Why Do Baseball Players Wear Cups? A baseball cup, also called an athletic cup, or box is an item designed to help baseball players’ testicles and groin.
This type of protective cup is made up of light metal or hard resistance plastic. Usually, it has flexibles side in order to provide the player with both protection and comfort.
The main reason why baseball players wear them is because it provides them with the needed safety on that region of their bodies.
Almost all catchers wear cups. On the other hand, most outfielders don’t. One trainer in particular said that he thought that around 25% of all baseball players don’t wear cups.
According to a study made by Southern Illinois University, wearing cups in combat soldiers would decrease the chances of having the groin injury. Unsurprising conclusion, I know!
The baseball cups industry has flourished in recent years. You can now get baseball cups made from ballistic-grade materials.
In fact, these types of cups are being currently worn by players from the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Tampa Baya Rays, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Indians, Orioles, and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Here’s some of the best-selling baseball cups…
Some players have shared their experience getting hit by a moving object in a baseball field and reported not having felt anything at all.
Do Baseball Players Wear Cups? Should They Be Obligatory?
Right now, wearing baseball cups is not mandatory. However, a baseball player called Gary Sanchez suffered a painful accident that may make the industry reconsider this issue.
Another case was that of Yadier Molina who got hit by a ball going at 102-mph. Jose Manzanillo, on the other hand, got hit by a bat which basically tore his testicles. He even lost one of them during surgery. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
Other players that have fallen victim to the cupless mentality are:
- Valdespin who decided to wear cups after a pitch hit him in his groin.
- Carl Crawford who was impacted by a pickoff was transported to the hospital due to a condition he developed after getting hit in his groin called testicular contusion
- Beltre who was hit by a hard ball and wasn’t able to play until the last game of that season. At first, his testicles became swollen as if they had become grapefruits. The funny thing is that when got to play again, they played Tchaikovskis “Nutcraker”.
While wearing baseball cups have benefits such as groin protection, it also undermines the players’ flexibility. The risk of getting hit in the groin either with a baseball bat, ball, moving objects, or cleats, is relatively high during a game. If the ball goes to fast, the impact can be equivalent to a force amounting to 2,500 pounds.
While there’s no such thing as getting rid of the risk of getting damaged in this area completely, this impact can be lowered significantly to 450 pounds if the player wears a cup.
Why Some Baseball Players Don’t Wear Cups?
Although it can reduce the pain and damage done to the groin significantly if cups are worn, some players decide not to wear them. This is because it reduces mobility in a fast-paced sport.
Some movements can be restricted and this can make them underperform against their non-cup counterparts.
Since there’s no law regarding this aspect of playing (either wearing or not wearing cups), it is up to the player to decide whether he will sacrifice safety for performance if he decides to wear a baseball cup.
Final Thoughts
Do Baseball Players Wear Cups? Some players have had undesirable accidents due to the fact that they weren’t wearing cups during a game. Players can get hit in the groin by multiple items available in baseball fields such as cleats, bats, and balls.
Although, wearing a baseball cup may reduce mobility, and thus, peak performance, it also makes sure the player is protected in this area of his body.
