Devin Schelske, sports editor

“If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good you play good,” is a quote from NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, something which many players of any sport can attest to. In just about any sport there is, there are optional accessories available for players to wear along with their uniforms. Accessories can range from joint stabilizing attire that support athletic movements to stylish gear that can make a player stand out. 

All forms of accessories can help athletes either physically or mentally. Gerald Shepherd, linebacker for the Augsburg Football team, explained in an interview with the Echo, “I don’t think my attire affects me physically but it’s definitely a mental thing. Like Deion said, ‘You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good. You play good, they pay good.’” Andrew Hahn, former Albany High School basketball player, simply stated, “I had a padded shooting sleeve. It was for my [UCL] injury. I felt more confident by not feeling more pain in the game. I don’t feel like it [negatively] affected my basketball ability.”

A great example of universal sports attire that can have an impact on athlete performance is athletic tape. This tape is typically worn on players wrists or ankles and used for injury prevention, joint stabilization or to combat swelling. Fans are only able to see wrist tape on the players who do tape and sometimes it is possible to observe a player with writing on their wrist tape. These words, phrases, dates and more that are written on the tape can bring in a psychological aspect to a players performance. Athletes who may not have their loved ones in attendance may write initials or names on their tape to symbolize support from those loved ones which can bring comfort to the athlete.

There are times when players are able to accessorize beyond what they wear to the equipment they use. For example, baseball players may use bats with a certain feel that helps them produce the best swing possible. Many players have specific preferences when it comes to styles and brands of gear that assist in a better performance. Kevin Grundhoffer, former Northfield High School baseball player mentioned in an interview with the Echo, “I used my buddy’s bat, it was a Louisville Meta Prime. It tested the best for pop and velocity. I was definitely more confident at the plate using that bat than some team issued aluminum alloy bat.”

The next time you are watching a sporting event in person or on TV, make sure you take a minute to recognize the accessories of each player and recognize the impact it may have on that player’s performance.