Sports equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear, which varies in shapes, size, and usage in a particular sport. It includes balls, nets, rackets, like , goggles, etc. Since the performer must use a sport equipment, it can also be serve for protection.
History and development of sports
Historically, many sports players have developed their own sporting equipment over time. For instance, the use of a football dates back to
ancient China, between the Warring States period (476–221 BC) and the
Han dynasty (220 AD).
[Cuju, an ancient Chinese ball game dating back to the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), is the earliest known recorded game similar to soccer, described as a competitive exercise involving kicking a ball through a net without using hands.] As football remains the most popular sport in the 21st century, the material of the ball has completely changed over the centuries; from being made out of animal skin, to being lined with multiple layers of polyester or cotton.
As the sporting equipment industry improves, so do the athletes' performance. This is due to the fact that the equipment is more efficient, lighter and stronger, thus forming a biomechanical system that is interacting with the athlete.
Since the massive adoption of wearable, new sport equipment tend to be electronics and connected to deliver data performances.
Standards and monitoring processes apply in certain industries aimed at the elimination of child labour in the manufacturing of sports goods. One example would be the Atlanta Agreement of 1997 in relation to child labour in the football-making industry in Pakistan.[Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labor, Atlanta Agreement (a retyped copy) , accessed October 29, 2022]
There are well-developed international trade markets for sports equipment: for example, a steady increase in sports equipment trade within the European Union and between EU member states and the rest of the world was reported during the period from 2017 to 2020.[Eurostat, EU International trade in sporting goods between 2017 and 2022, Statistics Explained, published with June 2023 data, accessed on 16 August]
Game equipment
Projectiles
In
ball sports,
ball are a key element—usually as part of the scoring mechanism. Sports balls are usually in the shape of a
sphere, though they may also be
spheroid or
ellipsoid. Spherical balls include the baseball, basketball,
Gaelic ball,
cricket ball,
golf ball,
lacrosse ball,
tennis ball, and the ball used in association football. Spheroid and ellipsoid balls include the gridiron football and
rugby ball.
In flying disc sports, frisbees are used for various games such as freestyle, disc golf and ultimate.
In ice hockey and floor hockey, a Hockey puck is used.
Goal
In many games, goal posts are at each end of the playing field. In some games, such as association football,
hockey and
water polo, the object is to pass the ball or puck between the posts below the crossbar. In basketball, the object is to pass the ball through the basket. In these sports, the goal usually has a net. In other sports, such as those based on
Rugby football, the ball must pass over the crossbar.
Nets
In
tennis,
badminton, and
volleyball, players launch the projectile over a net which is supported by two posts.
Paddles
In
canoeing and
kayaking, a handheld tool used to propel a human-powered watercraft;
In , such as padel, pickleball, and table tennis, a flat-faced non-netted tool used for striking balls;
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Pickleball paddle
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Table tennis racket
Rackets
Rackets, a netted tool used for striking balls or shuttlecocks in sports such as
tennis, squash and
badminton.
Rods and tackle
and
fishing tackle are primarily used for fishing and
sport fishing.
Sticks, bats, and clubs
Sticks are used for sports such as
hockey stick and
lacrosse stick. Bats are used for sports such as
Baseball bat,
Cricket bat, and
rounders. Clubs are used mainly for
golf club.
Wickets and bases
,
popping crease and balls are used in
cricket, and bases are used in baseball.
Player equipment
Footwear
In many sports, athletes wear cleats. These include cricket spikes,
,
golf shoes, and
track spikes.
Cyclists wear cycling shoes, which may be designed for special interaction with Bicycle pedal.
Wheeled shoes include roller skates and inline skates.
Skiers wear Ski boot, which attach to skis via Ski binding. Similarly, snowboarders have snowboard boots and bindings.
Athletes wear ice skates in most ice-based sports, although there are exceptions such as broomball and curling.
Athletes with limb differences (such as those in the Paralympics) may use extremity prostheses, such as the Flex-Foot Cheetah running blade.
Protective equipment
Protective equipment is often worn for sports including
motor sport and
, where there is a danger of injury through collision of players or other objects.
In many sports, athletes wear helmets. These include:
Padding is used to protect various body parts, most often as
,
, and shoulder pads. Specialized equipment, such as the
jockstrap and
mouthguard, is used to protect certain body parts. Ice hockey players may wear
Neck guard. Some athletes wear
sports gloves to protect their hands.
Clothing
Many sports have a common set of clothing, usually called a uniform or kit, including the association football kit,
baseball uniform, basketball uniform,
cricket whites, and
cycling kit. As part of the uniform, athletes may wear jerseys; they may also be called shirts,
Hockey jersey in ice hockey or guernseys in Australian rules football. These jerseys may
Away colours when the team is on the road.
Training equipment
Examples of training equipment include
exercise ball,
, tennis balls, balance discs, cones,
barbells,
, weight machines, and gym equipment. Also, protective equipment such as weight lifting belts and
are used for weight training and
powerlifting.
Special sports equipment
Special sports equipment, is the equipment usually worn by the athletes according to their needs or desires.
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Special equipment in sports branches:
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Cycling:
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Football:
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Leggings: Football leggings, mostly used in winter. It is used to prevent the body from getting cold and injury due to the cold weather after warm-up training in winter.
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Football captain's tape: Football captain's tape, is a compulsory (required) piece of equipment. Football captains are chosen by the coach, the accessory provided must be worn by the captain.
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Football shinguard: Football shinguard, is a special piece of equipment, that football players wear according to their specific wishes.
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Football bracelet: Football bracelet, is a special need equipment and players write the name of a family member or loved one according to their wishes.
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Football footband: Football footband, is worn by footballers in the ankle area between the crampons and the toe and is need or for pleasure.
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Eyeshield: Football visor, is a piece of plastic attached to the facemask of the football helmet. It helps prevent damage to the eyes and face.
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Volleyball:
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Volleyball wristband: Volleyball wristband, is mostly used by volleyball players. Volleyball players use it for better grip of their hands.
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Volleyball knee pads: Volleyball knee pads, is the equipment used by volleyball players to protect their knees, when they jump high, jump sideways and fall to the ground.
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Volleyball leg pads: Volleyball leg pads, allows volleyball players to play safely.
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Basketball:
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Basketball sleeve: Basketball sleeve, is a piece of equipment that basketball players wear according to their wishes and tastes and is not mandatory.
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Basketball armband: Basketball armband, is a piece of equipment that basketball players use according to their tastes or needs.
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Basketball headband: Basketball headband, is a piece of equipment that basketball players wear according to their wishes and tastes and is not mandatory.
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Basketball handband: Basketball handband, is like a need for basketball players to protect their hands and grip the ball more comfortably, but it is not mandatory.
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Basketball bracelet: Basketball bracelet, is a piece of equipment, that is generally used only as an accessory by basketball players.
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Tennis:
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Tennis armband: It is a non-mandatory accessory worn by tennis players.
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Tennis hairband: Tennis headband, is an accessory especially used by athletes according to their own color and taste.
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Tennis hat: The tennis hat is often used by tennis athletes. Used as an accessory.
Vehicles
Vehicles (sometimes specialized) are used as equipment for some sports, including
motor sport, cycling,
aeronautics, sailing and hot air ballooning.
Small vehicles with flatbed truck are often used to carry injured athletes off the field, most commonly in American football.
Various sports
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Sports equipment (various sports)
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Association football clothing and equipment
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Baseball clothing and equipment
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Climbing equipment
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Cricket clothing and equipment
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Cycling kit
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Golf equipment
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Gridiron football equipment
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Ice hockey equipment
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Rugby shirt
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Snowboarding equipment
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Triathlon equipment
See also
Notes
Works cited
External links
