In the old days of football, you never saw any football players wearing gloves. Personal protective equipment consisted primarily of some form of head protection, shoulder pads, and cleats. That was all they needed. That said, the game played back then was very different from the game played today. Players today are much bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic. The players have evolved as the game has, and with that, the team has to evolve to compensate the players as well in order to keep them protected and functioning the way they are expected to. Soccer gloves are one of the things that have been introduced in certain positions in the game.
When gloves were first introduced to the game, you would only see gloved wide receivers and running backs. It made sense since all the players were sweaty and had slippery hands and since the running back and wide receivers were the ones receiving the ball for most of the game, wearing gloves wasn’t that uncommon. Since then, it seems every position down to quarterback wears gloves that serve some purpose.
There are many types of gloves for football players, most commonly on running backs and wide receivers, but the other types would make up for defenders, linemen, and even some quarterbacks. That’s right, even quarterbacks. I think the first in the NFL to play the quarterback position with football gloves was Kurt Warner. Many thought it was very weird, but it worked for him. Now, he’s headed to the NFL hall of fame one day, can you really blame him? I can not.
Gloves for different positions are made differently, so deciding which are the best soccer gloves can be very difficult. You may be able to choose the best glove brand, but not type. Nike, Reebok, Under Armor and many more make quality gloves and also make a wide variety of types. Basically you have to find the ones that are best for you. For example, a lineman may have fingerless gloves, but with additional padding on top of the glove, to prevent hand injuries when going toe-to-toe with other linemen. The running back and wide receiver glove can get a bit sticky in the palm area, and that’s basically for better grip.