NFL Glove Rules

Though football is a game at heart, the NFL is also a multi-billion dollar industry, complete with a lengthy list of rules and regulations governing every aspect of that game. Those rules include standards relating to the uniforms and equipment worn by the players, detailing what can and cannot be worn. This includes the wearing of gloves, though the gloves are not considered a standard element of the uniform.

  1. Glove Usage

    • Gloves have been worn by NFL players at various positions for decades, for the purpose of keeping the players' hands warm in cold weather games, protecting them from cuts and contusions that occur from contact with the ground, the ball and other players and for providing a better grip on the ball. Wide receivers are the most frequent glove users, and the high-performance gloves created for them have led to a big business for equipment manufacturers, with sales of $30 million (to both players and non-players) annually as of 2005.

    Color Rules

    • As opposed to the NCAA, where any gloves worn must be a standard gray, gloves worn in an NFL game are not mandated to be one specific color. However, teams must report to the league what color of uniform and shoes they will be wearing and are not allowed to deviate from that color scheme. Therefore, any gloves worn by the players are likely to conform to the colors worn by the individual team. The only rule specific to glove usage is that gloves must display an intact NFL logo and bear no contrast-color piping.

    Licensing Rules

    • Official licensing is a major source of revenue for the NFL, and this extends to the equipment worn by the players. At the time of publication, Reebok is the official manufacturer of gear worn by NFL players and coaches during the game, and players are prohibited from wearing equipment displaying the logos of other brands, which includes the gloves worn on the field. Gloves are also included in the rule banning players from wearing anything that can be construed as an endorsement, makes a personal statement, is used as a part of a premeditated, extraneous celebration or promotes the player or other entity.

    Related Rules

    • Though the color of gloves is not mandated, any wrist bands worn must be either black or white. And, only opaque white tape can be used on the hands and wrists--no black or team-colored tape is allowed. Also, players are prohibited from using any form of adhesive substance (such as "stickum") on any part of their body, which extends to any gloves worn by the player.