Umbrellas and sports: can it work?

The research is in. Let the truth be known....

As we all know, sports can be very competitive, and athletes must be prepared to perform under a variety of weather conditions. Some sports, like goofy American football or everyone else's football, can be played in the rain with little or no special equipment to maintain dryness.

In other sports, however, rain can be a nuisance, and a certain amount of shelter from the elements is required in order to maintain professional performance levels. Tactility, dexterity, visual acuity, and many other abilities that are important to game play can be hampered by wet conditions.

Knowing this, many athletes skillfully employ the umbrella as a common tool for overcoming inclement weather during competition. Normally the umbrella is held in one hand, leaving the other free to continue with gameplay. In games where the hands are not explicity used (such as roller derby, pictured below), the umbrella can be alternated between hands. In high speed sports such as skiing (pictured right), an umbrella can serve as a useful safety tool for slowing down or for drifting gently to the ground after falling off of a cliff.

While not as glamorous as ERA or pass completion, umbrella-handling is given a great deal of weight when national teams and sponsors draft athletes. Regulations regarding umbrella usage remain few in almost all sports. The size and type of umbrella used are often left to the athlete's discretion, as long as it doesn't interfere with gameplay. Interestingly, advertising on sports-related umbrellas is a relatively untapped market.

In conclusion, umbrellas certainly maintain a place within the realm of athletic competition. An athlete's ability to skillfully wield an umbrella while engaging in a sporting event is often considered a sign of expertise and competence.

Cheers,

Benji