Are your tan lines more outlined then the lines on the field you play your sport on? Have you ever seen someone appear to be athletic and wondered to yourself, “Hmm, I wonder what sport they play?” Well your questions can now be answered! Here is a little guide on how to tell what sport an athlete plays based solely on one thing… their tan lines.
You see it all the time… the classic farmer’s tan. Some of the common tan lines associated with a farmer’s tan include: elbows, neck, thighs, ankles, forehead, wrist, and eyes. Now unless they are actually a farmer, odds are this person plays soccer. They will have a killer t-shirt tan, in which their shoulders to mid-upper arm area is as white and pale as Casper the friendly ghost, but the rest of their arm is as tan as can be. This is the same for their legs. From the bottom to the top of their knee, it appears as if they went to a beach but only tanned that portion of their legs. This tan line, although not noticeable when wearing their proper soccer attire, can be extremely frustrating when trying to take a cute summer photo while wearing shorts and dresses.
Another athlete that suffers from the farmer’s tan line is a lacrosse player. These athletes sport a similar t-shirt tan line to soccer players, but do not suffer from the embarrassing knee tan line problem. However, this does not mean that their legs are safe from annoying tan lines. Lacrosse players suffer from the mid- calf sock tan in which from their toes to about mid-way up there calve, it is blindingly pale. But lucky for them, the rest of their legs are for the most part uniformly tan. Another tan line commonly associated with Lacrosse players is the “tiger tan”. The “tiger tan” is two stripes on the arm of lacrosse players resulting from gaps between gloves, elbow pads, and shoulder pads. These tan lines can be a problem though when the athlete attempts to wear flip-flops, shorts, and dresses. But cut them some slack! It’s not their fault!
Another name for the embarrassing farmer’s tan is known as the golfer’s tan. Golfers spend hours and hours out on a course under the unforgiving summer sun, and have the tan lines to prove it. Like soccer and lacrosse players, they will have the noticeable t-shirt tan line. However, what sets them apart from other t-shirt tan line athletes are their wrists. Odds are, they will be wearing a watch when playing golf and will have a nice outline of the watch left on their wrists after playing. However, they are very sensitive about this tan line so do not make fun of them for it and continuously ask them for the time when they are not in fact wearing a watch.
Summer is a time for fun in the sun… unless you are a swimmer. These athletes spend hours in the pool and have the painful sun burns to show it. Often times, swimmers will sport the fun razorback tan line left from the outline of their swimsuit. To add to this fun look, they will sometimes have outlined tan lines on their face left from their goggles. Cute right!
If someone appears to be athletic, but they do not appear to have any tan lines, odds are, they are an “indoor athlete”. These athletes are probably basketball players, gymnasts, ultimate table tennis players, or volleyball players. They are lucky to be kept out of the summer heat and away from embarrassing tan lines, but unlucky for them, do not get to enjoy those beautiful summer days playing your sport outside.
Want to make sure you don’t get these embarrassing tan lines? Well tough luck! No amount of sunscreen will protect you from these lines, but don’t be discouraged! You are an athlete. You push yourself every day in practice, suffer unbearable heat conditions, and sweat buckets of sweat. You wear those tan lines like a badge of honor and don’t be discouraged by them. You’ve earned them!
