The Nature of the Jockstrap Fetish
From the Journal of Psycho-Sexual Perversion

Designed to support and protect male genitals during strenuous activities, the athletic supporter, or jockstrap, has long been a potent symbol of male athleticism and physical prowess. Consisting of waist band, pouch, and leg straps, the supporter was once ubiquitous in high school and college locker rooms--often a mandatory part of a school gym uniform--but has since become more or less irrelevant in an age of compression shorts and spandex-enhanced underwear. For most boys growing up in the 1970s or earlier, the tightly-binding athletic supporter was worn, perhaps grudgingly, only when required for physical education classes or sports programs. But for others, the jockstrap became a sexual fetish. These boys found themselves strangely and uncontrollable attracted to this piece of athletic gear, becoming sexually aroused when wearing or looking at a supporter--many experiencing their first ejaculation while masturbating with their jockstraps. Such reactions were likely to cause confusion or guilt for budding young men already grappling with the emotional and physical changes of puberty, but despite the frequent shame and guilt, boys who had developed this attachment to their athletic supporters did not readily abandon their masturbatory behavior. In fact, the fascination and erotic appeal of the jockstrap frequently extended into their adult life.

As with other such paraphilias formed in youth, the specific nature of a jockstrap fetish often goes unexamined by an adult male who continues to receive strong sexual gratification from his obsession, perhaps fearing that analysis might dim this source of erotic power. But, clearly, understanding the origins of such a potent fixation can only yield greater insight to the person as a whole, and perhaps uncover or ultimately resolve psycho-sexual conflicts that may have impacted the sexual development of the fetishist. While the exact events and circumstances which conspired to form a jockstrap fetish may be unique to each individual, the psychological underpinnings of this condition appear common to all. Based on interviews with adult males who have maintained their jockstrap fetish across twenty or more years, it has become clear that the impetus for this perversion comes from three main factors: the social and personal attributes associated with the athletic supporter, the physical sensation of wearing one and, perhaps most importantly, the psychological stress-reduction that is a by-product of this fetish.

Association.
Even before the first wearing of a jockstrap, most fetishists have already developed strong associations with this piece of sports equipment. These associations could come from the media, other family members, friends, or situational encounters. Often the initial awareness of a jockstrap can cement the subject's later associations with it. One subject traces the roots of his interest in athletic supporters back to pre-pubescent childhood. His earliest memory of seeing an image of a supporter occurred at age 10, when he noticed a listing in a Sears catalog. That first encounter shows the powerful male symbolism attached to this item:

I remember seeing an illustration of a boy older than me, confident and strong, wearing a type of underwear Id never seen before. It seemed to have a specific purpose, and one that only a older boy would have a need for. It occurred to me that once I started to wear an athletic supporter, I would pass into this new age group, a step closer to manhood.

He goes on to reveal one of the key aspects of the jockstrap's appeal:

What really turned me on was the fact that this thing was clearly and specifically designed to hold a boy's dick and balls. It called flagrant attention to an area of my body that I'd learned to keep modestly, even shamefully, hidden away.

Another man remembers having found out at age 12 that he would be required to wear an athletic supporter for physical education class when he entered junior high in Fall. His interest in jockstraps grew throughout the Summer.

Back then, newspapers ran back-to-school ads that had pictures, drawings usually, of athletic supporters. I couldn't wait to get my own supporter. I would scan through the paper every day to see if there was an ad for a jockstrap, and often there was at least one. The fact that this public medium would actually print pictures of what I considered a sexual object just made it all the more erotic. I so looked forward to seeing these ads that I would often get aroused just seeing the newspaper in the morning.

Besides these local ads, the athletic supporter has rarely been featured in the media--certainly nowhere near the exposure of female intimate clothing such as bras. But despite the virtual media blackout of jockstrap discussion, the notion of the jockstrap representing the ultimate in male energy is firmly entrenched in the US cultural psyche.  Men who participate in sports are routinely labeled jocks, and such phrases as he's not worthy to carry [sports figure's] jockstrap are common in sports columns. Can anyone deny that football players--both in school and professionally--represent the upper echelon of male virility and sexual desirability? For boys struggling to form their own sense of manhood, the notion that an athletic supporter is a proxy for masculine assertiveness can be quite intriguing. And if male authority figures are absent or infrequent in a boy's daily life, then this substitute connection to manliness becomes even more appealing. Thus the most likely candidate for jockstrap eroticism may be a boy with a tenuous, remote relationship with his father--amplified even more if the father is a former or current athlete or extreme sports fan. The need for male bonding goes unsatisfied, while the venue of athleticism is put on a pedestal; the father loves sports figures more than his son. These boys can never measure up to their fathers expectations because, so they think, they are not enough of a jock. How better to resolve this equation, than to give magical powers to the ultimate symbol of male athleticism, the jockstrap. The strap provides the wearer with the ability to vicariously become a male athlete by donning the athlete's most personal piece of equipment; the wearer can pretend to be close to an athlete, without having actual contact. Wearing a jock, in effect, gets them closer to gaining their father's esteem and closeness.

Sensation.
More than mere symbol, the athletic supporter provides a tactile sensation for wearers that is both unique and curiously erogenous. For the fetishist, the first donning of this sacred garment is usually monumental and life changing. One man describes his first encounter:

The weekend before I started junior high, my mother came home carrying a paper bag and told me that she had bought my gym outfitincluding the athletic supporter. I'd never been more excited. She asked me if I knew how to wear it and I said I'd figure it out, making a joke out of it. That night, after the rest of the family went to bed, I opened the bag and pulled out my prize, a box containing a Bike #10 Youth Model athletic supporter. I pulled the jock out of the box and just couldnt believe I was finally holding a jockstrap in my hands. I was light-headed with a rush of intense pleasure and instantly felt my dick come to life. Soon it was growing painfully hard, springing right through the opening in my pajama bottoms. And all I had done was to hold the jock in my hands.

The subject then remembers unfolding the supporter and holding it up in front of him, inspecting the cotton pouch and especially the one-inch leg straps that started at the waistband and traveled down to the bottom of the pouch.