Football symbolizes more teamwork, bravery, and courage than any other game. However, several injuries come with this hands-on and rough sport. According to The American Journal of Sports Medicine, “Football players suffer the most brain injuries of any sport.” So, what do football players wear to prevent injuries and protect their joints or other body parts?
Well, we will discuss it in this ultimate guide. During each game, footballers have to tackle many things. Therefore, the players must wear bulky padded gears, helmets, jockstraps, guards, collars or rolls, gloves, etc. These things can’t make the game danger-free but at least can reduce the risk of body injuries.
What Do Football Players Wear
Football is considered the roughest and dangerous sport in which players easily get injured. That is why to protect themselves; players usually wear different gears. Here, we will discuss what do football players wear in general.
1. Helmet
Football players suffer from concussions more than any other sports players. Therefore, on any football equipment list, the most essential item is a helmet. During games and practice sessions, players use it to protect the head from any injury.
Professional helmets consist of a hard plastic shell, abdomen bladder, jaw pads, chin strap, etc. Every football helmet is designed with a cage-like face mask. This mask protects the player from having any face injury.
2. Shoulder Pads
In any type of sport, especially in football, a strong shoulder is crucial. It doesn’t matter how much strong a player’s shoulder is; no one can withstand the force of tackles. Strains, fractures, sprains, dislocations, contusions, and separations are very common in football.
Thus, while playing the game, all football players need to wear shoulder pads like Youth Shoulder Pads. When players get hits, these pads absorb most of the impacts. Shoulder pads come with a hard and adjustable plastic shell which is padded heavily underneath.
3. Thigh, Hip, and Knee Pad
On the field, players have to go through various trials for their arms and legs. It ensures that their joints are naturally built to endure the force that could break or strain their legs and cartilage. Even then, hamstring, quadriceps, strains, impingements, bursitis, anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, etc., are common football injuries.
13% of total injuries are made up of quadriceps and hamstring that football players suffered from. In that case, to ensure the thigh, hip, and knee aren’t subject to any undue force, pads become the most essential equipment.
4. Neck Collars/ Neck Roll
When things get tough for the linebackers and defensive linemen, neck collars or neck rolls protect their neck and shoulder. It is a padded foam that fits along with the jersey’s back collar.
During a tackle, it stabilizes the neck. Normally, neck rolls are very light but durable. With all the roughness and tumbles of football, the neck guard ensures extreme comfort minimizing soreness.
5. Footwear and Cleats
Cleats, take proper care of the players in the field. Football requires much traction that ordinary footwear can’t provide. That is why cleats are necessary for football players. Football cleats are designed with specially grooved soles. This feature provides utmost traction and ankle protection on the field.
Small molded rubber cleats ensure a good grip on the surface. Footwear that consists of detachable cleats is ideal while playing on the grass. The footwear is generally made with leather which provides much comfort on the field.
6. Jockstrap
Players wear an undergarment to protect their groin area, which is crucial in football. Jockstraps and cups are the ideal gear to protect the player’s most sensitive and delicate body parts.
They are typically constructed by the elastic waistband with an elastic or cotton pouch. Highly hazardous and painful injuries can occur in the field if the players play without these gears.
7. Jerseys
As per the team’s color, the organization provides jerseys. Each jersey includes the correspondent player’s name and number. They are manufactured in nylon with spandex side panels.
Jerseys generally come in oversize to accommodate the underneath padding. The pants come in stretched materials, and the interior sides contain four individual pockets to hold the pads. Before the pants are worn, these pads are fitted into them.
8. Gloves
While catching and throwing the ball, players often injure their hands by having bruising and scratching. Gloves help to prevent hand lacerations and such injuries. Usually, gloves are worn by the receivers and linemen because they are more susceptible to hand injuries.
9. Mouthguard and Nose Guard
Two common things in football are facial impacts with the ground and other players. Which leads the players to damage or hurt the mouth, teeth, and nose. During a rough field encounter, a single hit can break the jaw, lips, and nose.
In this case, mouthguards and nose guards play an important role to protect them. These guards cover specific areas to prevent hits and cuts. They come up with such a design that lets the players breathe and speak normally while playing.
All the equipment mentioned above should perfectly fit each player’s body size. The gears should not be too tight or too loose. Proper fitting is essential for a safe and comfortable game. Players should always wear the above equipment to keep them safe and prevent serious injuries.
Conclusion
This fast-paced sport fills with continuous running, passes, catches, dangerous tackles, and even hits. Many football players sustained serious head injuries, and some even died on the field. Thus, all football players have to wear different gears to protect their bodies during gameplay. This article covers what do football players wear.
The basic equipment includes a uniform, shoes, helmet, gloves, and pads. To take extra precautions, players use a mouthguard, nose guard, jockstrap, neck rolls, hip pads, and other essential gears. Wearing these gears or equipment is absolutely necessary as football is considered the most dangerous sport.
Resource article: