That dress in particular is absurd and it seems a few have refused to wear it. I have no idea why others would agree unless their contract with Nike dictates they wear it. And yes, it does seem pretty stupid that the dress was not tested before they produced it.

And why didn't the players test run it before competition, and choose something else to wear?

It appears to still be on the books, so tournaments can enforce it or not at their whim. Wimbledon hasn’t been consistent either as they were allowing a lot more color for many years and then cracked down after the stupid Federer shoe fiasco a couple of years ago. They were much more lenient in the 80s and 90s than…

Women on the WTA have been wearing shorts for years and even at Wimbledon. The no colour rule at Wimbledon is still strictly enforced and sometimes led to them having to play without their bra because it wasn’t white.

I thought that Wimbledon specified dresses/skirts only (as well as other very uptight clothing rules), so I looked it up. It may be that they just enforce the rule most years. According to what I found on We Are Tennis, it’s still an official WTA rule that women can’t wear shorts.

well, when Serena did, the world exploded.

Yes, I keep wondering that too. Why is it that men are allowed to play in shorts and women have to wear dresses with micro skirts? Would it be so terrible if the viewers didn’t see the player’s undergarments all the time?

YES. It is 2016. We should all be okay with the idea that women can play tennis in shorts.

Those pleats! It seems like anyone with the tiniest bit of awareness of women’s clothing would have known this was a bad idea.

I had the same thought. I would HATE to have to wear so much clothing to compete in... I run marathons and can't imagine trying to workout with that much fabric and movement. Nike failed on this one.

I never wear Nike, but if you want good, affordable running shorts with useful pockets, check out Roadrunner sports. They have a good overall selection from a variety of brands, but their R-gear shorts are my favorite.

Why aren't these women allowed to play in shorts?

Also: Longer shorts are essential if you have thighs that rub together even a little bit.

Very real question: Why do female tennis players wear skirts and dresses?

Because that would indicate that we ought to take them seriously as athletes. Think of the boners!!!

Yeesh. I clicked over to the Daily Fail link, and yep, they look like a disaster.

Jackie was doxxed - her identity was not protected and her supposed ‘anonymity’ did not stop the death threats being sent to her house

🙌

I’m in full agreement to all of that. But I also don’t think she should necessarily be banished from public life. My main point here is that she did wrong, but she’s not alone. Her editors, for instance, bear a great deal of the responsibility (it is part of their job to reign in an overzealous reporter, especially on…

I’m still angry at Erdely in this situation, but also find it pretty unfair (and a little ironic) that she’s the only one in this situation whose reputation as truly been destroyed. Jackie remains protected by anonymity, UVA and Phi Kappa Psi have been redeemed in the public eye (rightly or not — we can’t know), and Ro…