The Barefoot Decree
Read the storyNew regulations have been introduced for every women's sport: they must be 100% female—no men allowed, including coaches (who must be women). Everyone involved must be female so that women aren't self-conscious about a man looking at their feet. Regarding sportswear, there is a mandatory rule: every woman must have one bare foot while the other remains covered. Furthermore, the stands must be empty, and the playing fields and stadiums small. This was decreed by a billionaire artist who took over every women's sport to realize her own twisted vision—inspired by her habit of wearing only one shoe to show off her bare foot and the foot-care products applied to it. Her women's foot-care corporations took control of women's sports; she offered female athletes high salaries—which they accepted—on the condition that they compete wearing only one shoe. They aren't required to beautify their feet if they don't want to; the only rule is that one foot must be bare. It isn't corporate advertising—which is why the women agreed so readily; they aren't promoting the corporation for free, yet they earn more, and the requirement is simple: a bare foot. Then there is the sled run (viewed from the athlete's perspective): an interesting technique where, once the woman gains sufficient speed, the shoe and sock slide off, revealing the bare foot while the other remains covered. Another change involves the tracks: they are long, fast, and open-air—set in nature—with no spectator stands and no curves, just long straightaways and downhill descents that generate high speeds. A third change concerns communication with the athlete: because the tracks are long and speeds are high, the athlete stays in contact with a female coach (who is a disembodied voice, not physically present, as she is part of the team staff). It is the coach who decides when the foot is to be bared.