The NFL is home to some of the toughest players in the world, both mentally and physically. Night in and night out they sacrifice their bodies, engaging in vicious, bone crushing blows. These players on all playing levels display their vigor by participating in the most violent sport in the world, even in conditions that are far from ideal.
As we approach the end of summer and beginning of subsequent seasons, temperatures drop and attention shifts to indoor sports. Despite the change in weather, outdoor sports – particularly football – continue as scheduled. The Weather Channel Website informs of the coldest major cities, along with their average temperatures between the months of December and February – the months during which the contenders are separated from the pretenders when it comes to championship aspirations. Notable cities on the cold weather list include Chicago, New York and Boston. Most teams with the exception of the eight who play their home games under roofs – the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Saint Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and the Indianapolis Colts – must find ways to negate the effects of sub-zero temperatures. Though they cannot be completely eliminated, certain measures have been taken to assuage the extreme discomforts.
The obvious forms of apparel many players utilize during winter games are long sleeves, gloves and headwear. However, as of late, many are finding alternatives to the traditional methods of staying warm.
One technique players use is the application of petroleum jelly and other types of rubs. A noticeable trend found in offensive lineman is the intentional exclusion of sleeves in their winter jersey attire. Several sources note that lineman engage in direct physical contact on a regular basis and sleeves would provide the perfect opportunity for the opposition to gain leverage and a competitive advantage, which is why petroleum jelly is used as a substitute. It functions as an agent to prevent heat from escaping.
In addition to the petroleum jelly, muscular rubs are also a means of heat retention. These prevent the muscles from tightening up – which would put the player at high risk for injury. Some go as far as to create their own homemade rubs, which often is a combination of petroleum jelly and another substance of their choice. Though fairly successful, each of these methods raises ethical and legal controversy because the application of these products makes players slippery to opponents, in essence creating an unfair advantage.
Football is a sport that involves extensive periods of standing on the sidelines – even for starters; therefore, players require a way to stay warm without exerting any energy. The NFL has implemented Indirect Fired Heaters onto sidelines league-wide in an attempt to minimize the impact of the weather during games. Not only are these heaters user-friendly, but they are also environmentally friendly, as they only emit clean, dry air lacking any type of emission. The quantity of heat is significant, with the usual amount ranging from about 100,000 to 1,000,000 British thermal units per hour (BTU/hr). Indirect fired heaters fuse a heat exchanger with a natural gas line or propane or kerosene tank that in turn releases heat into the air, allowing each player’s break from the action to be as warming as possible.
Perhaps the most important body part to keep warm – especially for quarterbacks and wide receivers – is the hands. After all, it is imperative that teams effectively move the ball through the area to prevent being one dimensional, even in poor conditions. Edmonton-based company, B’Warmer produces various thermal products – one of which is a set of hand-warmer packets that players can wear around their waists. These packets eliminate the need for gloves, thus providing exceptional convenience for anybody handling the ball.
B’Warmer informs that the use of these hand packets even extends into positions outside of quarterback and wide receiver, most notably into the offensive line because of their increasing role that involves handling the football.
Green Bay Packer’s Equipment Manager and Co-Designer of B’Warmer products, Gordon (Red) Batty accentuates the rationale behind his innovations.
“A lot of equipment managers will talk to Red and say ‘you know, we need something like this,’ and together they’ll sketch something that fits the needs of a player, and we’ll make it for them,” notes B’Warmer Owner, Tim Brockelsby.
Though not always noticeable to the common eye, heating mechanisms exist that alleviate the pains football players experience when participating during the winter months. According to the latest trends and developments, we are sure to eventually reach a point where innovations offset the effects of outdoor conditions, resulting in the negation of home field advantage for teams with colder weather.