Football Player Socks

Long Football Socks

For many, football socks are a no-brainer. Your coach or team manager tells you what kind to buy and you do it. Or maybe your team gives you a few pairs at the start of the season.

Aside from cleats, nothing helps add comfort and style to your feet more than a well designed american football sock. There is no doubt that NFL socks work and are worth the money. As a football player, you need a sock that is durable, doesn't shrink, provides breathability and protection.

These days, with so many different cut lengths, designs and patterns to choose from it can be difficult finding the perfect pair. This guide will help you determine how to pick a pair of football socks, show you the different materials available, the ways to wear them, and will look into how to prevent injuries like blisters and cuts to the skin.

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5 Best American Football Player Socks

1) XTD Padded Football Sock

The XTD Socks for football are made of cotton, nylon, and elastane, which gives them a nice soft feel. This combination of fibers ensures that these socks can stretch to cover your legs while maintaining their breathability and compression.

Just like Nxtrnd's leg sleeves, these socks are extremely durable too. They're made to be resistant to both bacteria and odors through moisture control and antimicrobial features.

Regarding material construction, the socks are made with heel and toe reinforcements as well as arch compression to ensure a high performance long lasting fit. Also, the XTD Football sock features added padding around the ankle to reduce blisters and offer maximum impact protection.

The balanced compression fit is a great addition to this athletic sock. XTD Socks are well priced and after wearing them, you won't go back to your average socks which is why many football players can be seen wearing them.

2) Under Armour Heat Gear

Used in almost every sport, the Under Armour socks offer some of the best arch support, moisture wicking, compression and comfort available. Featuring Under Armour's unique moisture transport system that wicks sweat away to keep your skin nice and dry for hours on end, these socks are especially ideal for athletes that struggle with sweaty feet.

Having dryer socks not only makes the wearing experience extremely comfortable and prevents odor-causing bacteria to form, but also makes you less susceptible to painful blisters caused by damp and soggy socks. In fact, when socks don't wick moisture they become damp and rub against your skin causing all kinds of friction related issues that eventually lead to blisters.

The material is 97% polyester and 3% spandex which makes the sock lightweight, cool to wear and extremely shrink resistant. In addition, the spandex component offers tightness around the leg and in the foot arch preventing sock slippage, foot pain and fatigue after long hours spent running around.

Overall, these socks are a great value and sell in packs of 3. Whether you plan on wearing them while you exercise or even during your daily activities, these socks will help you get where you need to go.

3) Nike Classic Cushioned Over the Calf

The clean aesthetic and unique material blend put these socks as 3rd on our Best Football Socks list. Being designed slightly thinner than other socks, the Nike Everyday Plus Cushioned are perfect for athletes with wide feet, but might be problematic for athletes with narrow feet. 

The material is a mix of cotton, nylon, and elastane, which makes them lightweight, breathable and provide excellent ankle and calf support. As with all Nike socks, the Everyday Plus Cushioned socks are made with a moisture wicking technology which quickly moves the moisture from the skin keeping you dry and comfortable.

Being the "Plus Cushioned" model, these socks also feature ribbed cuffs, reinforced heels and toes and shock absorption padding making them perfect for football where impacts are part of the game.

Overall, if you're an athlete with wide feet that is looking for a sock providing cushioning around the heel and toes, and that is also moisture wicking, we recommend these socks for you.

4) Stance Icon Hoops

Since 2015, Stance has been making a splash as becoming the official sponsor of the NBA. However, their socks are not only good for NBA athletes, they are extremely versatile and feature design aspects perfect for american football. 

The fit and feel is similar to the Nike Elite socks but with added flexibility around the ankle making them easy to take on and off. The materials are a blend of nylon, polyester, combed cotton and elastane which offers a high level of comfort and breathability. Stance also integrates a reinforced heel and toe in this sock giving you a good level of coverage from impacts.

Overall, the breathable mesh material, anatomical cushioning, and unique FEEL360 compression technology makes these socks a great investment for athletes looking for a pair of comfortable high performance socks.

5) Under Armour PlayMaker Sock

This sock was designed to compete with the Nike Elite sock collection. Great for fast moving action sports, the Under Armour Playmaker is a thicker sock that provides a lot of additional underfoot and ankle cushioning which works great for high impact sports.

The sock material is moisture wicking, extremely comfortable and lightweight. On the bottom, the sock features "grip threads" which give your foot more stability and feeling in the footbed. 

Overall, these socks are great for football players as they come in a wide variety of colors and sizes, and feature Under Armour's proprietary moisture wicking and bacteria blocking technology. These socks are perfect for enhancing long periods of play without reducing wearer comfort.

NFL Game Sock Material

The material Football socks are made out of are just as important as the brand or look. Usually made of varying blends of cotton, polyester, nylon, and elastane or spandex, these performance socks are engineered to quickly wick sweat and remain dry throughout their use.

In fact, pure cotton socks are rarely seen on high level athletes because they do not allow moisture wicking and quick drying. Instead, synthetic materials like nylon and polyester have become increasingly popular among NFL players because of their moisture wicking capacities, durability and shape retention.

When shopping for football socks, we recommend looking for a pair made of synthetic material with a small percentage of elastane which adds flexibility, stretch, compression and allows much more comfort.

Sock For Football Cleats

Knee-High/XL Padded Socks

This look is the typical rolled-up/scrunched sock look. The player has the sock pulled all the way up to his knees and then slightly pulled down in multiple areas to reduce tension and provide more mobility. This look is worn particularly popular among NFL players and Soccer players.

Extra-Long padded socks can help prevent turf burns to the legs when sliding on the ground and blisters to the foot when running around the field.

Crew Cut Socks

This sock only covers about halfway to the knees. Crew cut socks are worn by athletes that rarely fall to the ground and don't demand much leg protection. Crew cut socks are more popular among NBA players and Soccer players that wear shin guards.

Mid Cut Socks

Best worn in combination with leg sleeves, mid cut socks end just above the ankle and offer very minimal leg protection. Because they demand being worn with leg sleeves, these socks are less effective than previous cuts discussed. We recommend these socks to athletes that wear ankle braces and must avoid unnecessary friction.

When looking into different sock lengths, your pick is mostly a fashion decision. However, football athletes usually prefer the added protection, compression and "all-in-one" design of the Knee High Padded Socks.

What Socks Do Most NFL Players Wear?

Football Players put their body through high physical stress each and every down of the football field. With every snap of the ball, players run at full speed, push out of stance and jump, twist and bend.

Being repeated play after play and with little recovery between downs or game time, football players need the help of compression socks.

A well designed pair of football socks features additional cushioning in the forefoot and around the heel making them extremely comfortable and help avoid blisters.

Some socks also provide leg compression around the lower leg part and foot arch to reduce sock movement and help blood flow fight against the effects of gravity. 

In fact, the compression aspect in Extra long padded socks helps increase blood flow and supply more oxygen to the muscles enabling football players to benefit from enhanced performance when wearing them.

This enhanced performance and increased blood flow leads to less fatigue, increased player production, quicker muscle recovery, decreased muscle soreness and puts them back in action at 100% both in the game and the following games.

See More:

- Best Football Mouthguards