Censorship is technically defined as “the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security”. The most common and recognizable form of censorship is on TV and the radio, filtering out inappropriate language. However, there are many more forms of censorship, especially those we may not immediately realize are censorship in the first place. Censorship, specifically in sports, can be subtle, but the impact it has on the athletes is significant. 

As adolescents, it is not surprising that we would be encouraged to keep our clothing choices modest. However, negative stigma surrounding clothing decency has become an issue in sports when the safety factors are considered. 

In past years, there was a school rule that female athletes were not allowed to wear a sports bra in replacement for a tee-shirt or tank top during sports practices. This became an issue specifically for cross-country girls and soccer girls as they work out through the summer. On the hottest days of July, girls were still not allowed to take off their shirts and only wear a sports bra during practice. This rule applied to the female athletes even when their practices did not take place on school grounds. Although, many coaches tried to get around this rule by allowing their players to wear clothing of their choice, once they left school grounds. However, this was not necessarily permitted. On the other side, boys teams were allowed to practice shirtless, throughout all times of year, even on school grounds. 

As a female soccer player at East, I have seen, first-hand, the discussions which scolded my teammates for lacking decency and emphasizing the importance of properly representing their school through their fashion options. 

According to the Athletic Director, Michael Beirao, this rule is no longer his decision, but is now up to each individual coach.

”As crazy as this sounds, if the boys don’t have to wear shirts then the girls don’t have to wear shirts,” said Beirao.

Although there was a change in these rules, these changes were unknown to most, if not all, athletes. How are we supposed to exercise our rights if we are not made aware of them? 

”I think that there are some societal biases no matter where you go. And I think too as times change and we go through different generational things, they’re all going to have different opinions about what their feelings are on that. For me, the most important thing is that the kids have the opportunity to feel safe, to feel welcome, and that they have a place here that they can work out, without bias and without people making comments…so I think for me it is really important to provide that environment,” said Beirao. 

Despite these changes being made and the alleged “importance” that is put into a welcoming environment, there is still some residue left over, due to the inefficient communication. There are no rules in the NJSIAA or NFHS regarding what females can and can not wear for practices. This rule comes strictly from East administration. So, this would make it East’s job to come out and make it clear to their athletes that the limits have been lifted. But there was no discussion or notice involving or given to female athletes. 

Numerous athletes have posit that East was afraid to come out directly and remove the rule because of the reputation it could give them. This connects to the general societal expectation that women are supposed to “cover up” or keep a modest selfhood. By doing this, the school has revealed their fear of openly allowing their students to go against these stereotypes and possibly receiving backlash from higher up administration, or worse- parents. 

On behalf of the female athletes of East, stigma should not strip or slight our rights.

“In my sophomore year of my sport, our coach told us that we could no longer take off our shirts and practice in our sports bras on school grounds. It was not her decision; she had been instructed that we would have to wait until we were off school grounds to take them off. At the beginning of the school season, the weather was still as hot as it is in the summer, even hotter because our practices were now at 2:45 PM instead of 7:00 AM. With the intense practices that we were doing, it would be uncomfortable to be doing the whole practice in our shirts in that hot weather. Waiting that time may not seem like a big deal because it would only be a minute or two before we could take them off but that is not what we were upset about. Before we headed out for our practice, we noticed the boys taking their shirts off immediately. They did not have to wait until they were off school grounds to take them off like we were told we had to. We were upset at the unequal treatment of girls and boys in the same sport. I know multiple girls who have had their shirts stolen because they took them off in the middle of the run instead of leaving them at East near the locker rooms. We all wondered what the difference was between us practicing in a sports bra and the boys practicing without their shirts for the one or two minutes we were on school grounds. Women have faced discrimination in so many ways, both in sports and throughout life, and this small issue was yet another unnecessary example.”

“My freshman year of my sport we were running almost the whole practice and doing drills so I was really hot and sweating by the time practice was over.  We were cooling down and doing stretches and to cool myself down I lifted my shirt to my shoulders with a sports bra underneath.  The sports bra was a longer sports bra. It was not short.  I cooled down for the rest of the practice in my sports bra with my shirt lifted over it.  I then came to practice the next day and by the middle of the practice our coach told everyone to come together while she talked.  She said in front of the whole team that we cant be wearing sports bras while practicing on the field.  She said that one of the parents that was at the field at the time complained to one of the ADs who told my coach to enforce this on the girls team.”

In 2024, there is still discussion about what the clothes female athletes compete in should look like. Many people have strong opinions on this topic. Some think smaller or shorter gear is inappropriate, while others argue that specific clothing helps improve the athlete’s performance. These conversations can often miss the mark because critics fail to recognize that elite female athletes are usually responsible for choosing to wear specific clothing and uniforms. Uniforms frequently come in various cuts, styles, and fabrics, and no two bodies are identical. Criticizing female athletes for their choice of clothing adds hints of sexism and objectification to the conversation, devaluing their accomplishments.

A popular sport in which people comment on uniforms is gymnastics. Male gymnasts wear a competition shirt with either shorts or gymnastics pants, whereas females wear leotards. People who lack understanding of the purpose of leotards may make ignorant comments about them. When searching Google for the word “leotard,” one of the first questions is, “Why do female gymnasts wear skimpy outfits?” 

Female gymnasts wear leotards for several reasons, but the most important reason is safety. The tight fit of leotards allows gymnasts a full range of motion, helps coaches spot athletes correctly, and prevents clothing from getting caught on equipment. Commenting on the lack of material a gymnast wears reflects a lack of knowledge about the sport and raises questions about the speaker’s intent. Leotards are functional and allow gymnasts to perform skills at a top level safely. While body shape may affect which leotard style feels most comfortable for an athlete, the leotard is a perfectly appropriate clothing option for female athletes to wear to showcase their gymnastics performances.

Nonetheless, this uniform has also become an expectation that comes along with the sport, even bringing in more viewers simply by their outfits. Professional gymnasts in Germany took a stand and protested by wearing unitards, which went down to their ankles, to show that women should have the choice of what to wear. Unsurprisingly, many were thrown off by this and thought of it as the tradition of the sport being taken away. These unfair expectations have pressured many female athletes into wearing what society expects from them. Women should feel empowered in what they perform in, not ashamed.

Track and field sports have also been the subject of commentary about the look of female athletes’ uniforms. While male runners typically wear the same uniform across all ages and levels, a full-length jersey top and knee-length spandex shorts, female uniforms change as athletes get older. The female uniforms get smaller and shorter as the level of competition increases. Students in middle school usually wear a full-length jersey and shorts of their choice. In high school, there are various uniform top styles ranging from tight to loose tops worn with spandex shorts for competition. However, female runners at the collegiate and professional levels scale down to brief style shorts called buns. Buns are a version of spandex that resembles a bathing suit bottom in size and fit. The tight fit allows for more free range of motion without fabric riding up on the leg. In sports such as cross country and track, where every millisecond matters, it’s important for clothing to be minimalistic so that it does not impact a runner’s time. 

This past summer, there was controversy surrounding Nike’s Olympic track uniform kit. Specific offerings in the female uniform kit had high cutouts on the hips, which was unnecessary for function. Although Nike offered female athletes various uniform options, including shorts, the high cut kit was covered widely. While the kit also contained traditional running shorts, and female athletes had a choice as to which pieces they wanted to wear, the high cut kit should not have been an option. Instead, Nike should have made the same kit except with a reasonable cut on the hips for females to pick. Many people argued that the Nike uniform was another example of sexism in sports. These controversies seem to have been created to generate news coverage. As anyone familiar with sports knows, athletes will always choose to wear the gear that helps them perform at their best and makes them feel the most comfortable, whether that is shorts or buns. 

Professional soccer players in Germany also faced a form of censorship, as they were forced to back down from wearing gay pride armbands in their World Cup games. This has been known as the “One Love Armband campaign” and has become extremely popular as a form of support for the LGBTQ community. Players that planned to take part in this campaign were practically forced to step down as they were threatened by FIFA with automatic yellow cards, fines, and the possibility of being asked to leave the field. The captains of the team were extremely upset by this and felt as if their voices and what they stood for was being overpowered. This is one of many cases of unjust censorship.

All athletes should be allowed to wear comfortable uniforms that do not interfere with their performance and that do not adversely affect the scoring of the competition. When female athletes wear clothing that they like, they can focus on their sport. Creating controversy around clothing because of gender, takes important coverage away from the actual accomplishments of female athletes. Florence Griffith Joyner, one of the most decorated female Olympic sprinters in history, was ahead of her time when she said, “Dress good to look good, look good to feel good, and feel good to run fast.”

Again, it is not unreasonable for the school to encourage modesty, however athletes have found it unfair for them to enforce it. Also, why would athletes be taught to cover up young, just to be exploited, with an audience, if they move on to the professional level? If modesty is going to be taught from a young age, it should stay consistent even through adult years. Censorship should not lessen as age increases. If anything, those under the spotlight should have even more censorship, as a form of protection. Moments like these are when censorship is vital, not to control teenage girls trying not to overheat at practice.

Over the years, countless female athletes have risen from a male dominated field, showcasing their strength, inspiration, vulnerability, and power. They have made significant strides in athletics, breaking the norms and inspiring generations of female athletes. As sports have become more inclusive and empowering for females, questions started to arise surrounding why some female sports continue to wear the uniforms they do. If the times have changed, why haven’t their uniforms? 

Sports like Women’s field hockey, tennis and lacrosse have surged immensely in popularity, inspiring more and more young girls to find passion in athletics. With this rise in interest, athletes are revealing their opinions on outdated and impractical uniform styles particularly those featuring uncomfortably short or tight skirts. Each of these sports require swift movements— running, cutting, squatting, and bending. Whether driven by tradition, oversexualization of female athletes, or both, many athletes are left questioning why skirts continue to be the standard. 

Field Hockey:

At East, the field hockey uniform consists of a flowy athletic skirt, a tank top jersey, and socks to cover the shin guards. Athletes must also wear matching spandex shorts underneath the skirt, though these are not provided with the uniform. While some players have minimal opinions about the skirts, others find them impractical, often having to adjust them during the game. 

While Alana Rellosa (‘25), captain of this year’s field hockey team, likes East’s skirts she admits they can be uncomfortable. 

“I do think they are impractical because I usually have to fix my skirt. There are also many pictures photographers have taken where I am exposed because of the skirt,” says Rellosa. 

Under the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), field hockey teams are permitted to wear skirts, kilts, shorts or even pants, however most high school teams continue to  opt for skirts. 

“I think we still wear skirts because of its tradition,” said Sydney Herring (‘25), manager of the field hockey team. 

While they certainly aren’t opposed to trying out shorts as their uniform, Rellosa and Herring agree that they do not mind the skirts because they aren’t constricting or too short. Still, they wish the skirts had built-in shorts underneath. 

Lacrosse:

In East Girls Lacrosse, the uniform includes stretchy skirts and athletic fit t-shirt jerseys. Players are also not given spandex shorts with their uniform and are expected to buy their own. Similar to Field Hockey athletes, lacrosse players have begun to question the practicality of wearing skirts while playing. 

“I feel like it is impractical to have to wear a skirt . We wear shorts under the skirt anyways so I’d rather wear just the shorts, ” said Maddy Leshinski (‘25), a member of the girls lacrosse team. “I have to fix my skirt all the time because it gets messed up when we play”

Like any sport, lacrosse involves a ton of movement. While a skirt may not directly impact an athlete’s speed, it can be a distraction as athletes constantly need to fix it.  Athletes especially know that one minor distraction can impact the whole game. 

“Soccer and basketball wear shorts so saying ‘your underwear will show’ isn’t an argument because so many other sports wear shorts anyways,” said Leshinski.

Although shorts are allowed as uniform, tradition continues to dictate that female lacrosse players wear skirts.  

Tennis:

The girls tennis team wears their signature red tank tops and white skorts. Stylish uniforms and athletic skirts have long been a staple of tennis so it’s no surprise that the tradition continues to persist. 

“I wouldn’t say our skirts are uncomfortable but there are no pockets in our skirts and usually in tennis you have to hold onto balls,” said Laila Maisuria(‘25), an athlete on the tennis team. “Some of the teams we play against have pockets built into the skirts which is nice”

“The skirt never really turns around but I do have to pull it down a few times,” said Maisuria. 

Maisuria and other players like the current uniforms, they only wish the skirts prioritized practicality rather than style. 

While skirts remain a part of the wardrobe among many female athletes, it’s important to also consider practicality and comfort. Skirt or not, uniforms must adapt in some way, pushing for styles that match the strength of the women who wear them.

We asked female athletes from the East field hockey, lacrosse, and tennis teams to design their ideal uniforms. Through this art, Katie Sullivan (’25) brought these ideas to life.

In this video, we walked the halls of East, pulling athletes from all different grades, sports, and genders. They were all asked similar questions about their thoughts on the forms of athletic censorship. Through their responses, the issues of equity and censorship at East become apparent.