Sporting equipment can range from the boots or shoes worn for a sport including protective gear worn by athletes such as pads or helmets through to objects used to play sports such as bats, balls, racquets, hoops, and goal posts.
Original golf balls used to be made by carpenters out of hardwoods such as beech trees.
Another ball used for golf over the centuries was called a 'featherie' ball. A white painted leather pouch was filled with goose or chicken feathers. The amount of feathers to use was measured by how many would fit in a gentleman's top hat.
A soccer (football) goal must be 24 feet (7.32 m) wide by 8 feet (2.44 m) tall.
The basis for protective shin guards or pads used in sports such as football (soccer), ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, and cricket, dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Warriors had shin guards made of bronze for protection during battles.
Due to its softness and resilience, animal intestine, mainly from sheep or goats used to be the most commonly used material to make tennis strings.
Sport equipment designers and engineers of today use a variety of technological advancements for designs and testing including, computer modelling, nanotechnology, wind tunnels and specialized robotic machinery.
Up until 1870, rugby was played with a ball that was more spherical than oval and it had an inner-tube made of pig's bladder. This is also how American footballs got the nickname "pigskins". Today, NFL balls are made of cowhide leather with a synthetic bladder, while rugby balls are made of waterproof synthetic material.
Baseball bats are traditionally made from ash wood, or sometimes maple and bamboo. Aluminum bats are not allowed in professional leagues.
In NFL games, the home club must provide 36 balls for an outdoor match and 24 for an indoor one. Before each game, the ball manufacturer also sends a sealed box of 12 other balls that are specially marked with the letter "K" and used only for kicking plays.
From 2016, anchored golf putters such as broom-handle and belly putters which allow players to control their nerves better by resting the handle end on the body, will be banned. Professional players will have to use traditional swing putters.
The official match ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is called the 'Brazuca'. Adidas spent two and a half years designing and testing the ball with the help of 600 professional players and 30 teams. The micro dimple textured surface aims to enhance grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on the field.
When swimsuit designer Speedo and NASA teamed up to design swimwear, they created, the 'LZR Racer'. The full-body suit with ultrasonically welded seams reduced drag significantly. At the 2008 Olympics, 98% of medal-winners in swimming wore the suits and 23 world records were broken by athletes wearing them. Athletes gained so much advantage that FINA later had to ban the suits.
During the 1970s, lightweight, strong metals like aluminum and titanium, replaced wood and steel as popular for use in the production of certain sports gear.
Today, composite fibers are combined with other materials to make equipment. Carbon fibers offer lightness and strength for bicycles. Graphite fibers help with resistance and shock absorption for skis, bikes, tennis racquets and golf clubs. While kevlar fibers are light, strong and resist impacts in skis and protective gear.
