# Do female athletes wear a cup? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051 "2011-11-25T16:14:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/61 "2011-11-28T17:51:03Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > … I chose to use a cup occasionally during training (depending on which techniques we were rehearsing) Ditto during training for Krav Maga. Indeed, I would think any martial arts training would demand use of a cup, at least during the early years. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/62 "2011-11-28T17:54:22Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > However, female gymnasts do run a pretty good risk of straddling the beam (or occasionally the bars). A beam is 4" wide and has very little padding. I can definitely report that straddling the beam is quite uncomfortable, but I can’t imagine anyone wearing some sort of protective gear to minimize the risks. In my anecdote earlier in the thread I mentioned doing essentially this. I fell with a leg on either side of a 3-4" diameter metal rail that I had been walking along balance-beam style. It hurt like a MF but I can’t imagine what kind of protection would have spared me that pain. I mean if I’d had a lot of padding all over the whole labia/pubic bone area it might have helped, but I’d have looked like I was wearing a diaper and it would have been really inconvenient. And in the end, it probably wouldn’t have lessened the pain all that much. A rigid “cup” style protective device would have had to extend quite far back between the legs, which I imagine would probably interfere with movement, and then you’ve got the impact all along the edge of the “cup” where it deflects the blow of the impact. It would be shifting it directly to another part of the pubic bones–so it would probably hurt almost if not just as much, just in a slightly different spot. I’ve thought about this off and on since this thread was opened and I really can’t think of many situations where a “cup” style protective piece would do a lot of good. One area that I will cede as a possibility is martial arts where you might get a kick there, and the cup would spread out the impact of the kick; but in order to cause crippling pain (which is what I’d expect a cup to be trying to prevent–I mean getting kicked anywhere hurts, but you don’t have hardcore protective pieces for every part of the body for most sports) you’d have to have a kick land pretty dead-on the clitoris, and with the bony part of the foot (metatarsal of the big toe, probably) for it to be significantly more painful than getting kicked in, say, the shin or the ribs. I’d say the chances of getting a clitoral injury during sports are pretty darned small. I’m sure it’s happened. We may (likely?) have posters here who have personal experience with it, even, but I’d say it’s a rare injury and not worth specialized gear to prevent. A blow to the general labia/pubic bone area is probably comparable to getting kicked as I said before, in the shin or the ribs, and the difference between getting hit with something relatively soft/giving (such as someone else’s body part, e.g. a foot) versus something hard and rigid and ungiving (such as a metal or wooden beam/bar mounted to the floor) is non-trivial as well. Most sports don’t involve much risk of that part of the body coming into contact with a hard-material, rigidly-mounted object. Gymnastics being an obvious exception. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/63 "2011-11-28T17:59:09Z")
WRT cups, people here seem to be focused on pain prevention - but I was always under the impression that the purpose of the cup was to prevent permanent, debilitating injury. Testicles are sensitive, which is a pain (no pun intended), but they are also _delicate_. An impact that might merely bruise a man’s thigh could rupture his testicles, requiring surgery to stop the bleeding; in the worst case, removal might be required, leaving the victim unable to have children. Kick a woman in the crotch, and you might leave her writhing in pain for a short time; kick a man in the crotch, and you might render him childless for life. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/64 "2011-11-28T19:22:49Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > kick a man in the crotch, and you might render him childless for life. Theoretically, perhaps. In practice, you have to have an extraordinarily amount of bad luck for this to happen because normally the boys somehow manage to get out of the way from serious harm. I’d be a lot more worried about serious head injuries, regardless of sport. Or, as my wife loves to quip: They can take more than you think :eek: Disclaimer: Avoiding permanent injury is in no way a guarantee for avoiding debilitating pain. I know that from experience. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/65 "2011-11-28T20:05:17Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Anyone, man, woman or child, who takes an 60+MPH pitch to the groin is going to experience a true 10 on the pain scale. I think I’d choose to wear a cup if I was a female who played base/softball. Pelvic protectors, also called “janes” (as opposed to “jocks”) are required for girls in our local kids’ baseball league. All decent sporting goods stores carry them. Had to buy one for the Small Girl for T-ball. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/66 "2011-11-28T20:12:07Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > I don’t know what or where you played, but if you regularly[tackled](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tackle_%28football_move%29) players, it’s not soccer according to the rules. “Tackling” in soccer is not the same as “Tackling” in rugby. If you don’t know what a soccer tackle is, you really need to look the term up. I mean, it’s a basic soccer technique. It’s taught to **children**. There are instructional videos. Not understanding what a soccer tackle is is akin to not understanding what a corner kick is. According to the Laws of Soccer, is it perfectly legal to make contact with an opposing player in a variety of circumstances, a legal tackle being one of them. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/67 "2011-11-28T20:20:41Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Tacklings are not part of normal soccer, players tackle each other in Rugby or American football, but not in soccer. Unless you play it with different rules, maybe like American football. > > In Europe, soccer is not played with players tackling. Just pulling other player’s clothing is considered a foul already. A slide tackle in soccer is extremely common. I see it all the time when I watch European soccer. This is not the same a tackling the running in rugby or American football. > **[Sliding tackle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sliding_tackle)** > > A sliding tackle, also called slide tackle, is a tackle in association football in which one leg extends to push the ball away from the opposing player. > Sliding tackles can often be sources of controversy, particularly when players being tackled fall down over the tackler's foot (or the ball stopped by the tackler's foot), and penalties, free kicks and cards are assessed (or are conspicuous by their absence). > A sliding tackle is not in itself foul play; however, there are a number of fouls that ... ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/68 "2011-11-28T20:51:46Z")
Soccer not a contact sport? No tackles? Bwuh? Don’t mistake the sissy pansy somebody-flicked-my-elbow-I-better-grab-my-ankle-and-fall-down nonsense for the reality of physicality in football - that’s all a game to win penalties. There are devastating body blows on a regular basis, but if it isn’t to your advantage to fall down, generally they won’t. Shoving somebody off the ball is quite common in soccer. People get obliterated well within the laws of the game all the time. I suspect many of you have no idea what you’re talking about. Cups, IME, tend to interfere with movement too much if they’re rigid enough to be of any protective value in the first place. A soccer ball in the nads on a cold day is pretty unpleasant, but wearing a cup is unpleasant all the time. You guys probably don’t think water polo is a contact sport either, right? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/69 "2011-11-30T00:47:35Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > And if they don’t play hockey or similar where a cup is necessary, athletes wear boxers or brief = underpants, not special jockstraps. What would be the point? Jockstraps are worn even in non-contact sports because they allow greater freedom of movement than undershorts. Legs & thighs, especially, are less constrained. Probably minimal difference, but in professional sports, the players are looking for every possible advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/70 "2011-11-30T03:36:06Z")
As a Little League coach I can attest that “Jillstrap” pelvic protectors are mandatory equipment for female players. Minor hockey also requires female players to wear an athletic supporter with pelvic protection. While rare, injuries to the pelvis, internal injuries, etc. do occur in contact sports and should be prevented, if possible. As mentioned above the velcro flaps to hold up your socks are handy too. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/71 "2011-11-30T03:42:35Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > AHEM it entirely depends on the accuracy of the aim. There’s a teeny weeny spot that some men struggle to find which is excruciating if receiving a direct hit (I know from bitter experience, crashing onto my bike’s crossbar when I was about ten). Oh, God, you too? I’m so sorry. The pain was indescribable! ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/72 "2011-11-30T09:49:38Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > I don’t know what or where you played, but if you regularly[tackled](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tackle_%28football_move%29) players, it’s not soccer according to the rules. **constanze** : this is clearly an English language problem. As the Wiki article you linked to makes clear “tackle” has two meanings in sport: a) getting hold of or knocking over the opposing player in rugby, American Football, etc. and b) an attempt to take the ball away from the opposing player (which may involve limited contact with the player) in Association Football. On the other hand soccer does not meet what I thought was the standard definition of a “contact sport” in that striking or grasping an opponent is not a key element of the game. Take away contact with the opposition in rugby, American, football, or any martial art and the sport is no longer the sport. Take away contact in soccer or (field) hockey and it is still essentially the same sport - as can be seen by the changes in soccer over the last thirty years. There is much less contact allowed now than in the past but it is still football. Water polo and ice hockey I suspect fall somewhere inbetween :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/73 "2011-11-30T16:57:50Z")
I was once swinging on something like one of [these](http://www.toysrus.com/product/prodpop.jsp?LargeImageURL=http%3A//TRUS.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-8276803dt.jpg&displayTab=enh&productId=4340686&totCount=0) when the part holding it to the top of the swingset broke, and it went flying with me on it, and I am seconding-thirding-fourthing that a metal bar to the crotch really really hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/74 "2011-11-30T17:30:59Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I was once swinging on something like one of [these](http://www.toysrus.com/product/prodpop.jsp?LargeImageURL=http%3A//TRUS.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-8276803dt.jpg&displayTab=enh&productId=4340686&totCount=0) when the part holding it to the top of the swingset broke, and it went flying with me on it, and I am seconding-thirding-fourthing that a metal bar to the crotch really really hurts. “I was hit with force and felt a lot of pain” is hardly instructive to the OP. After all, all human beings feel pain! My understanding is that if you hit a man with a baseball bat anywhere on his body, being hit in the nads hurts way worse than being hit anywhere else with equal force. The question is, is there something special about groin pain for women. I would say no, the crotch is not generally a lot more sensitive than other parts of the the female body to impacts, unless you experience what is essentially a low-percentage shot to a very tiny area in an area not usually exposed to strike force. I’ve been kicked in the thigh by a horse and it hurt like a motherfucker. I felt the force in my teeth and saw stars… pain was about 100x worse than any crotch-wallop I’ve ever received. I don’t think that proves that female thighs are particularly sensitive to pain. Just that the horse got a hell of a good shot in. ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/75 "2011-11-30T17:37:37Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > As a Little League coach I can attest that “Jillstrap” pelvic protectors are mandatory equipment for female players. Is that Little League or some other form of youth baseball? I’ve been out of it for a couple years since my daughter aged out, but when I was coaching the only one required to have a cup was a boy catching. None of the other players had to. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/76 "2011-11-30T17:42:51Z")
> [@MarcusF](#): > > **constanze** : this is clearly an English language problem. As the Wiki article you linked to makes clear “tackle” has two meanings in sport: a) getting hold of or knocking over the opposing player in rugby, American Football, etc. and b) an attempt to take the ball away from the opposing player (which may involve limited contact with the player) in Association Football. Thanks, that does makes things clearer. > [@](#): > > On the other hand soccer does not meet what I thought was the standard definition of a “contact sport” in that striking or grasping an opponent is not a key element of the game. Take away contact with the opposition in rugby, American, football, or any martial art and the sport is no longer the sport. Take away contact in soccer or (field) hockey and it is still essentially the same sport - as can be seen by the changes in soccer over the last thirty years. There is much less contact allowed now than in the past but it is still football. Yes, that’s what I meant. Okay, it’s a bit of hyperbole to say that no contact occurs, because a bit of pushing with the shoulders is allowed - but to me, soccer is at it’s best when it’s done technically: Brasilian or women’s soccer, how to tricke the ball away from the opponent; not the english style of “lets kick everywhere, and eventually we’ll get the ball; and if we disable the technically better players of the opposite team by kicking them crippled, we will still win”. And there were several rule changes made in the last decades to make soccer safer, for example, sliding into the opponent (grätschen) with legs apart is now no longer allowed because of the high possibility of injury. And attacking a player without the ball is strictly forbidden. In ice hockey, “excessive violence” is not allowed, but how strictly that rule is adhered to depends on the referee. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/77 "2011-11-30T17:44:23Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I was once swinging on something like one of [these](http://www.toysrus.com/product/prodpop.jsp?LargeImageURL=http%3A//TRUS.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-8276803dt.jpg&displayTab=enh&productId=4340686&totCount=0) when the part holding it to the top of the swingset broke, and it went flying with me on it, and I am seconding-thirding-fourthing that a metal bar to the crotch really really hurts. Yeowch! On the topic of a metal bar to the crotch, this is only related because it’s on that topic: I was once (early high school) riding my bike home from school when the seat BROKE OFF. As in the bar snapped. Keep in mind I was sitting with all my weight on it at the time. That hurt. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/78 "2011-11-30T17:50:27Z")
Little League baseball is extremely diligent about injury protection; and its rulebook (section 1.17) states that male catchers must wear a chest protector and a cup; female catchers must wear a chest protector (no mention of any crotch protection). ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/79 "2011-11-30T19:04:18Z")
> [@jonesj2205](#): > > Is that Little League or some other form of youth baseball? I’ve been out of it for a couple years since my daughter aged out, but when I was coaching the only one required to have a cup was a boy catching. None of the other players had to. > [@jsc1953](#): > > Little League baseball is extremely diligent about injury protection; and its rulebook (section 1.17) states that male catchers must wear a chest protector and a cup; female catchers must wear a chest protector (no mention of any crotch protection). Yes it is Little League. I don’t have an electronic copy of our rule book, but section 1.17 does state “all [male] players must wear athletic supporters” In addition to **jsc1953** ’s cite, it also includes “female catchers are required to wear sufficient padding to prevent injury.” I’m assuming this is the interpretation of this is to enforce wearing of pelvic protection. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051/80 "2011-11-30T19:08:15Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Yes it is Little League. > I don’t have an electronic copy of our rule book, but section 1.17 does state “all [male] players must wear athletic supporters” > In addition to **jsc1953** ’s cite, it also includes “female catchers are required to wear sufficient padding to prevent injury.” I’m assuming this is the interpretation of this is to enforce wearing of pelvic protection. What year is your rule book? That “sufficient padding” phrase isn’t in mine (2010). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-female-athletes-wear-a-cup/604051.md?page=5)