Do breasts impede athletic performance?

A new article in ESPN Magazine has sparked debate over whether boobs hamper success in sports

UFC wrestler Ronda Rousey
(Image credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

America is a land where bigger is better, and nowhere does that prove more true than with our love of (or obsession with) boobs. Not for nothing is breast implantation projected to be a $1.1 billion market by 2016, with the U.S., along with Europe, making up 85 percent of the world's total implant market. It's also pretty much the only reason Baywatch stayed on TV for over a decade.

Yet, according to an article in ESPN Magazine's "The Body Issue," a number of female athletes, from gymnasts to wrestlers to tennis players, don't feel that same level of affection for their assets, saying they cause pain and damage their performance.

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Emily Shire is chief researcher for The Week magazine. She has written about pop culture, religion, and women and gender issues at publications including Slate, The Forward, and Jewcy.