Are The Uniforms of Female Athletes Too Revealing?
A controversial question posed by staff members of a Christian athletics campus ministry led to two differing answers.
A controversial question posed by staff members of a Christian athletics campus ministry led to two differing answers.
"Are the uniforms of female athletes too revealing?" asked the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in their new magazine/Webzine, Sharing the Victory, to which a collegiate level coach imparted his opinion that clothing should not cause others to sin.
"Whatever we wear should glorify God, not self. If a uniform is a stumbling block to guys, and they lust when they look, it is too revealing. Don’t cause others to stumble into sin by what you wear,” said Dr. Elliot Johnson, who spent 25 years coaching collegiate level basketball.
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Currently the head coach at Olivet Nazarene University, he won one NCCAA National Championship (2000) and made two NAIA World Series appearances (2002, 2003).
On the contrary, professional basketball entertainer, Robyn Rodgers, held the opinion that context and comfort dictates style oftentimes.
“I think the uniforms for men’s basketball in the 70’s were too revealing! Thankfully the times and styles change. Uniforms are typically based on the comfort and demands of each sport. We just need to keep everything within the context of the sport. What a swimmer and beach volleyball player wears would certainly be inappropriate outside of that setting,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers performs at NBA games to FCA rallies to school assemblies, sharing the Gospel while showcasing her basketball handling skills.
The FCA, one of the nation's largest campus fellowships, just launched the new Webzine, www.sharingthevictory.com to share the victories of faith in the locker room.
It is the editor's hope that the column will ask "some tough questions" to get the students thinking.
"Too often, we as Christians accept the first answer that we hear regarding a tough issue. What we want you to do with this column is start thinking for yourself."
But lest they get above themselves, the editor cautioned, "Above all, seek God’s heart!" and quoted, “Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom! And whatever else you get, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
Ron Brown shared in his article, "Profanity abounds in the locker room, and haughty mouths spew rotten filth. I have frequented many locker rooms, and sadly this is the norm."
Lamenting that the Christian minority is always in some small corner praying before a game, he said the Christian athletes should not compete for just the corner. They compete to "dominate the whole stinking place." Brown's favorite chant, 1-2-3 DOMINATE, is indicative of his passion to adopt the more transformative stance.
"Jesus Christ is the only Answer for that locker room. He’s the only Answer for this whole world. And we’re not here to inhabit just a corner of anything. We’re here to dominate this earth with the influence of Jesus Christ," he proclaimed.
Athletic commentary from a Christian perspective, a systematic list of colleges with great athletic programs, and a multimedia platform showcasing online Bible studies and worship music are some of the new Webzine's pluses.
