Cleats
Football
The most well known and used brands for footbal cleats include Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. In football cleats, they are mostly composed of synthetic leather and mesh combo for a lightweight feel. The ankles are padded as seen in the picture above. Different kind of styles can be purchased for diiferent positions. Most football cleats do not have a full-length sole, instead sole units are used for cushioning.
What to Look for
- Traction
- Support and Durability
- Comfort
Baseball/Softball
These sports are very much different just like the equipment that is used for the sport. However both sports do share some similarities.
Baseball: More spikes on the bottom of cleat and each brand such as Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour offer much more options for baseball. Because baseball cleats are primarily designed for men, the toebox is wider
Softball: Less spikes on the bottom of cleat and each brand has about 2 or 3 different styles they offer customers. Shape of the metal must be rectangular.
Soccer
Like football, this sport is primarily played in turf or grass. Brands like Nike and Adidas sponser these type of cleats.
The bottom of the shoes help soccer players grip the surface better. They also help the player kick the ball in the desired direction without tailing off. The "cleat" is made of either a hard plastic or hard rubber.
They actually banned metal version cleats for this sport because it is more physical comapred to baseball and softball. Regardless of what level of play you are at, having a proper fit shoe is key to success.
Track
These cleats like baseball and softball used metal spikes in order to get a good grip on the track. They also make cleats for a field sports to that are much more flat. Most people usually call them track spikes instead of cleats but both terms are used. The spikes are used for athletes that are running on a track and not so much on turf as the turf may wear them down. The spikes are very small and resemble a small, sharp point. Track shoes are exceptionally lightweight and weigh about 5 ounces!
Surface Each Sport is Played On
| Football | Soccer | Track | Baseball | Softball |
| Turf | Firm Ground | Turf | Dirt | Turf |
| Grass | Grass | Synthetic | Turf | Dirt |
Where to find Cleats
All Types of Cleats: Nike
All Types of Cleats: Under Armour
Mostly Football and Soccer: Adidas
Softball: New Balance