Women’s soccer players have relied on sports bras for years, but there has been a rise in men wearing them in the last few years as well. Some of the fittest athletes in the world certainly do not need much support up there, so why do soccer players wear sports bras?
Men are using sports bras as a way to track performance and collect data. A few companies produce this piece of wearable tech, which can help with anything from the strategy for teams to injury prevention. Women also can wear these sports bras filled with tech for tracking, as well as actual support.
Tracking & Strategy
Teams have been looking for ways to gain an edge gathering information on their players for quite a while. One of the most exciting ways to do this is to wear technology. In a physical game, it is hard to hide technology just anywhere. While some have tried using watches and other devices during practices, it poses too much of an injury risk when players are fighting for position.
Not only that, but these monitors just work better in all aspects. Instead of a GPS watch that might only record at 1 Hertz, the tracking is up to 10 Hertz for many of these products. This allows teams to have a lot more position when tracking players and understanding where they are during practice or a match.
Health & Fitness
An average person invests in a fitness watch to get a better understanding of things like calories burned, heart rate, and other basic information. These monitors that look like sports bras can do so much more, which is vital in soccer at any level. It allows players and teams to track fitness based on fatigue, coming back from an injury, and so much more.
At the highest level, soccer teams are trying to gain any edge possible. In the middle of a hectic part of the year, there is a very good chance of teams having to play multiple matches a week. This means deciding on who starts and who does not. By tracking health and fitness players, they can see who should be in the lineup.
Medical staffs also can look at this information to see if they can clear a player to play after an injury. This takes some of the guesswork out of things, and also forces players to tell the truth. In the past, a player could make up how they are feeling or performing, but now there is actual data teams can go off of.
Is It Comfortable Wearing These Sports Bra Monitors?
Men and women soccer players have embraced these monitors over the last few years. The only way that they were going to catch on is if they proved to be no hindrance while playing the sport. The brands can spread out a lot of the technology in the sports bra, which means that nothing feels bulky in the slightest. It very much fits like any type of thin undershirt, and only covering part of the chest.
In fact, some players are happy with wearing this as a way to prevent another issue as well. In certain conditions, athletes can have some nipple chaffing that ends up being pretty painful. Men might not be used to wearing anything underneath their jersey, but having these monitors on cut that down.
How Sports Bras In Soccer Began
The year 1999 was when the most famous sports bra in sports history was revealed. Brandi Chastain, a star player on the USA women’s national soccer team, score the game-winning goal in the World Cup to take the trophy home. Her celebration included ripping off her shirt and exposing her sports bra.
It made a lot of headlines at the time, but it had more to do with being a unique celebration than anything. She was not the first player to wear a sports bra by any means, but it did help bring them to the spotlight. Some even say that she was able to bring attention to sports bras, increasing sales and giving companies money to invest in better technology.
Today’s sports bras for women are lighter and more supportive than ever before. There are specific options for different types of athletics, which is a huge step in the right direction. Wearing a tracking device in that area does not add much bulk at all, and they are even some companies offering an all-in-one option. This allows women to merely put on what looks like a regular sports bra, and get all the data collected.
The Future Of Sports Tracking Technology
Sports technology continues to evolve, so it will be interesting to see just how long sports bras remain the best solution. While it is very innovative in a lot of ways, there are still some athletes not totally on board. It does not seem like there is that much opportunity to trim additional bulk off, but maybe technology could be placed elsewhere down the road.
For now, individual athletes and teams will continue relying on these monitors. They are a step above the standard fitness watch, and the leading companies continue to push each other to add more innovation and make things more comfortable.
