Hype Flex
news | July 17, 2026

Why don t NFL players wear cups?

Football is an impact sport with helmets, shoulder pads, hands, and feet flying all around the field. Football players don't wear cups. The cup can interfere with running strides, and many players believe it slows them down.

Do professional NFL players wear cups?

While NFL players are not required to wear cups, female players may opt to do so. These devices are similar to male cups and protect the private parts of the male body. While male football players often choose to wear male-style cups, female cups may be more comfortable and provide more protection than male ones.

Do football players need a cup?

Football players generally don't wear cups either, and haven't for some time, according to a 2005 Slate article by Daniel Akst. As Akst explained, the NFL's cup aversion has to do with “speed and performance.” The best reason to wear an athletic supporter is so you can wear a protective cup.

What do football players wear to protect their privates?

However, you don't wear just any type of underwear for football. The underwear you choose should hold your privates in place, give you protection, and comfort while you play. Other protective gears like helmets and facemasks are compulsory to ensure your safety during the game.

What do football players wear to protect their balls?

However, with recent advancements in protective sporting equipment, modern cups are much different than they were 100-plus years ago. Today's athletic cups are lightweight and designed to protect the testicles from impact during a game.

28 related questions found

What do football players do if they have to pee during a game?

The Water Cup

A water cup or Gatorade cup has been one of the go-to ways to pee during an NFL game for years. This method is usually paired up with a teammate or staff member shielding your body from the fans and cameras. This way you have some semblance of privacy while you go to the washroom.

Do NFL players wear new cleats every game?

If it rains in the middle of a game, Miles and staff have a big job. If the team is playing on grass, they have to replace all of the cleats on 53 pairs of shoes down on the field.

Do football players pee their pants?

” he said. And Crowder isn't alone. “Guys are peeing all over the sideline in every game, into cups, on the ground, in towels, behind the bench, in their pants, everywhere,” Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil explained. Some players though try to be discreet about urinating on the sideline.

Are mouthpieces required in the NFL?

Mouthguards are not required in the NFL but highly recommended so many players do wear them. If you play a sport yet want to straighten your teeth, know that you can't utilize Invisalign as a mouthguard. You'll need to remove your aligners before every practice or game and put in a custom-fitted mouthguard.

Do male athletes wear cups?

Protective cups should be the norm for hard-hitting sports with speedy objects, such as hockey pucks. Cups are also necessary in hockey, football, baseball, rugby, lacrosse, soccer, mixed martial arts and other contact sports.

Why do quarterbacks put black under eyes?

Eye black is a grease or strip applied under the eyes to reduce glare, although studies have not conclusively proven its effectiveness. It is often used by American football, baseball, softball, and lacrosse players to mitigate the effects of bright sunlight or stadium floodlights.

Why does the quarterback touch the Centers balls?

He has to learn to trust where the ball is going to end up. He has to learn to get better knuckle pressure — he puts that middle knuckle on the rear end of the center — we want him to get enough pressure where those guys can feel it.

Do NFL players get paid weekly?

Long story short, each NFL player under contract gets paid every week from the start of the season and up to its end. Game checks are usually deposited into the players' bank accounts on Monday mornings, although the exact day of the week when they get paid could vary from week to week.

Do NFL lineman wear cups?

The common question among football players is whether or not they wear cups. Football is an impact sport with helmets, shoulder pads, hands, and feet flying all around the field. Football players don't wear cups. The cup can interfere with running strides, and many players believe it slows them down.

What do NFL players wear under their pants?

What is this? Most football players wear briefs or boxer trunks because they provide you some support to your balls not to shift when running. It's also common to see them wearing tights.

Do NFL players wear hip pads?

Hip, thigh, and knee pads are all required in youth league, high school and college level football. In the NFL only thigh and knee pads are mandated, while hip pads are recommended but seldom worn. Younger players with developing bodies need added protection to avoid injuries.

Does Tom Brady wear a mouthguard?

Tom Brady doesn't often get sick, despite the presence of all kinds of nasty things in his mouthguard, because of the flexibility of his response system and the natural turnover of cells in the setting of an otherwise healthy human body.

Why does Jalen Ramsey not wear his mouthpiece?

"He never has his mouthpiece in his mouth because he's always talking." backed up that talk with an All-Pro season in 2017. #NFLTop100

Why do NFL players wear retainers?

One of the more important roles with football mouthguards apart from protecting your teeth is helping reduce concussions. Recent studies have shown that football mouthguards help reduce the chances of a concussion as the mouthguard helps absorb some of the impacts from a tackle or block.

Do NFL players share hotel rooms?

The experience varies between players and teams, but some things remain constant. When I played for the Buccaneers and the Jets, the players had to stay in a hotel the night before the game, whether we were at home or away. Sometimes you also had to have a roommate, especially the younger guys.

Do NFL Players shower after games?

Showers were always in order following every game regardless of how much you played. This naturally also applies to the backup quarterback who just held a clipboard all game. There is just something rejuvenating and necessary about it after wearing a complete football uniform.

Do football players go to the bathroom during a game?

But there are no rules against bathroom breaks in Roger Goodell's NFL. And so it is that players celebrating too much after a touchdown can often expect a hefty fine, while coaches and players are free to do the pee-pee dance on the AstroTurf.

Do they wash NFL uniforms?

Teams like the Broncos, 49ers and Chiefs use commercial on-premises laundry (OPL) equipment. Often, though, it isn't the washers and dryers that create an issue with the uniform—it's the chemicals used. “We were finding our reds were fading really fast, and the whites started to yellow,” Urbaniak says.

Are NFL players on steroids?

Two decades later, it was estimated that half of all NFL players were taking some form of pharmaceutical drug to enhance their performance. Today, the drugs being used most by NFL players are Adderall, opioids, and anabolic steroids.