BEHIND THE CHIPBOARD: Rest Stop

   I saw our girls’ volleyball team play its first game, and I couldn’t help but notice that they wear very tight, very short shorts. But then when I see the girls’ basketball team play, they wear really baggy shorts. What’s going on?

— R.D., Livermore

   I thought about whether I should even try to answer this question, as it’s loaded with land mines. But hey, that’s why I get the big bucks, right Chace? (That’s a subtle hint to editor Chace Bryson that maybe the bucks could be a little bigger. I’m guessing it won’t work.)

   Though volleyball and basketball require much the same skill sets, and reward tall people with long arms who can jump really high — on both the boys and girls side — there are major differences in attitude and style. Today, though, since its girls volleyball season, we’ll just focus on the females.

   The biggest difference between the two sports is the net that separates the teams in volleyball. That means that volleyball is a non-contact sport, and as much as one team, or one player, might dislike another team or player, there’s no chance to shove them around. (Of course, a hitter can try to drive a ball so hard it lodges in the opponent’s epiglottis, but that’s a lot different than a foul that sends an airborne basketball player bouncing off the hardwood.)

   This distance leads to a certain civility in volleyball that basketball players don’t necessarily honor. With no net, coaches actively encourage physical contact: “Screen out” is commonly uttered at a very high volume in basketball games, and it means one player should make as much contact as possible with the other, and shove her away from the basket.

   Basketball can be a much more physically demanding game in terms of running and constant movement — which leads to sweat, which leads to runny mascara and other makeup disasters. Seldom do basketball players put on makeup before a game. While a long, drawn-out, three-set volleyball match can be equally taxing and exhausting, volleyball players have a little more latitude in terms of choosing to put makeup on before a game. 

   And then there’s beach volleyball, one of the most popular sports in the Olympics — and it’s barely possible that the reason has something to do with the fact that the very fit young women who play it are barely dressed. So maybe that style of clothing (what there is of the clothing) simply migrated over to the indoor game, and thus led to the very short shorts.

   As for basketball players, the girls and women’s game reflect the style of the men and boys, who favor very baggy, very long pants. If they’re good enough for LeBron, then they’re good enough for Lauren, the thinking goes — and since it’s hard to look all that fashionable when drenched in sweat to begin with, there seems to be less emphasis on looking good in girls basketball than in girls volleyball. 

   But let me hasten to add that girls’ basketball players are just as attractive than girls volleyball players. The style may be different, but the beauty quotient is the same.

Clay Kallam is an assistant athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach at Bentley High in Lafayette. To submit a question for Behind the Clipboard, email him at  HYPERLINK “mailto:clayk@fullcourt.com” clayk@fullcourt.com