Chapter 1

 

The historians would later agree that reality TV had been the most likely trigger that led the world to a resurgence of officially sanctioned slavery - in its worst forms.

As this new form of media entertainment became more and more popular, the public demanding ever more skin and each new stage becoming progressively more salacious, so did the public interest in more normal sports decline, to the extent that TV networks began to drop them off, one by one, programming more of the inane but now violent and extremely sexy reality shows to replace them.

Sports administrators became worried. Now that sportsmen and women were all professionals, it cost a fortune to train a team of footballers or even to train one single athlete.

"What we have to do is to counter the threat in like manner," said Joel Purvis, CEO of the World Athletics Union, to his board of directors. To a man (and woman), they looked enquiringly up the table at him. "These reality shows have the participants totally naked more often than not. We have to do the same ..."

There was a chorus of protests from around the table but Joel just smiled, and waited until it had all died down. Then he went on. "Without TV, we are dead in the water. It is our principal source of funds. This organization will be bankrupt within two months if you don't endorse my ideas ..."

"What are they?" said Nkomo, the delegate from the African Region.

Joel smiled again. "First, we order that from now on, all athletics ... all athletics, be performed naked - stark naked. I believe there will be an instant renewal, nay, a never before seen interest in our sport. Every event around the world will be televised ..."

Joel didn't get to itemise his other ideas for the delegates discussed his first proposal ad nauseam for the next six hours - but it got through. The threat of losing their lucrative directorships was enough to tip the balance and it was eventually a unanimous decision.

It was received with varying degrees of resistance around the world but when it was pointed out to the athletes that their rather inflated salaries as sportsmen and women were at grave risk, they gave in - or left the sport - and while those that stayed were, to a man and woman, severely embarrassed every time they trotted out to the track, stark naked, the fans, both at the track and at home, in front of the wall TVs that now graced every home, showed their appreciation.

Indeed, the very first meets, right around the world, saw people flocking to see this new innovation - the most athletic human beings in the world, now all stark naked, their magnificent bodies totally uncovered, racing around the foot track, leaping over the high jump or throwing the javelin and they all now had intense appeal.

Back at world HQ, the directors grinned - and gave their CEO a handsome bonus.

The leaders of the various worldwide football codes watched this development with mixed emotions. Jealousy (that they hadn't thought of it first), envy at the wads of funds now flowing into the WAU, excitement at the incredible sight of stark naked athletes on open show to the world and determination to follow suit at the first opportunity.

They did, every single one of them and so did every other sport all anxious not to be left out in the cold, and so within a few months, all adult sports (and that meant all whose participants were over sixteen years) were now being performed with them totally and utterly naked. Of course more than a few left the industry altogether, too ashamed to show themselves so blatantly, but most stayed although there were very few who actually enjoyed stripping off to expose their bodies so totally.

Their salaries - their very good salaries continued though and many even received bonuses, for the TV stations returned in full force to cover these now extraordinarily sexy events. Athletes of all types are possessed of the finest bodies the planet has to offer and now those bodies were on full show, straining every muscle to beat the next man or woman ...

 

The next stage in the reversion of mankind to an acceptance of institutionalised slavery was the emergence of private ownership of sports - all sports. In the past, particularly in the former United States, individuals had owned football and baseball teams and their grounds; now this became universal as entrepreneurs saw the new emergence of sports of all kinds as being the new money tree.

They paid their naked employees well but they also demanded the best.

As competition intensified, it became clear after a few years that a total and sole dedication to their craft was now necessary for a sportsman or woman. A suitable diet, sufficient sleep, a hard regime of exercise and training were only some of the requisites for this new breed of athlete and before long, James Hardwick, owner of the London Tigers, one of the new female soccer clubs that had sprung up in the wake of the new resurgence of interest in sports, put a new ultimatum - and a new set of contracts before his players.

"In this new age of competition, ladies, it is not enough to be just good ... you have to be the best. The demands to be put on your body will be supreme, not only for them to be strong, fit and of course competent as footballers - they also have to be pleasing in appearance. Even an ounce of fat on one of your bodies is enough nowadays for the public to send in brickbats - and cause me to drop you from the side.

"What I now require of my players is that each and every one of you - those that elect to remain, anyway, will become live-in employees. During the season, you will have no time off at all. Every moment of your lives will be ordered by myself and my staff. You will be paid well for this restriction on your lives - but it will be total. Your meals, your sleeping time, your exercise regime and your training, indeed, every aspect of your lives will be controlled - and rigidly.

"Furthermore, those of you who elect to sign up for a season may expect to be disciplined - physically disciplined that is, when you do not live up to expectations. I shall be acquiring a number of canes and when you fail to achieve, Mr Cross has my full authorisation to cane your naked bottoms. I imagine the shame and humiliation of being publicly caned in front of your fellow team-mates, as well as the pain of the punishment, will have you on your toes ...

"At the conclusion of the season, you will have a couple of months off but then, if you renew your contracts, it will be ten more months of the same hard slog ..."

There were few dissenters. By now, well over a year into the new regime of naked sports, those players who had elected to stay in the game were inured to it and the monetary compensation made it, if not pleasant, at least acceptable. All bar one signed on the dotted line and within a week were housed in the hastily prepared dormitory next to the main training gymnasium under the stands.

They didn't much like their new accommodations but the pay was very good ... There were twenty beds, if you can call them beds. They were made of wood and had no mattresses. The girls had to lie on them face up and raise their hands to the tops of the beds where they were locked into automatic cuffs fixed to the top corners.

"As I said, ladies, I demand total control over your bodies - and that includes sex. I don't want your energies drained by masturbatory exercises at night. As to the hard slats, you are supposed to be athletes. Creature comforts will not add to your hardiness. The cold in this room and the hardness of the beds certainly will ..."

With that he watched as each girl reluctantly laid her naked body down on the cross slats and raised her hands up to the metal cuffs above her head. These closed automatically, snaring each girl onto the bed for the next eight hours. If necessity demanded it, they could call on their night supervisor to release them.

There were no other items of furniture in the long room. As Mr Hardwick said, "You will not be wearing clothes or adornments of any other kind on your bodies for the next eight months (it was already two months into the season) and you have no need of anything else since the bathroom next door already provides all you will need to keep your bodies in good shape."

The corporal punishments were enthusiastically administered by Archie Cross, though the girls hated them. It wasn't so much the pain although that was bad enough. It was the fact of being made to bend over and touch your toes, just like a nineteenth century schoolgirl, and then have your tail larruped by the well-muscled Mr Cross. The shame was horrible and then of course, you wore the evidence of it for a couple of days. It was effective, though, as Archie informed his employer. "They hate it Jim - but it works ..."

"And you enjoy dishing it out, no doubt?"

Archie had the grace to blush. "Er, yes, well it is a bit of a turn-on ... I have to admit."