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If they made the uniforms a little more risque the ratings might go up, nothing obscene or to a sexist level but just a little bit.
I believe the AFLW uniforms should be the exact same style as they are now, except for jumpers being more body-hugging; & knicks shorter/tighter (ala pre-1990)- but still be comfortable, of course.
This would, primarily, have the very important benefit of making it much more difficult for holds & tackles to stick, being cognizant of the inordinate average no. of tackles & stoppages that occur in the AFLW . This uniform change would, thus, make the game more attractive & free-flowing (ie conform with the AFL's Charter Of The Game). More importantly, the AFLW would be safer, & reduce the unacceptably high no. of female serious knee & head injuries.
Ditto, have this SAME tightness for AFL men's jumpers; & re-introduce into the AFL shorter/tighter pre-1990 knicks- although the men's current AFL jumpers are already tighter than the AFLW average jumpers.
And yes, of course there would be unintended consequences. The AFLW would become more appealing to males, & attract greater crowds, ratings, & general interest.
It has long been noted by contemporary newspapers (from 1858), & historians, that Melbourne Rules (from 1858) & Australian Football (from 1880) had the highest % of female spectators of any regular competition code in the world. This has continued to 2018.
Historians noted that this female "appreciation" of the game increased in the late 1870's- coincidentally, when bare forearms & bare arms began to become popular for Australian Football players. Male bare arms were rarely seen then, outside the privacy of the home, in those prudish times.
Historians have postulated that this alluring spectacle of muscular male flesh on show & lithe bodies, engaged in very vigorous physical exertion, was very appealing to women.
Ass. Prof. R.Hess & Prof. R.Stewart, re the big no. of women spectators in the 1870's, have written
"Some women were attracted to the game by the 'muscularity' of the scantily clad players.
According to an unnamed poet in The Australasian, the players were
'as tough as trees with deeply earthed roots,
and the ladies mutually pronounce them as killing in their knickerbocker suits'.
These were men who were unlikely to turn out as 'drawing room dandies', and there was a feeling that they performed much better on the field when there were numerous ladies in the crowd".
(Ass. Prof. R.Hess, Prof. R.Stewart, "More Than A Game", pg 41 , Melb. Uni. Press, Carlton 1998)
Modern opinion polls of women clearly indicate the big majority consider AF players have the most attractive male physiques, cf other codes.
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