The Leggings Olympic Beach Volleyball Players Are Wearing Have Somehow Become Controversial

Some people (the majority, I’d wager) tune into the Olympics to see elite athletes at the height of their game compete against one another in an effort to bring glory to their respective countries. Others apparently tune in in an effort to get their rocks off, like shock jock Anthony Cumia, who took to Twitter earlier this week to express his outrage at the sight of beach volleyball players in leggings.

Cumia reposted another user’s photo of the U.S. versus Canada beach volleyball Pool B opener in which all of the players are wearing leggings, bemoaning their decision and writing, “They’ll show gay man’s ball sack in front of children but they cover up the beach volleyball girls? Worst Olympics in history.”

His comment is a reference to the conspiracy theory that one of the performers in the Opening Ceremony exposed his balls to the entire world. While I’m sorry to disappoint, this didn’t happen: it was simply a hole in his tights.

Anyway, back to the beach volleyball competitors. Competitors are able to choose what they wear while participating; while the players in the U.S.-Canada game opted for leggings, players in the Germany-France game wore bikinis, although players might stop donning bikinis entirely if they learn that men like Cumia are sitting at home and salivating at the thought of seeing their bare skin.

Many commenters pointed out that it was chillier than one might expect during the match — around 65 degrees Fahrenheit — thanks to the fact it took place during the evening, so leggings make total sense, particularly if they help keep sand out of uncomfortable places.