# Why do men need to wear Jock Straps? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715 "2006-04-14T22:01:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/21 "2006-04-16T01:03:10Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > For some sports, it’s important to keep the junk _in place_. For running, especially, you don’t want to be bouncing all over the damn place. Bah, I’ve done _several_ 5k runs wearing nothing but sneakers and shades. And I used to play soccer wearing boxers. As long as you’re not chafing, you’re fine. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/22 "2006-04-16T02:24:14Z")
It all depends on the dangleage of the scrotum as to whether the jockstrap is desireable or not. I’ve examined literally thousands of them in my day (don’t pity me, I’m _very_ well-paid), and some would bang against the knees if not contained, while others don’t have any lateral movement at all. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/23 "2006-04-16T02:58:22Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Try running with loose shorts and no undies or jockstrap. It’s not fun. That’s why I wear underwear. So why in the hell would you want to wear a jockstrap instead of underwear? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/24 "2006-04-16T03:08:42Z")
> [@snailboy](#): > > It’s not fun. That’s why I wear underwear. So why in the hell would you want to wear a jockstrap instead of underwear? Beats me. But I’m sure there’s a reason. Or at least there was a long time ago. Jocks without cups are pretty old fashioned I think. Maybe undies back in the day were not as tight or supportive as some undies today. Did tighty-whities always exist? Did undies always exist? If there was only boxer style underwear back in the day, I could see why a Jock Strap would have been useful and invented. But nowadays. I think tight underwear serves the same purpose and is just as good. ---
**Author:** ![Glassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Glassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glassy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/25 "2006-04-16T03:12:03Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Whoa, hold the phone, are you telling me this is _normal_? One of mine is a bit lower than the other and I always thought I was a genetic mutant. Every guy I’ve ever examined had one hanging lower than the other. ( **Qadgop** ’s looked at more of 'em than I have, but I’m an unpaid volunteer scrotum-examiner. What you might call an amateur. A hobbyist. A part-time afficionado.) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/26 "2006-04-16T05:59:41Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > Bah, I’ve done _several_ 5k runs wearing nothing but sneakers and shades. And I used to play soccer wearing boxers. As long as you’re not chafing, you’re fine. Where do you run 5Ks nude? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/27 "2006-04-16T06:11:12Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Where do you run 5Ks nude? Not only that, but a 5K is kinda puss. My huevos don’t hurt 'til at least 6K. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/28 "2006-04-16T06:27:09Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Not only that, but a 5K is kinda puss. My huevos don’t hurt 'til at least 6K. Really? I start hurting after a walk to the mailbox. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/29 "2006-04-16T06:41:18Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Try running with loose shorts and no undies or jockstrap. Just let your balls bounce around and see how far you can make it. The reason one nut is lower than the other is so they dont rub or bump into each other when you walk. But when you run or jump around or are very active (like in sports) they tend to knock into each other and into your legs. And that fucking hurts. Couldn’t have put it better myself. I once played basketball wearing boxers under track pants - a mistake I am never going to repeat. Every time I sprinted or jumped I could feel them bouncing around, and eventually I literally caught my balls in a twist. Let’s just say it impaired my playing abilities temporarily. Briefs for me from now on, thank you very much. I must say, however, that I find the jock strap idea a little too confining - it’s perfectly possible to wear a cup with just briefs. Just a little $0.02 dropped in the lake. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/30 "2006-04-18T23:39:11Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Where do you run 5Ks nude? Wreck Beach, Vancouver. Google it yourself, or TubaDiva will chastise me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/31 "2006-04-19T01:08:56Z")
I could never see the point in them, myself. They’re annoying and chafing. I ride my bicycle, ski, and play racquetball without a jock. When I did Tae Kwan Do, I didn’t wear a strap. As an undergrad I _had_ to wear a jock. Gym policy. I hated it, not only for the above reasons, but because I came down with an incredible fungus infection that took a long time to overcome. (I didn’t get it from my jock directly – that was a new one I bought – but I suspect the jock created an environment the fungus fund inviting). ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715/32 "2006-04-19T01:52:19Z")
“‘Cause out on the football, football field, You can never tell where a heel can wield, Singin’, do you wear your jock a lot.” The Fugs, from [Do You Like Boobs A Lot](http://www.acidtrip.com/secure/fugs2.htm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-need-to-wear-jock-straps/352715.md?page=1)