American football is one of the country's most popular sports, and has changed dramatically since it was first developed in the 19th century. The rules of the game have been transformed to allow forward passing and a variety of other plays and schemes. The equipment used has also evolved over time, mostly to make the game safer for its participants.
Helmet
Today, football helmets are made of plastic and foam, featuring radios inset near the ear. In the early days of football, though, helmets were little more than a leather covering over the head. They didn't offer much protection, and they didn't stop a lot of head injuries from occurring. In the early 20th century padding was added to the leather, but it wasn't until the late 1940s that plastic helmets became common among professional players.
Jersey
The first jerseys were often sweaters with the team's colors and a simple logo placed on the front. The sweaters were useful because football was often played in the winter months. They also provided a very minimal amount of padding to players, although not enough to prevent any significant injuries. Sweaters went out of fashion in the 20th century when lighter materials and eventually jersey-material uniforms began to be used.
Pads
Many early forms of football uniforms featured padding in the legs, but these didn't prevent considerable upper body injuries from occurring. In the early 20th century, upper body pads were created. These were made of leather and fit over the neck and shoulders similar to how modern pads are worn today. The padding also extended over the chest area, providing protection to the shoulders, collarbone and upper ribs.
Other Equipment
Before facemasks were worn with helmets, nose protectors were worn on the face to prevent broken noses -- common in the early days of football. These protectors fit snugly over the nose and had holes in the bottom for breathing. A thin leather strap could be tied around the head to hold it in place. Football cleats were also used before the modern era of football to improve traction on slippery grass surfaces, which were not maintained nearly as well as the fields used in today's game.
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