Robin Burden answered
Topless wrestling was banned by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) some time during the 1970s.
Although it's not clear what decided the NCAA to require wrestlers to wear singlets, opponents of the regulation blame two things:
There's never been an official answer to this question from the NCAA, although it's possible to speculate on their motivation.
As you rightly pointed out, there are various wrestling formats that allow bare-chested wrestling: UFC is a good example, as are certain types of Greco-Roman wrestling.
If you've ever watched professional wrestling like WWE or WCW, then you'll know that many wrestlers choose to fight topless.
One reason that the NCAA might have decided to ban topless wrestling is due to hygiene. Teenagers are particularly prone to skin conditions like acne, and it may have seemed sensible to offer wrestlers more protection when engaging in contact sport.
Rash protection and the prevention of friction burns could be another possible reason. Also, the standard of equipment that school wrestling teams work with isn't always up to scratch, so enforcing the wearing of a singlet could be one way of taking precautions against injury.
There's also an argument that official bodies tend to implement uniform requirements to prevent any advantage to wrestlers. Some people might argue that a wrestler with a bare and sweaty upper-body might have an advantage over a competitor wearing a shirt or singlet.
Why should guys wrestle topless?
Opponents of the NCAA decision to enforce the wearing of singlets argue that the ban on shirtless wrestling stems from outdated views on homosexuality.
They also suggest that the NCAA may have had a financial interest in encouraging wrestlers to purchase singlets. The NCAA ban effectively created a rather lucrative clothing-market that hadn't previously existed.
Although it's not clear what decided the NCAA to require wrestlers to wear singlets, opponents of the regulation blame two things:
- Homophobia
- The NCAA's vested interest in selling singlets
There's never been an official answer to this question from the NCAA, although it's possible to speculate on their motivation.
As you rightly pointed out, there are various wrestling formats that allow bare-chested wrestling: UFC is a good example, as are certain types of Greco-Roman wrestling.
If you've ever watched professional wrestling like WWE or WCW, then you'll know that many wrestlers choose to fight topless.
One reason that the NCAA might have decided to ban topless wrestling is due to hygiene. Teenagers are particularly prone to skin conditions like acne, and it may have seemed sensible to offer wrestlers more protection when engaging in contact sport.
Rash protection and the prevention of friction burns could be another possible reason. Also, the standard of equipment that school wrestling teams work with isn't always up to scratch, so enforcing the wearing of a singlet could be one way of taking precautions against injury.
There's also an argument that official bodies tend to implement uniform requirements to prevent any advantage to wrestlers. Some people might argue that a wrestler with a bare and sweaty upper-body might have an advantage over a competitor wearing a shirt or singlet.
Why should guys wrestle topless?
Opponents of the NCAA decision to enforce the wearing of singlets argue that the ban on shirtless wrestling stems from outdated views on homosexuality.
They also suggest that the NCAA may have had a financial interest in encouraging wrestlers to purchase singlets. The NCAA ban effectively created a rather lucrative clothing-market that hadn't previously existed.
