Safety in sports has garnered more and more attention in recent years due to the increasing numbers of people participating and the need for injury prevention. Properly caring for and maintaining facilities and equipment is one method of ensuring safety while the enforcement of rules made for the protection of the participants is another. The most obvious example though, is the increased use of sports protective wear.

There is a wide range of types that can be used depending on the sport being played and the specific needs of the user. Some sports require certain protective gear to be worn due to the inherent dangers in those games. In other cases, players may elect to use additional items for protection.

A sport that uses an obviously large amount of protective padding is American football. Anyone playing this game must, by rule, wear a helmet, a face mask, a mouth guard and shoulder pads. In most cases hip, knee, thigh and tailbone pads will be required as well.

Ice hockey is another game in which the players are padded nearly from head to toe. It's also an illustration of the increased role of protective padding. Years ago hockey players didn't wear head or face protection. Even goalies used to wear nothing on their heads despite using their bodies to block a puck hurtling toward the net at incredibly high speeds. Nowadays, hockey players are much better protected, including high-tech goalie masks and helmets.

The type of safety gear that is used more than any other is probably helmets. Because concussions and other head injuries can be severely debilitating, these are particularly important pieces to be worn. Besides the aforementioned American football and ice hockey, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, auto racing, horse riding, baseball and many others utilize them as well.

The examples mentioned so far are rather obvious, but some are less apparent than these. One example is the rash guard used by surfers. One reason it is used is to provide protection from the sun while another is to prevent irritation of the skin from the board rubbing against it. One could also consider the leash that is worn on one leg and attached to the surfboard in this way as it prevents the board from getting loose and potentially hitting other surfers.

In cases where one has already suffered an injury, extra equipment may be used. This can be the case when one is returning from an acute injury, such as wearing a brace or using tape on an ankle that was recently sprained. It is also common in instances where one has chronic problems, such at taping or using a brace on an ankle that is currently healthy but tends to suffer from sprains.

Sports protective wear is widely available and can be quite effective in preventing and protecting injuries. Each sport involves some level of risk. Each participant should be aware of these risks and their own needs and choose their gear accordingly.