I think the last time I owned sweatpants was also the 1980s....but didn't the tracksuit also include the matching zipper top? When I owned a tracksuit I had that part too - my main use for it was wearing to/from basketball practice in the winter. Sweatpants worked well because you could take them off or put them on over basketball shoes.

By the 1990s I had moved on the absolute pinnacle of fashion, Zubaz.