The sporting elite: how are golf, sailing and tennis setting trends?

It’s no secret that professional sports is one of the areas of modern show business. The games have full stands, they are shown on TV, and equipment manufacturers earn millions because fans are ready to buy any clothes from the collaborations. Such sports as tennis, golf, yachting, horse riding and even chess have become popular today due to the special aesthetics and the atmosphere of luxury around them, although in the past they were practiced only by European aristocrats.

We tell you how such sports games set the style bar and which athletes set the tone.

How tennis became popular

For over a hundred years, tennis has held the status of the most commercial and highly paid game. It is practiced by the most successful people on the planet, and regular lessons require a large financial investment. According to Forbes, the ranking of the twenty richest athletes in the world includes two tennis players – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who, in addition to their professionalism, can boast a great sense of style.

Federer prefers warm-colored clothes, knows how to combine colors and likes comfort, so he has a lot of polo shirts, unrestrictive pants and tracksuits in his closet.

Nadal, on the other hand, likes brightness not only on the court, but also in life. His arsenal includes many shirts, shorts and various headbands.

Nowadays, the aristocratic aura at the mention of tennis is preserved thanks to the Wimbledon tournament. Here it is customary to address the players with respect. The umpires use the addresses “Miss,” “Mrs.” and “Mr.” and in the same way the names of the tennis players are reflected on the scoreboard. All players are required to enter the court in white uniforms. Spectators are offered strawberries with cream and champagne, a real ball and a gala dinner for tennis players are held, and the Queen herself can be found in the stands.

In Russia, tennis acquired the status of a “sport for the rich” thanks to the interest of Boris Yeltsin. He practiced it himself, and his passion was taken up by many officials and artists.

Thanks to tennis, short pleated skirts, tops and socks appeared in women’s closet. Tennis has also made us all obsessed with polo shirts, which are a must have this summer.

Golf for business

Even more aristocratic than tennis, golf has an impeccable reputation for commercial and spectator success. The first athlete in the world whose fortune exceeded one billion dollars was golfer Tiger Woods.

His style is quite restrained: he wears neutral sweatshirts, vests and jeans without unnecessary details, likes classics, so he can be found in shirts and jackets.

Golf is basically associated with success because you can build a whole business empire on it. This game gives the opportunity to produce clubs, balls and equipment, to offer coaching services, to equip courses and to conclude contracts for transportation by golf carts. The average price of one course is $2 million, and their maintenance provides employment and earnings for thousands of people.

Golf has taught us to tuck our shirts into shorts or pants, and to cover our heads with baseball caps. Golfers like to choose bottoms with a bright print, most often it is a plaid, and also from the shoes must necessarily look out of the socks, otherwise it is a bad tone.

Yachting for lovers of excitement

Yachting is considered an elitist sport, because King Charles II of Great Britain was the first person who showed the masses that yachts can be used for both recreation and sport. However, the vessel itself costs within € 400 thousand, so only rich and influential people will be able to buy it.

Yachting is historically a favorite pastime of the nobility. Skillful yachtsmen in that period of time are Prince Henry of Denmark, King Constantine of Greece and King Juan Carlos of Spain.

Even though yachting is not the most popular sport even now, there are yachtsmen who have achieved incredible success and set a few fashionable rules. For example, England’s Ben Ainslie, who won medals at every Summer Olympics from 1996 to 2012. In addition to his swimming suit, he likes to wear blue shirts with lots of embroidered prints, adding a powerful sports watch to it.

Yachting has contributed to the emergence of tight jumpsuits and waterproof clothing made of Lycra or elastane. Yachtsmen are often seen wearing vests, which were incredibly popular last fall, and will probably be a success this season as well.

Royal Equestrianism

Today, equestrian sport has become a fashionable hobby for influential people. Among its fans are Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Phillips, Emir of Dubai Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Russian President Vladimir Putin and many other representatives of the political elite.

Equestrian sport is very beautiful and noble not only because of the well-groomed look of the horses, but also because of the style of the jockeys. We want to highlight Swiss Steve Gerd, who follows the trends and looks incredibly fashionable in his clothes. He likes to wear skinny white pants, turtlenecks, bright polos and baseball caps. From his accessories we would like to highlight watches with leather straps and gold details and braided belts.

Thanks to equestrian sport, we have grown to love boots and pantsuits, and some have started adding caps and hats to their looks.