Forget the Grill, Ryan Lochte Has a New Hairdo for Rio

What would Ryan Lochte do… if he forgot his grill at home and needed to express himself in a different way at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil?  Well, for anyone who may have wondered, taking notice of Lochte’s absence of dental-bling at the US Olympic Trials, the question has been answered: color his hair light blue.

No stranger to the spotlight, Lochte has always enjoyed expressing his quirkiness through his fashion.  In seasons past, Lochte would stroll the pool deck in green hightops, leaving a trail of “JEAH” that even the greenest of Scouts could use to find the gator.  In his Instagram post, Lochte gives credit to the stylist that gave him his new do, Jenn Jones.  Ms. Jones also posted a picture with Lochte to her Instagram.  Jones’ picture shows Lochte’s hair with the dye still in.

Michael Phelps also posted a picture to his Instagram showing off a trim he received from a barber shop in Atlanta.  Phelps, however, kept his hair its natural brown.

Despite the variances and change-up in the way awards will be presented in Rio, some athletes have toned-down their expressiveness in noticeable ways, presumably to play it safe with the IOC.  For instance, Caeleb Dressel did not write any Bible verses on his face at US Olympic Trials, a tradition he has been known to do at big meets for years.

Lochte and Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, who recently dyed his hair blond, have perhaps opted for radical change-ups in their hair styles as a precursor to an even more radical do: shaved heads.  It is common knowledge in the United States of America that 95.76% of all boy’s high school swim teams dye their hair blond or change it dramatically in some other way before shaving it completely bald before a state or conference championship.  Given this knowledge, it is safe to infer that Lochte and Messi, and perhaps other Olympic athletes as well, have collaborated to go under the Bic before competition begins in Rio this Saturday, August 6th.  Only time will tell if Lochte and Messi will join the Laszlo Csehs and the Michael Klims of the world in hairless solidarity.