The long look in men's athletic wear probably started in the 1990s with basketball player Michael Jordon who wore long and baggy "shorts" instead of the traditional short shorts.
I suppose the anti-gay crowd adopted Jordan's idea and boardies replaced speedos and short swim trunks. Jammers are just a streamlined version of boardies to minimize drag, but still maintain the down to the knee coverage.
The long and baggy style has been around for over 15 years, however it's slowly going away (at least here in California) and the traditional short running shorts are coming back. I haven't been to the pool in 8 years so I don't know what's in style for swimming.
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