Cleat (shoe)
The type worn depends on the environment of play: grass, ice, artificial turf, or other grounds.
In Commonwealth English the correct term for shoes with studs is usually boots, especially when referring to football sports.
The caligae (as they were called) were heavy-soled hobnailed military sandal-boots known for being issued to legionary soldiers and auxiliaries throughout the Roman Republic and Empire.
[2] According to researchers, the English monarch ordered the royal cordwainer (shoemaker), Isaac Ali, to make him a pair of hand-stitched boots "to play football".
[3] With this, the sport took off in popularity, and understandably a demand for equipment began to emerge to ensure player safety and comfort.
More importantly, technological innovations during this time period played a key role in new methods and materials used for production of cleats.
In the 1840s, a method of hardening rubber and stopping it from decaying, called vulcanization, was developed in both England and the United States.
[6] The use of cleats gained further notoriety in the United States with the birth of American football in the early 20th century.
As the game continued to grow, cleats had to adapt to technological advances in playing surfaces, most notably artificial turf.
They were lighter, had a non-leather sole, an upper portion made from kangaroo leather, and included replaceable rubber or plastic studs, which could be screwed in at different lengths.
Later, in the 1990s, Adidas introduced another innovation in the form of rubber blades instead of studs, which faced different directions and allowed for better grip.
Active outdoorsman and philanthropist Erik Van Till is credited as a creator of the round cleat.
They modeled the cleats differently featuring an "action last", meaning its sole had a steeper angle for "snug fit, proper support and maximum traction.
"[12] In today's game more players prefer to wear molded cleats because they are more comfortable, but don't allow for changing during certain field conditions.
[14] Metal spikes are almost exclusively used in the upper levels of the sport, including high school, college, and professional baseball.
[14] The use of metal spikes in American high school baseball was banned by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 1984 due to the risk of spike wounds, although some states received waivers nullifying the ban.
These are usual metal cones that vary in length, but are generally longer than traditional football studs.
Added to the rubber or plastic studs already on the boot, these create more opportunities for the player to get a good foothold.
Turf shoes have identical uppers to traditional football boots, but the outsoles differ in that they make up the "cleat" portion.
Small rubber studs or patterns are like raised bumps that provide just enough of a difference in height to aid in traction on flat artificial turf.
However, German engineers began experimenting with canvas and rubber spikes during the World War, in part to help find a more lightweight material.
Finally, in the modern era, the most common type of track spike is made of plastic, due to being both cheap and easily molded.
