Diamonds May Be the Best Performance Enhancer of 2022
Putting together a fire fit makes you feel like you can conquer the day, but no outfit is complete without jewelry. Whether I’m out running errands, hanging out with friends, or even sitting in class, I feel incomplete if I don’t have my jewelry on. The necklace around my neck, bracelet on my wrist, and ring on my pinky leave me feeling powerful, like Thanos with a gauntlet full of infinity stones.
The concept of “look good, feel good” requires no scientific research to be true. You can just feel the confidence in your chest when you love the outfit you have on. When you go to the gym with your headband strapped and leggings on, it feels like you can break every PR and run an extra mile. Maintaining this logic, it can’t be a coincidence that athletes who wear jewelry during games always perform at their best.
This stylish risk is usually only reserved for the stars of the league, as most see it as unnecessary, distracting, and hindering performance. In hindsight, it doesn’t sound like a chain constantly swinging back and forth on a neck would help you perform any sort of physical activity, but look at Serena Williams. For over 25 years, Serena Williams has been dominating women’s tennis without ever having to sacrifice her look. It’s borderline disrespectful how Serena could wear a bustdown Rolex on both wrists and a fat Cuban necklace but still beat most tennis players competing today (at 40 years old). There is no argument you can make for jewelry being a negative for athletic competition if Serena solidified herself as the GOAT of tennis while showing off so many dope pieces over the years.
Image Courtesy: The Adventurine
I remember when I briefly played football for my high school, all my teammates and I looked forward to gameday not only because it was time to compete (even though we never won games), but because we got to go through the routine of suiting up. Throwing on our game-day cleats, headbands, and arm sleeves with black face paint under our eyes made us feel like we were gonna stomp out the competition. The routine of putting on our accessories and suiting up helped us feel prepared physically and mentally for the game. This memory reminds me of the time in 2019 when star NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. rocked a fairly expensive watch during a game when he played for the Cleveland Browns. After warming up pregame and suiting up in pads, the finishing touch for OBJ was strapping on his color-coordinated, 200k Richard Mille 11-03 McLaren. Although they lost and Baker Mayfield was his quarterback, he recorded seven catches for 77 yards and looked cool as hell while doing it.
Image Courtesy: GQ
I can’t talk about sports and jewelry without discussing the most iconic fusion between the two: the Miami Hurricanes turnover chain. For those that don’t know, this chain is awarded to Miami’s players that force a turnover on defense. It’s obnoxiously large, studded in diamonds, and has become an integral part of the South Florida football team’s culture and identity. Making a chain that encourages players to hustle on defense and make a play perfectly represents the fact that jewelry makes you feel accomplished and at your peak.
Image Courtesy: Five Reasons Sports Network
The relationship between jewelry and the sports world has been a brief one, but the relationship between looking good and feeling good has been around forever. With more and more athletes discovering that looking good also makes you play well, it’ll be exciting to see what kind of pieces our favorite star athletes decide to show off on the field.
Strike Out,
Jon-David Delcastillo
Strike Magazine Boca
JD Delcastillo is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine. He loves consuming media and thinking critically. A major know-it-all, anything related to pop culture, music, and sports, he has knowledge in. Reach out to him on instagram @jd.delcastillo or email @ jd.delcastillo954@gmail.com
