Fashion Appeal - The KEY to badminton popularity!

[Trance]

It donned upon me when I looked at the "We need Yonex" thread that fashion appeal is a KEY to badminton advertisement!

I was deeply inspired by the posting of this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050822/sp_afp/badmintonusaworld_050822132627;_ylt=Akw1qVwEPATPOh vkkkfg_FOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3cm82NXAwBHNlYwM3NTU-

We know very well that since badminton is an in-door sport only in gyms, the likelihood of non-badminton players seeing great players at work is very slim. They will never see the awesome gear that we harness close at hand, the great playing, or even the clothing we wear! Especially since we would most likely change clothing in the gym to outdoor clothing later.

Fashion appeal is what we need. Yonex is a major player in this. We know that basketball players and fans will wear basketball shirts outside or in the public. The same goes for hockey, football, and American football fans, so why not change badminton clothing to work the same? This is the greatest way to advertise badminton in my opinion.

It's a very simple move in that badminton fans can strut around in their badminton clothing harnessing colours of their favourite badminton country and possibly names including "D Lin" or "T Hidayat" on their backs. Interest sparks in those who are not as knowledgeable in badminton and also raises awareness to the World #1 players.

I may get myself more Yonex shirts now and walk around in school and the public with them to raise badminton awareness. :D

:cool:

[adelina76]

I've read that article..it is interesting watching the players and officials (especially the males) "promoting" better "fashion sense"..see all the 'quotation marks' over the politically correct terms..but sounds to me what they're saying is, we want to see sexier badminton players to draw the crowd...

As a fellow female badminton player, I am kinda torn on this subject. On one hand, it is obvious that we cannot deny the commercial reality of the adage saying that '*** sells' and while I really want badminton to become more popular and draw more people to watch it, I certainly would not want to feel like a 'feathered' peace of meat at the same time, pun not intended :rolleyes:

As many of the female players said, they have no objections so long as it's done tastefully and the player feels comfortable wearing the clothes. Problem you have is that every players' definition of what is "comfortable" and "tasteful" varies as much as their style of play, choice of racquets used and, for that matter, type of atttire to wear on court on the day of play. The other issue of course is that you cannot compare the 'glamour' of tennis to badminton as once again, the almighty dollar sign rears its ugly head. It is hard to look like Maria Sharapova on badminton court when you earn US3,000 for your effort in the world champs compared to winning the Wimbledon trophy accompanied by a nice shiny cheque to the amount of US1 million dollars. Also, due to the lack of exposure and sponsorship involved in badminton, it will be a while before badminton get glamourised in the same category as tennis. Do the maths..I'm sure if Zhang Ning wins that kind of prize money and gets sponsorship not only from badminton associated companies, but from cosmetic giants, fashion designers, stylists from Hollywood, she would easily be as glamourous gliding down the catwalk in Milan on a Saturday night after the finals of All England.

Also there's issues of culture and practicality to deal with. Let's face it, at present, tennis powerhouses come from western/european countries where wearing 'sexy' (using this term loosely) outfits does not go against the tide of propriety within their cultures whereas badminton which is traditionally and I believe based on the recent WC results, still dominated by players from Asia with somewhat more modest and restrictive cultural 'guidelines' on what would be appropriate sports attire compared to its European/western counterpart. While wearing sexy outfits on badminton court might attract more spectators and I'm sure most men out there, including you male suscribers to this website, would love to see female players flaunting sexy legs on court..but imagine these girls are your sisters, cousins, close family members..wives even...exactly..

ACK JUST GOT TOLD TO EVACUATE OUR BUILDING BECAUSE OF A BOMB THREAT...NO KIDDING! WILL BE BACK TO CONTINUE THIS..

A

[Locomoco]

ACK JUST GOT TOLD TO EVACUATE OUR BUILDING BECAUSE OF A BOMB THREAT...NO KIDDING! WILL BE BACK TO CONTINUE THIS..

A
OMG... Please hurry back to let us know you're okay!

[kwun]

welcome back adelina!

in this debate, i think tastefulness and comfortable with are the key. i am quite conservative when it comes to making changes. however, i do think that the latest fashion Yonex created with ladies players wearing skirts is a great change. the designs are elegant and tasteful, brings out the feminine side of the players while at the same time are not revealing that players might not be comfortable with. i do feel that the players enjoy wearing them too, isn't it natural for girls to dress up and make themselves look pretty? (my sincere apologies if i am overly generalizing) so long as it is tasteful, and that the players are comfortable with it, it will make an positive impact to the image of the game.

but i do not agree with the "s-e-x sells" strategy. personally i think it is sell-out in order to please male audience who cannot see deeper than the surface.

different people have different definition of tasteful. i think some of those very revealing outfit worn by tennis players are rather disgusting looking and i would be very put off from watching them run around in those things.

[kwun]

just a short story that is somewhat related to this topic.

i was standing with BC fellow member samkool at the top of the WC audience stand where the IBF official's box seats are. Punch Gunalan was sitting in the box a couple of seats from where we were standing. i told samkool that he is the guy who wanted to make changes like tennis style service in badminton (as well as the sexy clothing change that this thread addresses).

upon hearing that, samkool said rather loudly, "well, this just shows that these politicians have no brain."

i don't know if Gunalan heard it or not.

[adelina76]

Boy, I'm so glad to be alive!

It turned out someone in our building got a call from someone stating that there's a bomb in our building and it will explode soon! That's why we all had to evacuate.

Police bomb experts arrived at the scene together with all the remote control robots used to disarm bombs etc..it turned out to be a hoax, no bomb etc...but it was scary!

Anyway, back to where I left off..I think I covered the issue of culture but not practicality...so what I meant by this is sometimes wearing something sexy may not be practical. I remember watching a tennis match between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in some tournament or another and Serena was wearing her own design outfit..it looks sexy, but damn right impractical and uncomfortable (no different to her 'catwoman' outfit - leather in that heat? That's just stupid!)

I would rather say Mia Audina dressed in her pajamas and play beautifully on court than see her in some sexy outfit revealing her belly button but see her struggle to play her best because she's too self conscious of what she's exposing and constantly adjusting her clothes due to this awkwardness. So in the end, the question is, what is the price do we pay to put forward something, at the expense of another?

Agreed with what Kwun says...looking feminine like the yonex skirts, yes, flesh revealing outfits or tight outfits, no.

Adelina and her two cents worth..

[sac_man]

It donned upon me when I looked at the "We need Yonex" thread that fashion appeal is a KEY to badminton advertisement!

>>Most of yonex Badminton shirt are too colorful,

I may get myself more Yonex shirts now and walk around in school and the public with them to raise badminton awareness. :D

>> That's all good, but to raise badminton awareness, I think we need more than just wearing Badminton shirts in the public.

I picked up LA times last week, wishing that some badminton pictures from badminton championship would make it on those column, to my disappointment, I found only the score were posted next to pictues of the Horse's head (from horses racing).

In order to have succesful badminton program in the US,the USBA should have the following in their priority list :
-Hire qualify personals to do the following:
-get "more" money into the programs
- Media coverages (newspapers, TV, etc) in the major cities, LA, SF, NY,etc.
- Network with nike, reebooks, etc
- Corporates Sponsorship.

it's a shame to see a handful sponsors from such a big event.

[cooler]

i too feel the same way of what have been said here. I wouldn't like to sell out in a rush to gain instant popularity. I may not like the crowd we would attract using s** to sell and at the same time repel another group of people who find it offensive. So in the end, net gain in popularity might not be as big as gunalan wanted. Worst, it may backfire, just like the 7 and 9 point scoring system. With so much violent in sports, i think badminton can open many doors to youths that wanted a better alternative. Take golf for example, it's a mainstream sport that doesn't rely of selling s** to promote itself. I think we can capture alot of new audience if we promote it as a healthy and fair sports.

Having other clothing brands help too because there would be natural selection and competiton among them. The audience will eventually decide what's they like and dislike overall, that would be the best outcome.

[merlin]

I dont think its the navel people see when women insert fashion into tennis. I humbly suggest that it is a tighter shirt thats the difference.

PS I personally prefer the present style

[tinkerbella122]

Badminton should be recognized to the world for the sport itself. NOT for the reputation of alluring and seducing its viewers. I'd rather have badminton's popularity as it is, than letting it be known to the world as a "dirty" sport http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/images/icons/icon4.gif . Appealing or not , this is not the right way to gain popularity!

~ J

[DaN_fAn]

Actually i will have to completely agree with this.We 'need' more good looking players and much better clothing to change the look.There are some guys in the MS which is good to see,yet we need more especially from the other 4 events.

I doubt Sharapova would be that much of a smash hit if she had a really long nose or if she would n't wear the clothes she does.So simply speaking in some sports there is more talk about 'other' things than the sport itself.there is a hype.

While we can keep saying that 'BADMINTON SHOULD BE PURE' etc..etc ,i dont think anybody can deny the fact that good looking and good dressed players are real crowd pullers[in case of Badminton Lin,taufik,Bao etc].Take a look at Tennis.It is so very popular in the world as compared to Badminton,yet all i hear about tennis is a handful MS and WS players.No one cares for doubles...why?Not too many 'stars'.I never hear anything about doubles or ever[inspite of so much coverage given to tennis] see tennis doubles on TV.Tennis infact is just 'hyped'.
Why not do what they do in Tennis.just pick a few good looking,great dressed [and good playing] players and market them like nuts,just build a hype all around.
I agree this is not the best way,But u cannot ask for anything less in today's world,have to catch up with times.

[Pball]

Badminton should be recognized to the world for the sport itself. NOT for the reputation of alluring and seducing its viewers. I'd rather have badminton's popularity as it is, than letting it be known to the world as a "dirty" sport http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/images/icons/icon4.gif . Appealing or not , this is not the right way to gain popularity!

~ J


Hear! Hear! I second the emotion...

[Spacerooster]

*** sells, women
shuttlers agree

ANAHEIM, California — The International

Badminton Federation (IBF)

are calling on their female athletes to

wear more glamorous outfits.

Speaking during the finals of the

World Championships here on Sunday,

IBF deputy president Punch Gunalan

said he wished the women shuttlers

would dress more like Russian

tennis star Maria Sharapova.

"We are too old fashioned," Gunalan

said. "We need to be in the fashion

world. So we would like to see players

wear more appealing clothes … So

when people walk around they would

want to wear it. Let’s take Maria Sharapova.

Look at her tank tops. They are

pretty."

New Zealand bronze medallist Sara

Runesten-Petersen said: "I wouldn’t

mind it. I can’t wear skimpy tops because

of my shape, but some of the

girls have beautiful bodies, so there is

nothing to hide.

"Lots of girls wear skirts and

skimpy tops, why not when they play

sports? I wouldn’t want to play in just

a bra, but a (tank) top is fine.

"Why not when you are a girl, look

like a girl. But it should be up to the

individual and not enforced."

Olympic champion Zhang Ning, of

China, has no objection. "It is acceptable

to me," said Zhang. "The tank

top is all right, just not the string top."

Men’s singles champion Taufik Hidayat,

of Indonesia, said flashier outfits

are "a good idea." — AFP

[ants]

TheStar 23rd Aug 05

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) are calling on their female players to wear more glamorous outfits, complaining that the traditional style of dress is too old fashioned.

The IBF deputy president Datuk Punch Gunalan said at the World Championships in Anaheim on Sunday that he wished the women would dress more like Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova.

“We are too old fashioned,” Gunalan said.

“Nowadays the girls are becoming a little better dressed. We need to be in the fashion world. So we would like to see players wear more appealing clothes to the public. By appealing, I mean use it for everyday use. So when people walk around, they would want to wear it. Unfortunately we are far away from that. Let’s take Maria Sharapova. Look at her tank tops. It is pretty.”

New Zealand bronze medallist Sara Runesten-Petersen said that she is in favour of anything that will attract more fans to the sport as long as it isn’t forced on them.

“I wouldn’t mind it. I can’t wear skimpy tops because of my shape but some of the girls have beautiful bodies so there is nothing to hide,” said Runesten-Petersen.

“Lots of girls wear skirts and skimpy tops why not when they play sports?

“I wouldn’t want to play in just a bra but a (tank) top is fine. Why not when you are a girl, look like a girl. But it should be up to the individual and not enforced.”

Olympic champion Zhang Ning, of China, said that she had no objection as long as it was done tastefully.

“It is acceptable to me,” said top seed Zhang. “The tank top is all right, just not the string top.”

Men’s singles champion Taufik Hidayat, of Indonesia, said flashier outfits are “a good idea”.

The IBF’s attempt to popularise the game to a larger audience was evident by the use of scantily-clad cheerleaders during the breaks between matches on Sunday at the Arrowhead Pond.

“Our target is to promote the game to the audiences,” said Gunalan.

Gunalan said that he was talking to attire manufacturers about coming up with some new ideas.

“There is too much monopoly right now for one company, Yonex. We need to get companies like Reebok, Nike and Adidas involved,” he said.

[wood_22_chuck]

It constantly astounds me how people at decision-making positions come to their conclusions. While, yes, some logistics, like fitting advertisements between breaks etc are quite valid, players not being "attractively attired" is perhaps a cheap shot.

Really now ... although gone are the days when relying on the merits of the game itself to promote itself, there are other more solid strategies to be considered and pushed for.

If Punch is looking for quick-and-easy (i.e. eye-candy), instead of slow and steady, such as the import of foreign players, badminton camps, etc, as such suggested by more knowledgable BadmintonForum members, I shudder to acknowledge the IBF as the governing body of badminton.

I'll rant, and say that although the challenges faced by the IBF in promoting badminton are many and difficult, I'd prefer IBF to promote badminton; taking the role of ambassador for badminton, instead of pandering.

-dave

[Dareal]

I can't believe that the IBF deputy preseident, Gunalan, can make such a ridiculous public statement. :eek: It's insulting to women! Making comments like that will offend women, not attract them to the game. He implies that women are pretty little trinkets! How about suggesting that men wear fishnet shirts so they can show off their rippling abs?! Feh! :rolleyes:

If a player has talent, I don't care if he or she wears a sleevelss undershirt and pajama shorts (just like the slum dwellers in Kung Fu Hustle). In fact, I'd cheer harder for that person just for his or her independent streak!

He should retract his statement and apologize! :mad:

[Togey]

I think badminton players should wear cloth more like nadal, the spanish tenis player...

we need nike!

[Dareal]

Badminton does have a Nadal--Cheng Shiao-Chieh! I am a big fan of her! She recently won the bronze in the WS event in the World Championship.


I think badminton players should wear cloth more like nadal, the spanish tenis player...

we need nike!

[Togey]

who? what makes her nadal?

[ViningWolff]

I ran with the idea a while back of trying to give badminton some "attitiude" - I came up with a T-shirt design that was aggressive (a flaming bird approach, but with brighter colors) and coupled it with slogans that went along the lines of the old "No fear" shirts.

It was a combination of the "Bury the Bird" and "Don't play my game".


"300 km/h SMASH ... good players might return it. Lucky ones get out of the way"


"FINESS: With perfect touch, I work the court like a game of chess, making you run until you pant like a dog and your lungs are ready to explode....
Don't play my game"

"POWER: With unrelenting offense, I hammer the shuttle at you, until I break your spirit and all you can do is watch the shuttle hit the floor.
Don't play my game."

"Bound for the next round. Bury the Bird"

"It's only a wussy sport to those too inept to play. Bury the Bird."


The idea was to give Badminton some edge to it. Bring it away from the backyard and the snooty upper class image it tends to be saddled with.

The trial run was well recieved though it was without the slogans and only simgle color (silver on a black shirt).

I may run with this again with the full color slate. If I do I'll see if people here might be interested. To that end I suggest that Yonex is NOT the people to look to, but Adididas/Nike/Champion - people who make clothing for a wide range of sports.

[Trance]

Hmm. The point I was trying to get across does not seem to have hit his mark. I think I worded something incorrectly because the discussion is not heading in the direction I was hoping.

Anyway, my point was not only to change female clothing, but of course male as well in order to make it not only badminton wear, but also everyday clothing. I believe that by displaying badminton clothing in the public is as instrumental as those who wear other sports gear in public. It gets the name of the players out there, it attracts an audience to view the article of clothing, and best of all it displays your favourite sport.

My intention is to have people around me point to me or rather look and say "Hey that's a Yonex shirt! But who's D Lin? I think I'll go google it." or something like "That's a very interesting shirt, so you say he's wearing a badminton shirt? Hmm, I guess badminton is not the sport I thought it was made out to be." Well, something along the line of getting people to change their thinking upon our sport. I know very well that people are very striken when they see people wearing a basketball shirt or hockey shirt. They immediately know what team they root for and the player. If not the player, curiousity sets out to make them want to find out who it is. This is my goal. To instigate some interest, curiousity, and further study upon badminton just by wearing shirts.

On a side note: Anyone selling regular Yonex t-shirts? Such as 100% cotton, not the material that normal badminton wear is.

[Trance]

I ran with the idea a while back of trying to give badminton some "attitiude" - I came up with a T-shirt design that was aggressive (a flaming bird approach, but with brighter colors) and coupled it with slogans that went along the lines of the old "No fear" shirts.

It was a combination of the "Bury the Bird" and "Don't play my game".


"300 km/h SMASH ... good players might return it. Lucky ones get out of the way"


"FINESS: With perfect touch, I work the court like a game of chess, making you run until you pant like a dog and your lungs are ready to explode....
Don't play my game"

"POWER: With unrelenting offense, I hammer the shuttle at you, until I break your spirit and all you can do is watch the shuttle hit the floor.
Don't play my game."

"Bound for the next round. Bury the Bird"

"It's only a wussy sport to those too inept to play. Bury the Bird."


The idea was to give Badminton some edge to it. Bring it away from the backyard and the snooty upper class image it tends to be saddled with.

The trial run was well recieved though it was without the slogans and only simgle color (silver on a black shirt).

I may run with this again with the full color slate. If I do I'll see if people here might be interested. To that end I suggest that Yonex is NOT the people to look to, but Adididas/Nike/Champion - people who make clothing for a wide range of sports.

Hehe, I really like your slogans. I'm very interested in seeing some of your t-shirt designs lol. Care to give us some previews before you make a million ;)

[ViningWolff]

http://members.tripod.com/strathbad/

You can see the silver and black design we had for the Forza T-shirts. The other shirts were yellow on navy, but the effect of the bird image is much better with all the colors


I'll try to post the original color scheme from home tonight.

[Mag]

I can't believe that the IBF deputy preseident, Gunalan, can make such a ridiculous public statement. :eek: It's insulting to women! Making comments like that will offend women, not attract them to the game. He implies that women are pretty little trinkets! How about suggesting that men wear fishnet shirts so they can show off their rippling abs?! Feh! :rolleyes:

If a player has talent, I don't care if he or she wears a sleevelss undershirt and pajama shorts (just like the slum dwellers in Kung Fu Hustle). In fact, I'd cheer harder for that person just for his or her independent streak!

He should retract his statement and apologize! :mad:

I couldn't agree with you more.
These comments are so anachronistic it's just unreal. There can be no other conclusion than that Punch Gunalan is a fat middle-aged (well, beoynd that even) prejudiced sexist. Come to think of it, isn't most sports run by fat, middle-aged (or older) men with sexist views? They say they want "attractive players", but what it all really boils down to is that they want the girls to look sexy. Volleyball has a female dress code with *maximum* measurements for panties. Is that what we want? (If you feel compelled to say "yeah... sounds great" with a drool, don't bother to answer)

Punch has lost all my respect. Personally, I think he should go. I don't see how a president of a governing sports body can make statements like that and get away with it.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[blckknght]

What do you all think of this?

FROM OLYMPICS.COM.AU



Push to make badminton glamorous
Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Greg Heakes
AAP

The International Badminton Federation is calling on its female athletes to wear more glamorous outfits, complaining that the traditional style of dress is too old fashioned.

Speaking during the finals of the World Championships in Anaheim, IBF deputy president Punch Gunalan said he wished the women shuttlers would dress more like Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova.

"We are too old fashioned," Gunalan said. "Nowadays the girls are becoming a little better dressed.

"We need to be in the fashion world. So we would like to see players wear more appealing clothes to the public. By appealing I mean use it for everyday use. So when people walk around they would want to wear it.

"Unfortunately we are far away from that. Let's take Maria Sharapova. Look at her tank tops. It is pretty."

New Zealand bronze medallist Sara Runesten-Petersen said she is in favour of anything that will attract more fans to the sport as long as it isn't forced on them.

"I wouldn't mind it. I can't wear skimpy tops because of my shape but some of the girls have beautiful bodies so there is nothing to hide," Runesten-Petersen said.

"Lots of girls wear skirts and skimpy tops why not when they play sports?

"I wouldn't want to play in just a bra but a (tank) top is fine.

"Why not when you are a girl, look like a girl. But it should be up to the individual and not enforced."

Olympic champion Zhang Ning, of China, has no objection as long as it is done tastefully.

"It is acceptable to me," said top seed Zhang. "The tank top is alright, just not the string top."

The IBF's attempt to popularise the game to a larger audience was evident by the use of scantily-clad cheerleaders during the breaks between matches today at the Arrowhead Pond arena.

"Our target is to promote the game to the audiences," Gunalan said.





FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT


Mike Tancred
Group Manager, Media & Communications
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
Telephone (02) 8436 2100, 0412 330 274
Facsimile (02) 8436 2198

[Wizbit]

I don't think theres much room here for improvement, other than new designs and colours. Does he want the women to wear leotards and lycra? Call me old fashioned but I think the current range of wears are quite smart but casual also.

I had a look at the sports wears by the major manufacturers including Nike, Addidas, Reebok and I think the Yonex is up there in terms of attractiveness and pricing.

Badminton is a sport, not a fashion brand. However, I don't think the YONEX logo is very trendy. If they launch a range for leisure and casual wear, they should launch it under a sub brand like e.g. Yonex Sports or Yonex Wear or whatever, but with a different fresher logo.

[eek!oh!]

I agree - anything tasteful is fine. A lot of the tops are unisex & a bit garish. I would hate to see the bimbo look come in though!

[ataru13]

I think that the IBF staff should were sexier outfits, instead of the players.

That would help the IBF to get more sponsors, better relationships with other federations, and improve badminton in general.

Anybody agrees?????

:D

[DaN_fAn]

I think that the IBF staff should were sexier outfits, instead of the players.

That would help the IBF to get more sponsors, better relationships with other federations, and improve badminton in general.

Anybody agrees?????

:D
Haha..
Tell u what, if doing that would actually help Badminton then the IBF would definitely not do it.why?Because the IBF is always doing the opposite thing.


Hope THAT changes.

[CoolFitWear]

I like the slogans! Remember that stylish outerwear doesn't always have to show off a lot of skin to look great. But I think all sports could benefit from stylish gear to attract upscale fan interest.

Sharon

(http://www.coolfitwear.com/)

[tinkerbella122]

I like the slogans! Remember that stylish outerwear doesn't always have to show off a lot of skin to look great. But I think all sports could benefit from stylish gear to attract upscale fan interest.

Sharon
http://www.coolfitwear.com (http://www.coolfitwear.com/)

On the website it says , "Designed with the athlete in mind, the CoolFitWear collection allows you to concentrate on your sport and not on your clothing. Be cool. Stay dry."

Which reminds me , how easy it is to lose focus of the game if we were to wear clothing that were much too revealing .

[blckknght]

How about the new one pieces? I dont think they go anywhere near as as far as the current women's tennis uniforms, but they look sharp.

[Wizbit]

Do we want to take it as far as Serena Williams in Tennis?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sport/newsid_3617000/3617432.stm

[ErrBerr]

Do we want to take it as far as Serena Williams in Tennis?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/sport/newsid_3617000/3617432.stm

They look like Nike Gumboots, hehe.. :D

[cooler]

i'm not for or against it. I think what's done tennis is ok: have stricter dress code on certain events and less so for other events.

[ArmotecDude]

How about the new one pieces? I dont think they go anywhere near as as far as the current women's tennis uniforms, but they look sharp.

Yea I agree with the one peice, and XXF is displaying it very nicely. I don't mind the female players wearing new "pretty" apparels as long as it allows me to keep my eyes on the game and not on them. :p

[event]

Volleyball has a female dress code with *maximum* measurements for panties. Is that what we want? Wow, I had no idea that was the reason for the look of volleyball attire. And don't men normally wear long sleeves for volleyball? Having said that, it's hard to imagine sportswear allowing more freedom of movement than women's volleyball attire. Someone mentioned in another thread that all sportswear was designed with the specific sport in mind. That's obviously B.S. How can one argue that the current length of shorts offer more freedom of movement than the hotpants in vogue in the 80s? The only reason Yonex doesn't sell those any more (or adidas or any other manufacturer in soccer and tennis) is that men, in particular, are too embarrassed to wear them any more. The same goes for basketball and soccer shorts. That rule doesn't apply to all changes in clothing, of course. Making the longer badminton shorts elastic is, of course, a way of working within the fashion constraints to provide better maneuverability and I think the move to more tightly-fitting basketball jerseys eliminates some jersey interference. The move by women tennis players to slinkier outfits may have two motivations: freedom of movement and, in some cases, possibly a desire to show off a body that conforms to a commonly accepted beauty paradigm. I don't think women should be encouraged to look sexy and they certainly shouldn't be forced if indeed that's what happens in volleyball but if men or women want to wear something more practical they should be neither ridiculed nor objectified.

[twobeer]

Do we want to take it as far as Serena Williams in Tennis?


Why not.. But with Serenas amount of excessive fat its a bit un-tasy :-)

But, on a more trained badminton athlete, why not :-)

/Twobeer

[ChocoChipWaffle]

anything to increase the popularity of badminton... i would love to see it get as popular as tennis!

btw zhang ning accepted these new trends... but do u think mia audina might accept it???:p

[Pball]

Hmm. The point I was trying to get across does not seem to have hit his mark. I think I worded something incorrectly because the discussion is not heading in the direction I was hoping.

Anyway, my point was not only to change female clothing, but of course male as well in order to make it not only badminton wear, but also everyday clothing. I believe that by displaying badminton clothing in the public is as instrumental as those who wear other sports gear in public. It gets the name of the players out there, it attracts an audience to view the article of clothing, and best of all it displays your favourite sport.

My intention is to have people around me point to me or rather look and say "Hey that's a Yonex shirt! But who's D Lin? I think I'll go google it." or something like "That's a very interesting shirt, so you say he's wearing a badminton shirt? Hmm, I guess badminton is not the sport I thought it was made out to be." Well, something along the line of getting people to change their thinking upon our sport. I know very well that people are very striken when they see people wearing a basketball shirt or hockey shirt. They immediately know what team they root for and the player. If not the player, curiousity sets out to make them want to find out who it is. This is my goal. To instigate some interest, curiousity, and further study upon badminton just by wearing shirts.

On a side note: Anyone selling regular Yonex t-shirts? Such as 100% cotton, not the material that normal badminton wear is.

Two of my shirts have these slogans..

1) " I PLAY HARD TO GET"
---- underneath this in very fine print "shots"


2) " (insert your counrty of choice here) Team" Ex. Denmark Team
----- underneath in very fine print.. "I wish"

[cappy75]

Badminton attire has come a long way since the early days of classic all-white apparel. It's gonna get better for here onwards.

[newplayer]

I got this article from sports.china.com:

Here are the reactions of certain key people to IBF's proposal for forcing female
badminton players to wear more sexy clothes:

* Xie Xing Fang: I'd be worried about exposing myself if I was to wear clothes
that's too sexy, and I wouldn't be able to play to my best. I can accept
sleeve-less shirt and sports skirt, but anything more would make me think
twice.


* Zhang Ning: I can accept that, but I think I will be fine with sleeve-less shirt.


* Patterson (a New Zealand female player): I don't really care, but I don't think
I will look very sexy because my body is not of that type. I think there are
many good looking girls with great bodies in our tournaments, there is nothing
for them to hide. There are many good looking girls who wear short skirts on the
streets, so why cannot we wear the same during tournaments? I'm not saying
that the less we wear in the tournament, the better, I just think there is nothing
wrong to wear something more sexy and beautiful.


* Zhang Jie Wen: I can only play my best if I'm wearing the most comfortable and
natural clothes. I like short pants best.


* Li Yong Bo: I'm not very interested in this type of proposals, and I don't want to
comment on it.

* Taufik: That's a good idea!!

[pommyg]

Look, we need to treat badminton more seriously than this. People who want to ogle women, there are plenty of websites to go to. I would not like it if I was a woman.

Pommy

[Azwok]

Agreed. Using *** appeal to attract players? I geuss this is really just a "will the ends justify the means?" only perhaps not applied to such a serious situation as you would often find this saying done.

In an ideal world the thrill of badminton itself would attract new players and enrich the sport, but realisticly thats a far way off and may well never happen, but all the same I don't think it warrants using *** appeal to achieve this.

[LazyBuddy]

Personally, I think the proposal is fine, as long as it gives the player to have her own freedom to make the final call:

1. For conservative players, they still can pick the traditional sleeve shirt and short pans.

2. For players who don't care about the more sexy appeal, or willing to "show off" a bit more than skill, it's still fine.

Overall, I think IBF is doing a good thing: give more choices for the players, and make the game to be a bit more excited (of course, hopefully within a controllable degree). ;)

[pommyg]

I cant believe that the IBF have suggested it. I agree with the sentiment above - the thrill is in the badminton not the lingerie:eek:

Pommy

(**********************************/)

[Renkinjutsushi]

i dont think a formal "proposal" should actually be used for this thing, like everyone else had said so far, it's not nice to force female players to use *** appeal to attract players/viewers. but personally, i think it would be ok to "suggest" this idea to people, rather than writing up a formal proposal to "force" the players to do so. like some of the comments made earlier by the "key people", some dont mind wearing more "exposing" clothes, so i guess they would do it, but it's not good to force the others... ok, i think i'm starting to repeat rather than reiterate... anyways, im' sure whoever reads this will get my drift.

[LazyBuddy]

I cant believe that the IBF have suggested it. I agree with the sentiment above - the thrill is in the badminton not the lingerie:eek:

Pommy


But suggestion is not "enforcement".

Back then, IBF strictly limited the appeal to be fairly old fashion when compare to other sports. Now, they just lifted the bann, and give players more freedom to select their own. I don't think it's a bad thing, once u have more choices, right? :)

[pommyg]

But suggestion is not "enforcement".

Back then, IBF strictly limited the appeal to be fairly old fashion when compare to other sports. Now, they just lifted the bann, and give players more freedom to select their own. I don't think it's a bad thing, once u have more choices, right? :)

Well, if it is up to players then that is different. Oops:D . I think we should all be able to wear what we want within reason. But choice can become forced upon some players with sponsorship etc


Pommy

(**********************************/)

[blckknght]

If the players are for it, then I think it's a good idea. What about the guys? anything they can do fashion-wise to improve the sport's image?
and by the way, punch gunalan says Maria Sharapova's tennis attire is pretty. i say, it aint the clothes...

[newplayer]

It's quite possible that the IBF might actually make the sexy dress an absolute
rule just like what the volleyball people did. I think there were like 5 countries
whose teams refused to wear the sexy uniforms and were fined thousands of
dollars.

NP

[ants]

What IBF did is just a suggestion. However it is not required for the players to dress sexy and nice. :) Anyhow it is one of the way to open up for more opportunity to promote the game as well.

[winstonchan]

There's nothing wrong in making a suggestion, but "making badminton sexy" is a touchy subject, so IBF should be careful with any further action in this.

Making the sport sexy is to attract attention, and hence money.... However, money (or business) often contradicts with the spirit of sport. We love badminton, so we are interested in the quality of the games and players. IBF suggestion of making badminton sexy means IBF knows there are many people out there who know f*** all about badminton and just want to watch the players in sexy dresses, and there might be market for this.

I am totally against this suggestion personally.

[Loh]

Badminton attire has come a long way since the early days of classic all-white apparel. It's gonna get better for here onwards.

I was about to say the same that badminton outfits have progressed from the all-whites to colourful ones today. I'm sure there must have been lots of debate before the change and the more conservative must have opposed it. And, as in golf, the shirts must come with sleeves and collars too, which I think will soon give way to collarless and sleeveless ones.

At the recent WC, I saw the Indonesian men wearing very low Mao collars, and the design looks quite refreshing and fashionable to me. But I'm sure the designs will continue to evolve in keeping with the times and I think this ought to be the case.

Similarly, we are now debating whether the badminton attire should go a step further, to look more sexy, mainly for the ladies and hopefully for the guys as well. Not too long ago, most Chinese girls are not even encouraged to show their legs and shoulders but times have changed, in no small way due to the TV and the influence of western fashion. Now even the Chinese lady shuttlers do not seem to mind and in fact when Xie Xingfang first wore her one-piece skirt outfit during the AE two years ago I think, she looked so refreshing and very much like a fashion model. She certainly attracted attention and maybe Lin Dan just fell for it! :p

I agree that the badminton attire should first be comfortable and tasteful in keeping with the vigorous movements of the limbs and the body during a game. But it should also look attractive and project an image of youthful exuberance. Of course, not everyone will have the same fashion likes and dislikes and the marketplace must be the final arbiter for the majority. There must be a wide variety of designs, colours and textures for the badminton fan to choose from. What it therefore means is that we should encourage more players in the market to ply their wares and compete for business. It will be excellent if badminton can lead the pack in sports fashion.

Maybe Punch Gunalan meant it to be this way - our badminton attire should keep up with fashion and it'll be even better if badminton fashion is what other sports look up to for ideas! :)

[cooler]

well, i think IBF should relax the dress code restriction instead of saying girl should dress more glamorously. It is up to the players and their sponsors to dress what they want to, within IBF guideline. I much rather see each player freely expressing their own taste in sportwear than having it instructed or encouraged to wear certain type of outfits.

[DaN_fAn]

What IBF did is just a suggestion. However it is not required for the players to dress sexy and nice. :) Anyhow it is one of the way to open up for more opportunity to promote the game as well.
Agree.while this should not be forced upon woman players[and i dont think it will be] no one can deny that such things[to a certain limit and not really vulgar dresses] do attract the audience.

There are some females out there who would LIKE/would n't mind at all wearing such stuff [maybe Carola Bott]...so why not.

But for me ,we definitely need more attractive [for both male and female players]cloth designs solely for badminton from Adidas,Nike,etc.. and not just Yonex

[ErrBerr]

I like the terminology used in the titled of the thread - sexy, :D

[terror]

There's nothing wrong in making a suggestion, but "making badminton sexy" is a touchy subject, so IBF should be careful with any further action in this.

Making the sport sexy is to attract attention, and hence money.... However, money (or business) often contradicts with the spirit of sport. We love badminton, so we are interested in the quality of the games and players. IBF suggestion of making badminton sexy means IBF knows there are many people out there who know f*** all about badminton and just want to watch the players in sexy dresses, and there might be market for this.

I am totally against this suggestion personally.

but we all know that sport and business are tightly interlinked. much as we might not want them to be. personally i agree with most of the opinions already stated here. increased choice can very possibly bring about increased consumer welfare. more people will be satisfied with their clothing then, wont that be?

that said, i think im not really bothered by this apparel issue. badminton is a beautiful enough sport for me to ogle at:)

[Togey]

LOL @ Taufik's comment

[ploppers]

* Taufik: That's a good idea!!LOL!

[birdie kim]

i agree completely with taufik. ;)

[Mag]

OK, let's just cut out the Beavis & Butthead responses, shall we? ;)

This is actually serious stuff.

[Reason]

I feel that it should be solely the players choice on what to wear. It would be okay if the IBF or apparel companies made suggestions on what to wear, as long as it isn't enforced.

I believe that the beauty of the sport should come from the finesse, skill, quickness, ect. when playing the game, not from the attractiveness of its players. I understand that the IBF would want to make the players more attractive to draw more people into the sport, but im not sure how effective it would be.

I think the main problem is that the general public doesn't view badminton as an intense, competitive sport! Most people see it as just a leisure activity. Priority needs to be given to showing the rest of the world that it IS an intense, competitive sport. Maybe the IBF wants to use attractiveness to show the world, but I feel that there must be other ways.

[legendarycroc]

badminton will get a lot mroe attention, but how 'sexy' is it? Does anyone have any pics of the ideas?

[adelina76]

Newplayer....that comment by "patterson" from NZ, that's actually Sarah Runesten-Petersen. Please get it right or I'll be forced to throw rotten kiwi fruits at you next time I see you :D

Ok, to more serious stuff, while I agree with what you guys said in principle that the 'suggestion' is good because it gives more options to women who wants to dress a bit 'sexier' if they want to and more conservative players can remain 'conservative' with their dressing, unfortunately, in reality, I believe this will later create undesierable consequences as a result of women simply being women, i.e our innate level of insecurity.

Look at how media portrays what it considers to be an "attractive" and "sexy" woman ~ tall, hourglass figure, perfect face and body and the kind of effect this has on your normal ordinary women across the world who are simply all not born looking like Pamela Anderson or Maria Sharapova. So they become anorexic, bullemic, invest in all sort of plastic surgeries, spend lots of money they do not have on clothes (or tea towels to show more skin), all simply to try and live up to this image.

Similarly in badminton, do you really believe that a conservative female player wearing her badminton shirt and shorts is simply going to smile and be happy looking like a beat up 1982 Honda Civic while over on the next court, there's this 19 year old gigglish girl wearing her one piece body hugging outfit, prancing around like a brand new 2005 Mercedez convertible? I don't think so...so if this 'suggestion' is taken up seriously, sooner or later, the pressure will be on for all players to try and live up to that image. Question is what will this kind of pressure do to the more conservative player? She may follow suit and change her dress sense even though it made her uncomfortable, or she may try to resist but still be affected by this (in both cases, it will affect her game). Then there's the pressure that will arise from coaches, other players, the country's association and the country's media. I can just see it now..

A Malaysian newspaper reporting on how more presentable the female players are from X country with their smart looking (politically acceptable term to use for 'hot looking' in journalism) outfits and how Malaysia is lapsing behind in terms of fashion trend blah,blah,blah. Then the BAM will start 'encouraging' the players to dress similarly to keep up and you get the rest..

I'm sorry, I'm not offering any solution to this. I'm simply saying that in principle this 'suggestion' has its merits and it sounds ideal to give players this 'choice', but in the end of the day, the reality of the consequence of players taking up these suggestions may not necessarily lead to a happy ending that we all want..another case in point that you can NEVER make everyone happy....c'est la vie!

[smash_master]

badminton will get a lot mroe attention, but how 'sexy' is it? Does anyone have any pics of the ideas?

i think there thinking along the lines of tennis like Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams. personally i think it might not be the best idea (for them to have to dress more sexy) but then again it would be up to the players if they wanted to dress more sexy, from some of their comments i dont think it would be favored among many female players...male players on the other hand well we have seen Taufik's response, probally wouldnt be such a good idea for XD though...

[Trance]

Once again, I'd like to point out the discussion is heading in the wrong direction.

My focus was not on the fact that we're changing to clothes for females.

We are changing to clothes for everyone to promote badminton off the court and in the public.

[cooler]

We are changing to clothes for everyone to promote badminton off the court and in the public.

i'm totally for that. I'm sure business love that idea too
That's where yonex (and forza, gosen, sotx, etc) are missing the boat here.

[ChompChomp]

yup i believe its a gdway to attract more attension to badminton...people offen comment things like y the clothing is so old fashion and go on

yup i agree tat badminton is a sport and more important is the performance from player BUT dun u think it will be GREAT if more people pay attention to badminton FIRST slowly they will take note of the skill and the fun of badminton...

maybe in few years time badminton might be a sport well like by the world jus like soccer waahahaha....great man!!!!

[CoolFitWear]

On the website it says , "Designed with the athlete in mind, the CoolFitWear collection allows you to concentrate on your sport and not on your clothing. Be cool. Stay dry."

Which reminds me , how easy it is to lose focus of the game if we were to wear clothing that were much too revealing .

The sentence "allows you to concentrate on your sport and not on your clothing" means that it doesn't ride up, fall down, bunch up, etc. The ladies t-shirts are not revealing, but they do conform to your body shape to allow freedom of movement, instead of restricting body movement as many cotton items or compression apparel does. Underwear is underwear; it's not meant to be worn as outerwear.

I believe that sports performance apparel should help the sport, not hinder it.

Sharon

(http://www.coolfitwear.com)

[Double_Player]

So in the end it will be like tennis. the female player can wear what ever they pleased. maybe a good idea to attract male player who may bring their ladies friend to enjoy this fine sport

[Phydhel]

I think this idea sarks.
Badminton has always have this aura about it that makes you feel that its a cool sport with all fast exploding action, it definitely does not need any "hot" outfits to make it "catch up with the era" etc ,or will badminton be left behind the way it is now. With their skills alone I'm sure the women players are already hot, in their own way,there is no need for sexy outfits. After all badminton will be so out of place with these hot outfits anyway, it has always been a practical sport with without all the unneccessary stuff.

[jmew0ng]

So in the end it will be like tennis. the female player can wear what ever they pleased. maybe a good idea to attract male player who may bring their ladies friend to enjoy this fine sport

Nah...some tournaments and Grand Slams actually have mild dress codes, which I actually prefer sometimes.

Well, telling badminton female players to wear sexier clothes so they'll be more appealing to the public eyes is kinda offensive. They're professionals and they should wear whatever that makes them feel comfortable. I don't know why the IBF "suggest" the female players to dress more like Sharapova (I don't think she's even pretty or attractive after looking at her closely XD) because people definately have their own preferences. Some tennis players wear conservative clothings like Davenport or Henin, and people are still attracted to see them play. The main reason why badminton is not as popular because people think it's a sissy sport and most people think it's an Asian people sport. Not enough "western" people (Americans and etc.) play the sport to appreciate the finesse and the fitness of the sport. But if a player want to be more showy, go ahead. It's their choice. Personally, I love the sport for what it is not for what I can wear to attract others.

[tinkerbella122]

Look at how media portrays what it considers to be an "attractive" and "sexy" woman ~ tall, hourglass figure, perfect face and body and the kind of effect this has on your normal ordinary women across the world who are simply all not born looking like Pamela Anderson or Maria Sharapova. So they become anorexic, bullemic, invest in all sort of plastic surgeries, spend lots of money they do not have on clothes (or tea towels to show more skin), all simply to try and live up to this image.

Similarly in badminton, do you really believe that a conservative female player wearing her badminton shirt and shorts is simply going to smile and be happy looking like a beat up 1982 Honda Civic while over on the next court, there's this 19 year old gigglish girl wearing her one piece body hugging outfit, prancing around like a brand new 2005 Mercedez convertible? I don't think so...so if this 'suggestion' is taken up seriously, sooner or later, the pressure will be on for all players to try and live up to that image. Question is what will this kind of pressure do to the more conservative player? She may follow suit and change her dress sense even though it made her uncomfortable, or she may try to resist but still be affected by this (in both cases, it will affect her game). Then there's the pressure that will arise from coaches, other players, the country's association and the country's media. I can just see it now..

A Malaysian newspaper reporting on how more presentable the female players are from X country with their smart looking (politically acceptable term to use for 'hot looking' in journalism) outfits and how Malaysia is lapsing behind in terms of fashion trend blah,blah,blah. Then the BAM will start 'encouraging' the players to dress similarly to keep up and you get the rest..

I'm sorry, I'm not offering any solution to this. I'm simply saying that in principle this 'suggestion' has its merits and it sounds ideal to give players this 'choice', but in the end of the day, the reality of the consequence of players taking up these suggestions may not necessarily lead to a happy ending that we all want..another case in point that you can NEVER make everyone happy....c'est la vie!

Agreed! In one way or another, this will affect the players inevitably. Although it's supposed to be the player's decision what they wear, the public (media) pressure can and will overrule in the end.

For example, in one country, (before media was available)women there were average sized and don't give a care to the world as to what they eat. But ever since television was publisized, studies shown that an increasingly amount of women began dieting, and were trying to be as thin as the actresses/models they see on television. Many of them later became anorexic or bulimic ( like what adelina had said ).

Which goes to show what an incredible effect the media has on people. And sooner or later, these badminton player's won't have a choice! Media and fans will make the choices for them!


~J

[wirre]

Agreed! In one way or another, this will affect the players inevitably. Although it's supposed to be the player's decision what they wear, the public (media) pressure can and will overrule in the end.
~J

Indeed!

How many remember any article about Anna Kournikovas playing?
But her outfits and lovelife were all over the papers all the time.
That's the way media works, it's all about presentation, doesn't care about content. Won't sell much that one player is better than another, but "sexier"....sure to cash in the jackpot.

This is most certainly what will happen, making the most "good looking" getting all the attention (and money) instead of the best players. I understand this will improve the interest in the sport and force progresss to develope the play.....

What's more is the physical safety interest of the players (young girls). I've seen several times that the "sexy" outfits Vanessa Williams has been wearing have been rejected by doctors and physiotherapists as dangerous since they doesn't support the back and breast. Good rolemodel isn't she:mad: Well she might be laughing all her way to the bank, doesn't need to care if the back hurts. But what about all those young girls who won't be as succesful(=rich), but gets worse damages to their bodies due to having used the same kind of clothes as the (media)popular players. This is something that will follow when "sexy" and "fashion" sets the agenda instead of performance.

Now I do believe that some liberty in dresscode would be OK, the kind of dresses Carola Bott has been displaying will do for me. Also the one the english girls were wearing during WC wasn't bad (except boring coulor IMO).

/mats

[hezudao]

it depends on what kinda fans they want to attract. i'll use my case as an example.

as a die hard tennis fan, I am only interested in the mens tour, aka the ATP . i don't watch the WTA , the female counterpart. not because i'm a sexist but because when u have the superior power and athleticism on display in the former, i have very little incentive to follow the other option.

same goes with me watching the NBA and not the WNBA, mens soccer and so on...., of course not all sports are the same, for example, i prefer female figure skating and gymnastics to the male version.

anyway, what i'm trying to say is that when the WTA began sexing and glamming up the female tennis game, followed by the william sisters and the blonde russian girls taking it to another level, i didn't get enticed by it at all. in fact, i got repulsed even more.

however, the strategy did work in the general public, the female game became more popular as a result. not that *** was the only factor in its rise, but the *** selling was a huge reason. heck man, maria s. recently had this over publicized event where all she did was reveal the new attire she was going to wear in the US open!

[ViningWolff]

Maybe I should hook up with cool fit to produce a line of badminton gear.


Basic Bury the Bird design for white shirts - this appeared on the front left pec area and on the the back below the slogan. Colors are not as crisp given the JPEg conversion.

[wirre]

however, the strategy did work in the general public, the female game became more popular as a result. not that *** was the only factor in its rise, but the *** selling was a huge reason. heck man, maria s. recently had this over publicized event where all she did was reveal the new attire she was going to wear in the US open!

I don't agree about watching ATP instead of WTA. Actually I find ATP to be quite boring today, no profiles and lack of interesting play (same is about to happen in WTA). But that is OT....and to each his own.

However I also question whether it actually is the female *game* which has been more popular. Is it the performance people/public and *media* is talking about??? Nah, don't think so.

One more example of how media works, Annika Sörenstam has been dominating LPGA for years (almost a decade). Still they only complains that she is too boring and not "sexy" enough. Well I do agree that she isn't the funniest person I've heard about but please do tell me why she needs to be sexy? In what way will it make her a better player and develope the sport? My personal fav is Laura Davies, big british gal - smoking cigar, and a h**l of a good golfplayer! A nightmare for sponsors and media to market, as if she care:p

/ mats

[MikeJ]

I think these outfits are ok (for badminton too): :D (worn by Daniela Hantuchova)

http://www.spitting-image.net/archives/images/th-ringo_Olympic6_Daniela_Hantuchova.jpg

http://hantuchova.tennisonly.org/upload/daniela07-1137564641.jpg

http://www.usopen.org/images/pics/large/b_0902_003hantuchova.jpg

[Wizbit]

She looks cold...maybe ok in tropical climate but defintely not in British climate ;)
I think these outfits are ok (for badminton too): :D (worn by Daniela Hantuchova)

http://www.spitting-image.net/archives/images/th-ringo_Olympic6_Daniela_Hantuchova.jpg

http://hantuchova.tennisonly.org/upload/daniela07-1137564641.jpg

http://www.usopen.org/images/pics/large/b_0902_003hantuchova.jpg

[birdie kim]

If you want to see more of Daniela Hantuchova her match against Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open will be on live at 3:30am ET on ESPN 2 ;)

[hezudao]

Nah...some tournaments and Grand Slams actually have mild dress codes, which I actually prefer sometimes.

Well, telling badminton female players to wear sexier clothes so they'll be more appealing to the public eyes is kinda offensive. They're professionals and they should wear whatever that makes them feel comfortable. I don't know why the IBF "suggest" the female players to dress more like Sharapova (I don't think she's even pretty or attractive after looking at her closely XD) because people definately have their own preferences. Some tennis players wear conservative clothings like Davenport or Henin, and people are still attracted to see them play. The main reason why badminton is not as popular because people think it's a sissy sport and most people think it's an Asian people sport. Not enough "western" people (Americans and etc.) play the sport to appreciate the finesse and the fitness of the sport. But if a player want to be more showy, go ahead. It's their choice. Personally, I love the sport for what it is not for what I can wear to attract others.

well said...

marketing (not *** appeal though), promotion (for the love of the sport), publicity (in rich countries), more competition, finding big international sponsors, these are what badminton needs.

[hezudao]

However I also question whether it actually is the female *game* which has been more popular. Is it the performance people/public and *media* is talking about??? Nah, don't think so.

/ mats

I never said the female game is more popular than the male version. The men still earn more money and attract more sponsors. but i do think the female game became alot more popular after the WTA started the whole sexy vibe publicity campaign, after the blond russian/eastern euro girls flooding the market, and after the Kournikova-making-men-drool effect.

u like the womens game? good for you...I don't hate it, I just seldom watch it now.

[hezudao]

I think these outfits are ok (for badminton too): :D (worn by Daniela Hantuchova)

http://www.spitting-image.net/archives/images/th-ringo_Olympic6_Daniela_Hantuchova.jpg

http://hantuchova.tennisonly.org/upload/daniela07-1137564641.jpg

http://www.usopen.org/images/pics/large/b_0902_003hantuchova.jpg


you picked an interesting example.:D

i think she is actually the player that was embroiled in the whole "weight loss/anorexic/dieting-for-skinny-model-figure" controversy quite some time ago. good to see she got some pounds back.:)

[Double_Player]

carola bott is badminton answer to russian teen tennis star, although not really at the same level. I read somewhere she's in the german military now; or was plan to join in

[Quasimodo]

carola bott is badminton answer to russian teen tennis star, although not really at the same level. I read somewhere she's in the german military now; or was plan to join in

Do they have mandatory service? Or, is she joining the military on her own accord? May be she can be a physical trainer like Dame Kelly Holmes was.

[MikeJ]

http://www.tennisrulz.com/players/harkleroad/gallery03/243.jpg

Ashley Harkleroad looks great too and she doesn't look skinny. :D

[wirre]

Nor did I say that the female game is more popular than the mens. I questioned whether the female *game* is more popular than before or is it other factors that attracts media and spectators (iow XXX).

Well sometimes I prefer the womens game more than the mens, but IMO both are beginning to become quite dull. Just a bunch of "hard-hitting-ball-launching machines". Thought the WTA had stopped to be a game for "players" when Maleeva announced her leave earlier this fall. But now that Hingis is back there is some hope. Otherwise it is more or less just "launchers" left, with a few odd exceptions. But I can't see anyone new coming up with that kind of style as Maleeva/Hingis. It'll be all about out-powering the opponent more than out-smarting them with *variety*.

And I seldom watch any tennis at all any more, if so then it is mostly WTA.

/mats


I never said the female game is more popular than the male version. The men still earn more money and attract more sponsors. but i do think the female game became alot more popular after the WTA started the whole sexy vibe publicity campaign, after the blond russian/eastern euro girls flooding the market, and after the Kournikova-making-men-drool effect.

u like the womens game? good for you...I don't hate it, I just seldom watch it now.

[wirre]

Do they have mandatory service? Or, is she joining the military on her own accord? May be she can be a physical trainer like Dame Kelly Holmes was.

Don't think it is mandatory, but any of our german friends will know the correct answer.

However I know that many countries (Germany one of them) often have some kind of "special" program within the military which gives the athletes their living and also every opportunity to train as necessary. Lots of biathlets, cross-country skiiers etc are in this kind of service.

Think of it as a kind of state sponsored "internship".

In Sweden athletes often used to be fire-fighters since nobody could complain that they spent most of their time training while being paid by the tax-payers. All fire-fighters have to spend most of their time training to be fit enough for the profession.

/mats

[TartanSparkle]

Very point made here about the wearing of "our" gear off court. Something that I have done for years and thought nothing of it.

It is not a "done thing" to wear your Yonex (or whatever) gear out of the badminton hall but I do. If I walked into any shopping centre or university concourse nobody would blink an eyelid if I was wearing a tennis t-shirt, so what's the difference?! :cool:

I just got my favourite red yonex shirt printed with
GADE
DENMARK
YY logo

I proudly wear it anywhere I like, and yes, it does draw attention and it makes people realise that badminton is not some kinda backyard game for woosies...and realise that we care about it and have heroes in our sport like easily represented ones, for example; Beckham; Ronaldo; Owen !!

TartanSparkle

[glencomienda111]

i also have that idea of printing my yonex shirts with names like gade, lin d, hidayat, etc. with corresponding country and yy logo. i mean look at the NBA, NFL, NHL, rugby, soccer, even college basketball, they have their jerseys, shirts, etc. why not badminton? it will look really cool right:)

[Dandirom]

Nor did I say that the female game is more popular than the mens. I questioned whether the female *game* is more popular than before or is it other factors that attracts media and spectators (iow XXX).

Well sometimes I prefer the womens game more than the mens, but IMO both are beginning to become quite dull. Just a bunch of "hard-hitting-ball-launching machines". Thought the WTA had stopped to be a game for "players" when Maleeva announced her leave earlier this fall. But now that Hingis is back there is some hope. Otherwise it is more or less just "launchers" left, with a few odd exceptions. But I can't see anyone new coming up with that kind of style as Maleeva/Hingis. It'll be all about out-powering the opponent more than out-smarting them with *variety*.

And I seldom watch any tennis at all any more, if so then it is mostly WTA.

/mats

well, the answer is both. no one could deny that s e x plays a very big role in advertising nowadays, check out most of the ads around you, shampoo, food, drinks, liquor, cigarettes, clothes - anything that sells. and it does attract a very large number of spectators, and that's all promoters think about, numbers, numbers, and numbers. almost everyone uses s e x appeal as an advertising medium now - remember kournikova's ad's? 'only the balls should bounce'.:) i hope they weren't referring to the guys. lol.:D the point is, s e x sells and that's wat promoters are all about, selling. they don't care about morals or ethics or social mores and the like - if it sells, use it. on the other hand, the women's game does get a lot of coverage so nobody could exactly claim that people are juz watching coz of the pretty girls in revealing outfits. tennis as a game does get a fairly large amount of coverage - no matter who's playing. i mean, the williams sisters and mauresmo, and other players aren't exactly candidates for s-e-xually appealing ads but their games still get a large amount of viewers.:)

[asphyxiate]

The IBF guy is completely out of line.

Obviously people will be drawn to anyone who is good-looking. That's just natural, and for the men's game I don't see how any flashy looking outfits are going to help. Personally I think most of the good-looking men look best in the one/two-coloured shirts.

As for the women, the problem with IBf changing the dress codes and allowing or encouraging women to wear more "revealing" things is that some women may, but not look very nice... as we saw in the Serena Williams picture :\... just slightly disturbing. Women like XXF who are tall and slim would be fine, but a great many others would not be. Anyway, being female, I find it much easier to play in something looser than tighter. Can't breathe :p!

[Loh]

Anyway, being female, I find it much easier to play in something looser than tighter. Can't breathe :p!

You've already given us a clue. It's in your name! ;)

[asphyxiate]

You've already given us a clue. It's in your name! ;)

Hahahhaa, very true :D. I can't stand enclosed spaces OR tight clothes :p.

[Dandirom]

Hahahhaa, very true :D. I can't stand enclosed spaces OR tight clothes :p.

haha scary name.:p tight clothes aren't really for sports tho, they restrict your movements - unless of course, u go skin tight. hahaha imagine baddy players wearing those things gymnasts wear.:):D

[Trance]

Very point made here about the wearing of "our" gear off court. Something that I have done for years and thought nothing of it.

It is not a "done thing" to wear your Yonex (or whatever) gear out of the badminton hall but I do. If I walked into any shopping centre or university concourse nobody would blink an eyelid if I was wearing a tennis t-shirt, so what's the difference?! :cool:

I just got my favourite red yonex shirt printed with
GADE
DENMARK
YY logo

I proudly wear it anywhere I like, and yes, it does draw attention and it makes people realise that badminton is not some kinda backyard game for woosies...and realise that we care about it and have heroes in our sport like easily represented ones, for example; Beckham; Ronaldo; Owen !!

TartanSparkle

Thanks for taking the time to read my first post. Most people in this thread didn't read it and have gotten the wrong message of what I was trying to say. I was talking more about this said idea of wearing clothes outside the gyms instead of more on-court stuff. :) :cool:

[asphyxiate]

haha scary name.:p tight clothes aren't really for sports tho, they restrict your movements - unless of course, u go skin tight. hahaha imagine baddy players wearing those things gymnasts wear.:):D

Hahahaha, I've noticed that a very small percentage of the women do wear some really tight clothes.. its like, how do you fit into them... :eek:?

[Dandirom]

Hahahaha, I've noticed that a very small percentage of the women do wear some really tight clothes.. its like, how do you fit into them... :eek:?

hahaha yeah, in other words...Don't they asphyxiate? :p haha Now those clothes, they literally take your breath away. hahaha

[asphyxiate]

Haha, so true. I hope they don't asphyxiate :p.

[Dandirom]

Haha, so true. I hope they don't asphyxiate :p.

hahaha sounds like an ad - Takes your breath away...wonder how many will buy tho if they find out it actually does take it away. :p

[Loh]

hahaha yeah, in other words...Don't they asphyxiate? :p haha Now those clothes, they literally take your breath away. hahaha

And guys can't take their eyes off them too! :D

[cooler]

Table Tennis champions give nod to sexing up sport by Trudy Harris
Fri Aug 22, 1:37 AM ET

Maria Sharapova's dresses may never make an appearance, nor the Williams sisters' bling, but table tennis is at least trying to *** up its sport.

Some women paddlers gave a nod of approval this week to suggestions from a senior governing body official to wear skirts during matches to make their game more stylish in an attempt to pull in the crowds.

"We are trying to push the players to use skirts and also nicer shirts, not the shirts that are made for men, but ones with more curves," International Table Tennis Federation vice-president Claude Bergeret said.

With loose-fitting shorts and baggy shirts the usual attire, table tennis, mostly played in bland gymnasiums around the world, has never had the glamour of women's tennis nor the *** appeal of beach volleyball.

Wang Chen of the United States, who used to play for China before moving to New York eight years ago, said some players were already moving to skirts.

"Some players are already wearing skirts, I think it's a good idea, the game (already) looks more beautiful than before," said Wang.

"I think women should wear dresses like tennis players," the 34-year-old added. "I think our outfits are so boring, not sexy."

Wang said sexing up the uniforms would draw the crowds.

Japan's Ai Fukuhara is one player already taking the initiative, opting for a "skort" -- a tight skirt with cycling shorts underneath -- for her round of 16 match Thursday against China's Zhang Yining, who wore black shorts and shirt with a striking yellow dragon printed on the front.

Plans to ***-up the image of a sport, which is an obsession in Asia but associated with damp, community halls and youth clubs in the west, are nothing new.

At the 2007 Women's World Cup in Chengdu, a range of sleek table tennis dresses were shown off with top fashion designer Lu Kun called in to handle the design.

"Although the skirts are just a small part of the changes, they may spark a revolution by changing the image of table tennis," explained Steve Daiton, the Director of the ITTF Asia Office.

"It might be a revolution if women paddlers wear skirts during games just like tennis and badminton players, which will definitely help win back the lost interest in the game."

Not all fans are supportive of the idea.

"Don't get me wrong - as a healthy red-blooded male I'm all in favor of table tennis women wearing more attractive clothes," wrote one blogger on a table tennis fan website.

"But I'm not in favor of them being pushed or coerced into wearing outfits they aren't comfortable to play in. And how about the men? Why not bring in compulsory lycra bike pants instead of the baggy shorts many men wear currently?

"I'm sure our female audience would appreciate it. And don't forget the umpires and referees - a little black and white striped skintight number with sequins would surely boost ratings."

[Tsumaranai]

Wow, that must be the one of the most fallible pieces of writing I've read in a while. Really, is it necessary to yield to the Freudian exchange that already affirms us as beings of some psychological perversity? Is there really a deprivation of double etendres in this world? I assume that we must have a lack of innocence in all thought, just as "studies" remark that males tend to think of copulatory concepts every 15 seconds. If this holds true, then there would be little proliferation of productivity in any industry but pornography. Let's just rest such baseness and focus on the activity and the performance of its participants. I don't deny that people may be intrigued and enticed into enjoying a sport because of risque and provocative sportswear, but if suggestiveness is all that has any substance, even in play, then we definitely aren't concentrating on the playing and more on the players.

[Tsumaranai]

Wang Chen lives in New York? Odd that she played for Hong Kong. Or is this another.. one.., eh, nvm.

[Loh]

Wang Chen lives in New York? Odd that she played for Hong Kong. Or is this another.. one.., eh, nvm.

Well I think we are talking about table-tennis and it must be coincidental that she has the same name as our lady in HK. ;)

[zheng-bo-rox]

Vinningwolff--

I really like the bury the hird logo thing you have there- it looks like the olympic torch lol. However, i dont really like the color scheme (pink yellow blue) i think it would look great in the actual colors of a flame (red orange yellow)