Thursday, November 13, 2008
You jockey for position and catch the ball just inside the free-throw line. You’re positioned perfectly. You knife through the lane, but an opponent arrives to halt your progress. And this guy isn’t just any defender. He’s the other team’s sweat-streaked secret weapon, glistening from his soaked hair to his saturated shorts. Needless to say, your well-lubricated layup flies wide right.
Shirtlessness, maximum effort and full contact are three hallmarks of pickup basketball. This combination ultimately leads to quite a bit of skin slapping and sweat swapping. In addition to the creepy feeling of sliding your hand across someone else’s slimy skin, sweat is gross for a couple more reasons.
Sweat carries bacteria. Lathering yourself up in someone else’s sweat is akin to coming in contact with their saliva, and it’s an easy way to pick up whatever germs they’re carrying.
“Bacteria thrive in a warm, moist environment,” says Student Health Services nursing supervisor Patty Quinlan. “When we exercise, we’re trying to create this environment and we’re trying to sweat.”
Also, sweat smells. Everybody’s sweat reeks in a different way and to a varying degree, but it all smells because of bacteria. According to the British Journal of Dermatology, arm and groin sweat is often the most pungent because it carries protein. When the bacteria associated with sweat go to work breaking down this protein, it creates fatty acids, which in turn create an acrid odor.
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Comments
That's disgusting: pickup basketball
you seem like a pick-up basketball allstar. you should probably tryout for the jayhawks.
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