GP Sport - Comfort Groin Guard

A New Sports Version of GP is Coming Soon!

Together with our team of engineers, test users, and manufacturers, we are finalizing the perfect design. So far it feels incredible and performs even better.

If you’re already a part of our pack, you know testicular overheating and compression kills sperm, testosterone, and overall health. But you might not know- overheating is often at its peak when working out. Not surprising, right? Your package is usually in some type of compressed brief, sweating, you’re pushing your body to the extreme, so yes, your testicular health, including fertility and testosterone, was reason enough to create GP Sport. But to be honest, the real motivation came from our own experience of wanting and not finding something that delivered, air, space, comfort, performance, and the perfect balance between support and freedom. All while strengthening our virility. Something working out is meant to do! But as we are learning more, it can have the opposite effect on our testicular environment, by overheating and jeopardizing our manhood including fertility, testosterone, and sexual function. With GP Sport we finally found physical comfort and the comfort of knowing our boys are well looked after.

It’s shocking but almost all football, soccer, rugby, basketball, and other top sports players don’t use any protective guard for their most valuable possessions. We’ve learned how important our manhood is to preserving our legacy and health including hormone levels. Yet even though top urologists recommend men playing in these high-contact sports should wear some protective gear most sports players do not. They feel conventional cups are uncomfortable, make them less versatile, risk hurting other players, and just don’t look good. We heard you! That’s why even though GP Sport protects your package, it was designed with comfort and performance as the main objective. Many athletes say they want to hang loose but even if they go commando, they’re not hanging loose in most sport uniforms. Men are compacted tight with compression shorts or briefs. A good idea if you have no other protection. But with GP Sport you will soon be able to hang loose while fully protected.  (With baseball, we still recommend the traditional cup as we won’t offer the same protection from a 100mph fastball) 

Just to help us understand how vulnerable our testicles can be… you might have heard how professional athletes father more girls? Well, there is definitely truth to this. New studies show soccer players who participate in high-intensity workouts are much more likely to father girls. This of course is no problem! We love our daughters. But it does shine a light on the vulnerability of our testicles. It makes sense that athletes who overheat their testicles would be more inclined to have daughters because female sperm are known to be slower but more resilient, while male sperm are faster but more vulnerable to harsh conditions. (D Vaamonde, A C Hackney, J M Garcia Manso, E Arriaza Ardiles, M Vaquero, Birth sex ratio in the offspring of professional male soccer players: influence of exercise training load, Human Reproduction, Volume 35, Issue 11, November 2020, Pages 2613–2618)

GP Sport is modeled after the original GP which is still recommended for daily use and cooling therapy. GP Sport differs in its overall design curves focusing on versatile movement, more protection for the undercarriage, and material (much lighter and more flexible). We talked to our growing community and discovered all your pain points. Bottom line, you want the same air, space, and natural hang of GP but with more versatility and in a lighter, active performance material. You want a perfect balance between support and freedom. And we can’t agree enough. Whether you guys are hitting the gym, yoga studio, on the court, in the ring, field, slopes, trails, running, or biking, it doesn’t matter, you all want the same thing- air, space, some support, and a lot of comfort. It’s about damn time! Read some of the comments from guys like you who joined our survey…

“I hate that compressed feeling, pressure on my nuts. How does anyone stand it? I learned about compression shorts and all the benefits like improved performance and decreased muscle soreness/fatigue but once I tried a pair and my **** and balls were so crushed and suffocated I just couldn’t.” -David

You’re not alone, David, many of us guys know exactly what you are talking about and can’t stand it either. GP Sport will solve the issue! Actually, compression shorts with GP work perfectly so you can finally try them out. Compression everywhere except on your package! Get the compression shorts with cup pockets for the best results. Remember GP and GP Sport are not cups. While they offer some very good protection, that’s not its main purpose or design. Its purpose is to give your package space while a traditional cup compresses and crushes you into a tiny space. A cup’s only purpose is to save you from the rare occasion of a high-speed ball (foot/knee) impact to the groin. But GP Sport will still offer great protection, way better than no protection as most sports including football, rugby, soccer, etc. do not use any protection against the advice of top urologists.

“I was told by my doctor that my sperm count/quality may be low due to bicycling. Is this true? What can I do?” - Tim

Your doctor is unfortunately right, Tim. Many studies agree that regular bicycling can impact sperm health, male fertility, and sexual function, and the impact is more pronounced for those who bike more often or over longer periods. Heat and impact to your testicles against the bicycle saddle can cause mechanical trauma to the testicles that may impact fertility. One study examined scrotal abnormalities in 85 healthy men who mountain biked for at least two hours per day, six days per week. It found abnormalities in 94% of the men. Pressure or compression of the testes while cycling may reduce blood flow, potentially harming sperm. Besides this possible effect on sperm, this compression may also impact sexual function causing erectile dysfunction. I mean it’s understandable. It’s one of the only sports where you are sitting on that small seat, crushing, overheating, and putting your package through constant turbulence. With GP Sport, we hope our design will combat all of this. Keeping your package off the seat with proper space and support. (US Findings in the Scotum of Extreme Mountain Biker-Ferdinand Frauscher, Andrea Klauser, Arnulf Stenzl, Gernot Helweg, Birgit Amort, and Dieter zur Nedden Radiology 2001 219:2, 427-43)

“My package when running has always been a bit of an issue- boxer briefs are too tight, every other block I’m pulling my junk off my legs or trying to give them room, boxer shorts are too loose, I’m bouncing all over the place. Your idea for the perfect balance between support and freedom is exactly what I’m looking for.” -Benjamin

Yes, Benjamin! We know exactly what you mean. As we said this was the major reason we designed GP Sport. We were looking for the same thing and couldn’t find it.  Just be a little more patient, it’s coming!

I’m an Aussie and I used to play Rugby. Nobody wore a cup so I never did even though I’ve sure as hell taken a knee to the groin. Now that I’m Stateside I’m playing soccer with some guys. Will GP Sport be good for non-stop running and dynamic movement? I would like to know if my package is safe. I don’t want a ball to the groin determining I can’t be a farther one day.  -Noah

Great question Noah and thanks for bringing up the issue of sports players not wearing some type of protective guard. We need to change the norms. Okay, traditional cups are not comfortable or versatile but that doesn’t always have to be the case. We don’t need to crush our package into hard plastic to give our boys protection. With GP Sport’s new design and material, you will feel even more comfortable than without one, you will be able to perform the same dynamic movement, all with the comfort of knowing your legacy is safe. 

I wouldn’t mind looking good at the gym if you know what I mean. Or at least not worrying about how my package looks when the new girl is checking me out. A good-sized bulge never hurt anyone, right?” -Buddy

I don’t know if a good-sized bulge never hurt anyone, Buddy, hahah, but I’m sure it only helped attract the fairer sex if that’s what you mean. And point noted, we got you covered. GP Sport is designed like GP to give you a natural hung look if anyone’s looking.

“Restricted /overheated in briefs is the worst, so I wore my boxers to a yoga class. Man, was that a mistake, every time, I stretched my leg up or bent down, I was worried my boys would fall out of my shorts, lol. I would love something like GP to give me proper space and support and without ever worrying about that.”  -Mike

Haha yes Mike, I think we all have been in the scenario with boxers and shorts thinking is my package visible right now? Don’t worry, we got you covered.

Thanks, guys for letting us share some of your feedback and later participating in our test group. For all the men who agree, make sure to join our mailing list and we’ll write you once GP Sport launches. Until then, hold tight, but not too tight.

How to Wear: 

Unlike the original GP… GP Sport is for very active use (squatting, jumping, running, etc.) and thus we recommend wearing it with some type of supporter- compression shorts, jockstrap, specialized impact shorts (which usually include a pocket design), or the very least briefs or boxer briefs to hold GP Sport in place. GP Sport is meant to be worn directly over your package to give it the proper air and space it deserves. Remember GP Sport provides good protection but it’s not a hard metal or hard plastic cup designed for a high-speed ball sport or serious MMA fighting. GP Sport is recommended for comfort, virility, and protection. The protection benefit is great for less high-impact sports to the groin like soccer, football, rugby, basketball, boxing training, and daily fitness workouts. It might shock you that NFL players (American football), Rugby League/Union players, and The Premier League or any Football League (soccer) players don’t wear cups.  

NFL players typically don’t wear cups to protect their packages, even though they play one of the most violent sports on Earth. Tight end Martellus Bennett said, “In my life, at every level, I have never worn a cup. I don’t know anyone who has. I think most guys like to hang out and be free.” QB Eli Manning on taking snaps from a center who was wearing a cup said, “He was the center and so he was snapping the ball to me all the time. Having the cup there, it hurt my hand.” (hah) Defensive end Osi Umeniyora on the time he tried a cup said “I know it’s risky. I just felt like I couldn’t move.” So yes we hear you, you want that perfect combination of freedom and support without being a hard plastic. Perfect, that’s our GP Sport design. (A quest to answer a casual fan’s question: Why don’t soccer players wear protective cups? Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, May 18, 2019)

The same goes for Rugby… with this intense contact and impact sport it’s a bit shocking that almost all players don’t wear protective equipment for their members. In general, rugby players do not wear cups (called “boxes”, or “groin guards” in Europe). The main reason is set forth by World Rugby which states a player must not wear any “rigid material”. A cup is a  rigid plastic and is therefore not approved to be worn. That’s why GP Sport which is not made of a rigid material, will be the best option for Rugby players looking for protection, comfort, and performance.

Now soccer, ask any player over the years if they’ve fallen hard from a ball or foot to the balls and you will hear an undoubtable “yes,” or “for sure.” Dr. R. Houston Thompson, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said for any athlete who is interested in having children, he would recommend wearing a protective cup. “What they’re putting themselves at risk for when not wearing a protective cup is testicular loss, and there are hormonal implications of that, especially if both testicles are injured, and there are fertility implications of that,” said Thompson.

A hit the groin usually has the rest of the team give an “oooh,” and clenched teeth sympathetic “awe man you alright” while the coach says, “walk it off, Johnson.” But just walking off an injury to the testicles also presents a risk, the professionals warn.

“If it’s a misdiagnosis, and it often is, or it’s just left to be observed to see how it recovers on its own, we’re talking weeks, if not months of discomfort and morbidity,” said Dr. Ethan Grober, consulting urologist for TFC and the Toronto Maple Leafs. A testicular rupture, according to Grober, is “the most significant organ-threatening injury that I think you can get from athletics.” For many soccer players the problem with wearing cups is…“We like to have a bit more freedom,” says TFC defender Drew Moor.” And according to TFC goalkeeper Alex Bono, “Do I wish that if I got hit, it didn’t hurt as bad? Yes. But at the end of the day, I’m risking that for the comfort and the mobility during a game…The different movements you have in soccer, it’s not necessarily a comfortable piece of equipment to wear…“Also, it would kind of look a bit weird in the shorts, I think.” In Bono’s estimation, a shot will take a strange bounce to the groin every couple of weeks while training. Bono will hit the ground in agony. TFC goalkeeper coach Jon Conway will check in with a “You all right, guy?” A few minutes later, regardless of the pain, Bono will be back up in the net. Don’t worry Bono, GP Sport will not only protect your boys, but it will feel comfortable, allow you to move naturally, and look good too. (A quest to answer a casual fan’s question: Why don’t soccer players wear protective cups? Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, May 18, 2019)

Basketball players should try GP Sport for the comfort and performance angle, even if they’re not so concerned with injury, which actually happens. The next time they drive the lane or dunk over someone’s head they’ll be happy to have made that choice. Hah. Just ask Brevin Galloway who suffered testicular torsion on the court and had to be rushed to emergency surgery. It’s funny until it’s not.