ANHAYTE’S ANTICS: Inspiration through Fashion

ANHAYTE GUAJARDO
Staff Writer

Every sport has their unique style of sportswear. Track and football athletes tend to wear tight pants, while soccer athletes wear a uniform that is much looser. Athletes tend to choose clothes that will benefit their performance. They will look for different ways to increase their performance because in some sports, the difference between winning and losing can be very small.

Competing to be the best in their sport is why people are willing to buy the new high-tech running shoes or the new Kobe basketball shoes; they are designed to help athletes move faster and give athletes a higher performance advantage. For most athletes the brand is also very important because it is believed that the most popular brands will have the most positive effects on performance. Athletic sportswear can also affect athletes in a psychological way. My cross country coach always tells the team, “If you look good, you feel good,” giving the team a sense of self confidence and hence, resulting in a better performance. The clothes we wear as athletes influence our behavior and the way we think and act and tend to give us a sense of confidence in our own abilities. The different brands and colors an athlete wears can also affect an athlete’s performance; for example, high school teams wear uniforms identical in color creating a sense of pride for their school and giving each athlete a morale boost when performing.

Whenever I compete in a race, I tend to wear my Nike tight black socks and purple bandana because I believe that they will help me perform to my highest potential. The purple bandana is more of a good luck charm, but the socks I bought because they were said to enhance my speed. I don’t know if they truly help my performance, but it does make me feel better about myself when I am on the line waiting for the gun to be shot. What athletes decide to wear is very important and sometimes it can either make you or break you.