Home Blog Thursday Poll: Are Some Athletes Really THIS Stupid?

Thursday Poll: Are Some Athletes Really THIS Stupid?

Written on September 17, 2009 at 10:22 am, by Eric Cressey

One of my pro guys came in wearing these socks the other day.  Look closely and you’ll see that they’re actually labeled “R” and “L.”

socks

I’ve heard of dumbing things down for athletes, but this might be a bit over the top.  Hmm…

Post your thoughts below.

(FYI, I should qualify this post by saying that this athlete is not an idiot; he actually picks things up really quickly)

10 Responses to “Thursday Poll: Are Some Athletes Really THIS Stupid?”

  1. Ray Says:

    1) Those aren’t Left/Right, they’re his initials. Didn’t you ever lose your socks at camp? Apparrently Lee Ritenour has.
    2) He’s an audiophile. I don’t think pedophile is the right term. You know, like when high end hifi speakers have a left and right with offset tweeters/midrange. They’re designed to fit assymetrical feet so that your big toe doesn’t get crammed on one side. You can see by the gray patches that they are unilaterally reverse in design.
    Sorry, too much coffee this morning and it’s deadlift day….woohoo….And yes, I do have deadlifting socks, but they don’t come R/L unfortunately.

  2. Mosley Says:

    My wife has some Nike short socks that are labeled as such. I can’t see much difference in the stitching/make of the sock that would facilitate the need to label them. Since they are designated, however, I insist on pairing them as directed when we do laundry and give her a hard time if she has an L on her right foot.

    Anal? Maybe.

  3. Boštjan Says:

    I actually own a few of such socks.

  4. Porsas Says:

    I have a few pairs like those. They’re actually pretty great for the use mine are actually meant for – skiing. Less blisters.

    I do doubt there’d be any actual use for a pair at the gym though.

  5. Helgi Briem Says:

    Actually Eric, most high end socks for hiking, running, climbing, etc are marked left/right these days. The reason is, they’re not symmetrical/identical like cheap Walmart socks are. They are, like shoes, fitted to each foot and will not fit properly the other way around. Such socks are extremely comfortable and reduce the chance of blisters and corns during demanding exercise.

  6. TJ Says:

    A college athlete friend of mine labels all of his socks too, but in a different way. Before he wears them for the first time he numbers them 1 and 1, 2 and 2, 3 and 3, 4 and 4 and so on. He does this so that the same two socks that were paired from the package will always be mates. Anal retentive, OCD, or maybe just a hardcore romantic.

  7. Rob Sinnott, MS, CSCS Says:

    I am going to go completely against the grain and wear them on the wrong feet… see what happens, haha

  8. Helgi Briem Says:

    Nothing will happen of course, they will just fit worse and be less comfortable.

  9. Jessic Says:

    LOL, it would have been funny if he had them on backwards… 😉

    -Jess

  10. Matt Lynch Says:

    Does he have is underwear labeled with F and B?


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