womens football .

For Blatter to make such a comment , he would have come of as sexist and i must say he was stupid and undiplomatic to say so , but the reality is , there is some truth in what he says .

its the same reason why we have a football babes thread here (Talk abt hypocrisy)

Do we have a football males thread?

No

I wanted talk over PM because this isn't the place for this kind of discussion. I'll welcome your comments over PM or you can start a new mens football vs womens football thread in the general football forum. Not here. It's your choice. Look at the name of the thread, yeah I'd say it was 'apparently deviating' from the topic description. In fact I don't think you've made one comment that actually ties in with the aim of the discussion. I could go and delete all your posts in this thread but I won't as I respect your views, just like I respect the views of everyone on here. Everyone is allowed their say on SP, thats one of the best things about the forums and what makes it different to others. Just don't make discussions in the wrong place, or talk about subjects that aren't related to the topic is all I ask. I'm happy for a topic to go through positives and negatives and take a turn that I wasn't expecting, just as long as the subject matter is relative. In this thread it wasn't, so please take your your argument somewhere else, i.e. why I suggested PMs. You said you'd get back to the discussion, but then you go and deviate once again. Hilarious post

Oh and the question 'how many people would want to watch a Nowrwich/wolves game?', well i'm one, and have been watching lower league English football since i WAS 6. I believe everyone that calls themself a football fan would too. If you don't want to watch a game of this type, or a womens game, and would like to post about it, fine, just don't do it here.

Nice to see you getting back to the discussion though. I also believe that there is an element of truth in what he says, as the game would be more attractive to male fans and more attractive to advertising/sponsorship etc. However, for Blatter to say that womens soccer need a change in uniform is rediculous, as the play itself will, in time, make the game more and more successful.

(I'm still awaiting a PM answering my question. I answered yours so its only fair)

i posted this topic a while ago people liked the idea
i dont think they should where less if they arnt comfortable with it
but if they are happy with it
i am sure boys will watch more girl footy

i don't think this issue has nething to do with if men are better or not. it's quite obvious men are better in almost every aspects of the game because women just aren't physically built for it. doesn't mean there should be any less ppl watching women tho. i still watch women's footy nontheless.

I think Blatter's comments were quite disrespectful to the women's game and he is showing up how much of an old perv he is.

The thing is that many organisations are trying to increase the popularity of the women's game because they want people to watch/follow the sport for footballing reasons, not so people could perv and stare at the players. The female players should be looked and treated as sportswomen rather than sex objects.

Being a follower of the men's game as well, I know various guys that make comments like "Women only watch men's football to stare at the players." That is not the case most of the time, although there is always an odd exception where one girl might just watch it for the attractive players. However, most women follow men's football for the same reason that men do and if they find some of the male players attractive then that is an added bonus when watching matches.

This should be the same case when following women's football. Sure some men watching the women's game might find some of the players attractive, but it would be only natural for them to have those feelings just like it is only natural for some women to be attracted to male players.

Whatever game they are playing and whatever gender they may be, sports participants should be looked at as sports players and not sex objects whilst they are on the pitch or court. Finding some sportsmen/sportswomen attractive should be an added bonus when watching sport and not a sole reason alone why people watch or follow games. On the other hand, if a player chooses to do modelling or pose nude in their spare time, then so be it, but once they're taking part in sport they should be treated as a sports person.

As for women's football kits, I think a re-design of the kit is needed, not to make the game more sexually appealing, but so that women feel more comfortable playing. The kits are a bit masculine and maybe a kit that is more suitable for women would be better. I too have heard people make comments suggesting that "Women's football is for butch lesbians," which may put some others off the game.

Finally, if they want to increase the popularity of the women's game, then to start with there could be more television coverage of it...

To tell you the truth, and I'm sure I might get some angry replies, but to hell with it, I think Blatter has made somewhat of a valid point.

First of all, Blatter is head of FIFA, and that means that one of his first and foremost responsibilities is to promote football (including the viewership of football).
Secondly, it's common knowledge that Tv stations showing football, and all sports for that matter, have men as their target demographic.
Add to that the fact that everyone knows that sex is what sells the most, notably among males.
So in conclusion, it's pretty obvious why Blatter said these comments: he wants to use 'sex' to promote the viewership of football, one of his repsonsabilities, in order to draw the attention of the most important football-viewing demographic: men. This is a very common marketing technique and I don't see why it has caused such a stir. It has nothing to do with Sepp being a pervert, hell lots of men's teams have tight shirts; but it has to do with his job to market football in order to have it as popular as he can make it to be.

you see? men can be as sexy as they want and women should be able to be as sexy as THEY want.

i am fifteen years old, so needless to say, i am interested in women, and women's football

unfortunately it will not be sexy for all players to wear skimpy shorts and tight shirts, just as there are 250 lbs men players, there are also 250 lbs women players

just a thought.

Good point. I'm sure many would love to see Amanda Barr in tight shorts...

hey that "girl" looks like nelson de kok in my sig

Man you just changed my mind on this subject.

I dont watch woman football (couse it never on my TV), but I wouldnt watch more if they where jumping around in tight shorts.
However I wouldnt mind it, I just simply dont care, if woman want to play in tighter sporting outfits they should do it, if they hate it, then dont...

I think if a man plays without a shirt then it would only be fair that a woman plays without shirt too. If a man plays naked then the woman should play naked too. Isnt that just emancipation?

yo, sepp has a point but i think its bout footy really. like i used to just like players like totti for coz they were good, and , even though im a boy, coz they were good looking, becks as another example. im not sayin im gay, but who do you like better, lampard or drogba? beckham or pablo garcia? it could be the opposite for women.except that i loive, breathe and eat ffootball so i watch anything there is. i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their play, not their tits bouncin around, when i watched euro 2005. players wear what they want within sponsorship. e.g. drogba wears a really baggy shiirt, lamps wears his tighter. no prob. it should be about football. look at brazil. everyone plays futbol. all have ginga. men and women. boys and girls. everyone plays with eachother. howqever, because of the stereotype that women are supposed to be sexy, sepp suggested sex to bring more publicity. however sexy beckham might lok to girls with a tight top, how many people want to see petercrouch in tight wear? it should be about choice and balance.
i rest my case.

Does it matter if you're not gay?

hahahahaha lol^

Good post joaquin17, I do think good looking players are more attractive to the market, as is the case in any situation (would Calvin Klein use ugly models to market his latest fashion campaign? No) so obviously it may help to bring about a higher level of of interest in the game, which is much needed. However to force women to play in tighter shorts or skimpier outfits would be unacceptable, and like the men's game women must have the choice in what they wear. Sure, the more attractive players like Rachel Unitt and Josephine Oqvist may choose to play in hotpants and a tight top and this would bring a certain amount of appeal to the game. On the other hand they might not. Amanda Barr may wish to continue wearing her Drogbaesque loose shirt and long shorts or whatever decision she makes.

Look at tennis as an example. Players are left down to their own choices as to what they wear. Anna Kournikova chose to wear tight fitting tops and low cut skirts and this brought a huge amount of appeal to the game. Lindsay Davenport is more reclined in her outfit choices but brings appeal to the game in other ways. Serena Williams on the other hand may not be everybody's idea of a sex icon, but wears tight uniforms nevertheless and this has never done any harm to the game of tennis. In fact these three players have brought massive attention to the womens game of tennis and promoted it to new heights in the last decade. Their choice of outfit has never been forced and all have contributed in a different way.

I think Football should be left to it's own devices and I feel Blatter's comment came as a reminder that players may want to change their appearances in order to progress the game's development, but by no means to did he call for a full blown uniform cap. His comments have certainly brought interest into the game so as fans we should be thankful.

I've just been surfing around and I can see that top-class female footballers in the UK are already wearing more feminine kits. Here are the Arsenal men's and ladies shirts for comparism:

Mens


Ladies


There is not alot of difference other than the on the female shirt (blouse ) arms are cut shorter and tighter and as a female you can still see your figure. This is for sale in the club shop, and I know that Reading FC also have a similar design available. This is probably the middle of the road ground that female footballers should be playing in. A feminine design without blatently using their bodies to promote the game. Well done Arsenal

it's not just arsenal m8 it's everybody. women's shirts just look like that.

Well searched Owen4ever, I wasn;t aware that all women's teams followed in that way

well now you kno

I watch most of the women national team games whenever I can as I bet most football fans do. However, its obvious that if the women wore more appealing kits, a lot more men would watch and women too. They dont have to play in skimpy tights or booty shorts, with bras, but making available more femine wear would have its advantages. At the same time, those women who dont want to, would have to dress like that.

In reality the womens game is coming along, and it will take a while before it gets to appoint where it draws enough attention as other major womens sports which have been played mainstream by women for a long time. Also, Guys should stop arguing about the skill level of the women also, as I bet most of the top women players are better than a few pros.

Blatter is right

yeah women need to get hotter....these german players are UGLY!

Because getting hotter is what the game needs, right. That'll improve the skill level a ton I bet.

I bet those german players could dribble circles around you, they have a very good squad.

^ very true, what kind of a comment was that!, show some more respect

i like the arsneal ladies jersies, very nice, and not as bad as i thought it would be