The Evolution of Sports Equipment

As long as there have been sports there have been injuries.

And as long as there have been injuries people have developed equipment designed

to prevent sports injuries.

However, as athletes get bigger, stronger, and faster, yesterday’s equipment is not

enough to protect today’s athlete.

Thus, sports equipment manufacturers are constantly looking to develop new gear

that will allow players to play and fans to watch their heroes.

The thing that still surprises most is that given the chance, many athletes would still

not wear protective equipment because it can be restrictive or make them look less macho.

Thankfully, sports leagues and manufacturers understand the need for making their

equipment and their players safer and less injury prone.

The Evolution of Sports Equipment

Sports injuries will still happen and many athletes understand they risk chronic pain after

their career is over (Speaking of chronic pain read our article about pain management),

but some have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes to protect themselves from

themselves.

Historically, with few exceptions, most sporting equipment of the late 19th and early 20th

century was rudimentary and truly offered little to no protection.

Most protective equipment was limited to leather stuffed with horse hair.

This was better than nothing but in today’s sporting world and the focus on concussive

injuries, this would never do.

Fortunately, equipment manufacturers are up to the challenge.

Baseball Catching Equipment

The Evolution of Sports Equipment

In the mid to late 1800s, all you needed to play baseball was a bat and ball.

Ballplayers of the time would rather risk injury to their head or hands rather than using

“sissy” helmets and gloves.

While there is some debate about strolling onto the diamond with the glove first, common

sense won over pride in the 1870s when gloves became more commonplace.

However, protecting the hands still seemed to be more important because it took another

15-20 years or so before the first batting helmets were used.

Not surprisingly, even catchers were discouraged from wearing safety equipment.

One of the first pieces of protection employed by a catcher was simply a rubber mouth

protector, similar to those worn by boxers at the time.

The Evolution of Sports Equipment

The first catcher’s mask was not even designed for baseball; it was an adapted fencing mask.

Eventually, chin and forehead rests were reinforced with padding and the vertical bars of the

fencing mask were removed in favor of horizontal bars which granted better visibility.

Throat protectors—similar looking to a billygoat’s beard—were added after numerous throat

and neck injuries.

Nowadays, numerous catchers wear helmets resembling hockey goalie masks.

These helmets have built-in throat protectors and are designed to deflect balls rather than

absorb the force of the ball hitting the catcher.

Many catchers still prefer the look and feel of the classic catcher’s mask; fortunately companies

offer both styles.

Baseball equipment manufacturer Mizuno is one such company.

Check out for some examples.

Football Helmet

The Evolution of Sports Equipment

Modern football players look more like gladiators than their historical brethren.

As in baseball, when football was first introduced all you needed was the football.

Until 1939 helmets were not even a mandatory piece of equipment.

This in a game where heads were being knocked together all the time.

Before that, players who opted to wear helmets made their own out of mole skin and leather

straps, which basically covered their ears.

Over time, an ear flap helmet became more impact resistant but some people—particularly,

the company Riddell—thought helmets should be able to protect player’s heads right away

and not have to be worked in by constant smashing.

Hockey Helmet

The Evolution of Sports Equipment

Hockey has always been a rough and tumble sport: sharp blades, no helmets, a frozen rubber

disk, and even stick fights were conducive to many ugly injuries.

Helmets became commonplace—but shockingly still optional—only after a near-death experience

of Ace Bailey after an illegal check from Eddie Shore in 1933.

Even more shocking, it still took 11 years after the 1968 death of Bill Masterton—due to a brain injury

suffered in match—to finally make helmets mandatory for incoming players.

As was the norm for protective equipment at the time, hockey’s original helmets were crude leather

and mole skin.

Plastic helmets became the norm in the 1980s, and manufacturers added cages and full-face shield

made of plastic.
The Evolution of Sports Equipment

Youth players are required to play with full facial protection while those in professional leagues

are given the option to play with facial protection.

Even today, there is still debate on the manliness of professional who uses face shields.

Some things never change.

With all the fuss—rightly so—being made about concussions, even with the superior protective

equipment of today, equipment manufacturers still need to continue developing technologies

that will protect athletes who continue to get bigger, stronger, and faster.

As for the gang at Urban Naturale, we will stick to tennis.

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How Sports Equipment has Evolved to keep us safe and healthy. #sports #kids #concussion

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