The 2008 Summer Olympics are officially underway after possibly the most spectacular opening ceremony in the history of the event. It took seven years of planning and billions of dollars, but the four-hour exhibition was considered a resounding success.

Unsurprisingly, security was tight, in part because of the threat of terrorism, but also due to protesters angry at China’s record on human rights, media freedoms, and air pollution concerns.

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While preparing to head to Beijing in a month, the men representing the U.S. of A on the indoor volleyball court have been fighting another battle entirely: embarrassment over the comparatively tiny shorts they’ll be donning in August, per governing body regulations.

Heck, they even tried to raise a bit of cash in an effort to pay a $10,000 fine for wearing their preferred knee-length shorts:

Outside hitter and team spokesperson Reid Pritty explained the rationale to the NEW YORK TIMES.

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