McFarland Track Team in Nylon

When I originally saw the coming attractions for McFarland and the track teams were all wearing 1980's nylon tricot shorts and tanks, I tried to look past the "sports underdog" genre which this film clearly fit into.  I don't think there is a sport (basketball with Coach Whoopie Goldberg, hockey, football, swimming, etc.) that isn't represented with their last place team with earnest beginnings and the crusty coach who encourages them to win against all odds, teenage angst, dying relatives, divorcing parents, incurable diseases with dashes of ethic / race issues and always ending with the underdog winning against all odds.  I won't tell you how this one turns out but......  I didn't really sit and watch the whole movie but I would wait for the inspirational music to start and then watch for awhile since they always play that when the team is doing their sport.  My TV cable has stop/pause so I did check out to see if there was ANY movement of their goods or bulges, or to see if they were wearing anything under their shorts.  I doubt that any of them were paid enough to justify castration, but knowing how much is normally visible wearing nylon shorts with a nylon liner, (particularly when they are sweaty)  their wardrobe department did an excellent job of removing any indication that they were male track runners.

They did wear nylon tricot shorts that looked just a little longer than the real 1980's ones were--the red ones below.  Funny, I happened to tune in for the first time to the scene where Crusty Coach Kevin Costner was handing out their silky red nylon tricot shorts for the first time.  They each were grabbing them and complaining, but it was probably fairly realistic.  In practice they still wore cotton shorts.  Some of the other teams were clearly wearing original style Dolfin short shorts and nylon tanks--most looked brand new and very silky.  Would loved to have been on that wardrobe crew in charge of laundry...."Would it be ok if I take their sweaty shorts home to wash at night instead of using the company machines?"  

I found these images online and didn't do any screen grabs from the actual film.  I didn't see any of these white nylon shorts in the film and wonder if they even used them?  Did anyone watch it or see them in it?  I only saw red shorts and these white shorts are much shearer.  I also wonder what they used to keep their goods smashed in?  Maybe a thong or small Speedo?  I never saw any indication of anything else under their shorts, but there was one scene when they were going into the ocean for the first time that the required "fat kid" had something sticking out of his shorts which could even have been white briefs.  Of course every single track team extra on every team was very good looking.

Like I said, I never actually saw them wear these shorts in the film nor do these look like any brand I have ever seen for sale that long (but not too long).  It's possible they had them custom made.

This might be the actual team that the movie was based on?  That isn't Coach Kevin Costner in the picture and he's not crusty enough.  Why do movie coaches always have to be crusty?

Here they are as they appeared in the film.  You can see through some of their outer shorts on the edges.  It's too bad this type of film has become so cliche because it always gets you at the end and then you feel kind of stupid for buying into it.

Don't go bling looking, but these are the closest thing to any bulges you will see...and NONE of them move at all.

This is as much as Crusty Coach Kevin smiles in the whole film.  You can't be crusty and smile or laugh.  I never saw them wear anything other than these gray cotton tanks with their nylon shorts.

One of the required ethnic slurs from the white guy to the brown.  There is a scene with a close-up with their rwb nylon tank that is really good.  Most of the other teams (like the ones in right in green) seem to all wear the actual extra short length shorts.  At least wardrobe knew enough to make them all wear nylon tricot which was basically all they wore during this time.

Can't see any of their red tank when tucked inside their nylon liners so wondering what they were really wearing under those shorts?

In their final scene they were all wearing 3 stripe Adidas shorts but no logo.  You would think if they got the shorts from Adidas for produce placement, they would show their logo.  If they made their own, Adidas could sue because they used their 3 stripe trademark.  Well, the nylon looked good throughout.

Wearing a little too much under those shorts and it doesn't look good.....

Not from the movie, but from the period.  You can see the Dolfin logo on their tanks--lucky guys.