I think it depends on the sport. My husband told me that in college the guys in the weight room would get in line for the squat rack when a sprinter from the woman’s track team was using it ;-). Don’t think they did that for the softball players.
Maybe it’s the uniforms; mannish uniforms could bring about more mannish mannerisms. The bun huggers we wore in college were not mannish at all, neither were any of my teammates.
“Maybe it’s the uniforms; mannish uniforms could bring about more mannish mannerisms. The bun huggers we wore in college were not mannish at all, neither were any of my teammates.”
While surely a major factor, I think there is more. Most tennis babes at least give the allure of femininity. The soccer gals seem to have way too much testosterone and angst. I tried ONCE to watch lingerie football. While marginally attractive in their underwear and makeup, those were actually some very aggressive butch women. Men typically prefer women to be feminine, even if they are doing manly things. Some women care about that, some don’t.