Full frontal

Don't be mistaken, Worldwide Pablo is no prude. But has anyone else happened to notice that the current Olympiad, presently unfolding on TV screens from its venue a half a world away, has mildly gone the way of the Playboy Channel?

Goodness, between the scantily clad babes in bikinis duking it out in the sand pits of competitive women's volleyball to the more-scant-than-ever bathing "suits" of the various divers and swimmers, it's hard to tell if we are watching a sports competition or an advertorial for Victoria's Secret. [Or for that matter, Victor's Secret.]

WWP recalls the fateful 1988 games in Seoul, South Korea, when the paths of Lycra and immodesty first crossed, during the track and field competition, titillating viewers and frustrating television producers and directors striving to broadcast some "family viewing" for folks back at home. As those of us watching then now recall, the people descended from the Puritans got a more little eye candy than they ever hoped to avoid.

The trend continued until 1996, when things really started to hang out, as it were. From that moment forward, Olympic coverage became mostly a waist-up sort of affair.

But not this year.

From volleyball to aquatics, the coverage has gone full frontal: The volleyball babes flex and dive and strut, all to a degree that surely it must be fueling the testosterone-driven night dreams of more than one generation of heterosexual males, to say nothing of WWP's many friends of Sappho. At the diving competition, the nearly naked Greek victors embraced with the abandon one usually sees only in gay porn. And no, you may not ask WWP how he knows this. [Oh, and by the way: It involves a tutu. No kidding.] Over at the swimming pool, we find the sport's two male superstars, apparently with little to hide, cavorting behind the fashion of hiphuggers so immodest they appear to have been spray-painted on.

All this, and the gymnastics track and field events have yet to begin!

Oh, say what you will: Athletes perform best with the least amount of clothing. Or: It's a new day -- get over it. Or: It's in the spirit of the original games. [Anyone catch PBS's historical take last week about the origins of the Olympics? Gay porn finally found its way to public television, thanks to viewers like you. It's the ratings, stupid.]

In the spirit of this trend, WWP offers a glance ahead to the probable Olympics of tomorrow:

Worldwide Pablo's Olympiad of the Future The Iron Cross meets the Buns of Steel The floor routine a la Twyla Tharp The javelin toss gets a makeover The floor routine a la Baywatch Like a pommel horse A new sport ... the synchronized handpress Synchronized sport gone mad The end

Comments

[cliffdweller]

wow, not one, but two mentions of gay porn in one blog entry. I'm gonna have to go check out the olympics I guess and see what all the hoopla is about.

[Jake]

I can only imagine the search engine referrals you're going to get on this post.

[Worldwide Pablo]

Jake: Well, the thought did cross WWP's mind ... but long after he wrote it. Really...

[Grumpy]

Just wait until the track & field events begin. You ain't seen nothing, yet. Those one-piece suits that the male runners are wearing don't leave much to the imagination. It also looks like they don't provide much internal support, if you know what I mean.

When Grumpy was a trackster (not 'star'), so many years ago, running with your 'guys' bouncing all over the place would have been extremely uncomfortable. Is there any support in those suits?

And I have to agree with WWP regarding the men's swim attire: the word 'brief' doesn't quite cover it. But, I will admit that I'm particularly taken by the women's beach volleyball competition. Did you see the team from the Netherlands? Their attire seems to be just a little bit skimpier than the other teams. I'll stay up late to watch them any day.

[rex]

hes gay

[donn wilson]

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