This accidental exposure then gave rise to a trend in the early 80s of players deliberately cutting their jersey tops in order to show off their chiseled bodies. In what sounds like the start of a cringey gay porn film, football jerseys were constantly being torn and ripped during matches, exposing player’s torsos and abs.
The perception that a man wearing a crop top must be gay, in the closet or at the very least feminine is almost ironic given that the garment’s birth is actually credited to one of the most hyper-masculine activities of all time, American football.
