Why Do Football Players Put Tape Around Their Fingers? (2024)

Regardless of whether you watch youth football or professional players in the NFL, you've probably noticed that some players tape their fingers before heading out on the field. Some players tape their fingers without gloves on or tape two fingers together, while others apply tape to the fingers of their gloves. There are several reasons why football players tape their fingers, including injury prevention and because they feel it improves their grip.

Taping Methods

Depending on the size of the player's fingers, either 1/2- or 1-inch tape is used and placed around the fingers to provide support, though the joints are left uncovered so they can still bend. While many players leave their gloves on while taping, some place tape directly on the fingers before putting on gloves or don't wear gloves at all. Some players also use the "buddy taping" method instead of single-finger taping, placing a piece of foam between two fingers and then taping the two fingers together. Players may apply two or more layers of tape, depending on the thickness of the tape.

Injury Prevention

Some players tape their fingers to prevent injuries such as sprains, strains and finger dislocation. Even those with strong fingers are still prone to finger injuries due to the impacts and falls that commonly occur during football games. Taping the fingers helps to prevent these injuries by providing extra padding and preventing the fingers from moving past their normal range of motion during a fall or other impact.

Post-Injury Taping

When injuries do occur, taping is an important first aid measure used to prevent further injury. Buddy taping is used in these situations -- the uninjured finger provides extra support for the injured one and prevents it from moving in ways that could worsen the injury. Whether an injured finger can be taped depends on the severity of the injury and the amount of pain that it causes; broken fingers or very painful sprains or strains should be treated by a medical professional instead of being taped.

Grip Strength

One reason that is sometimes given for taping the fingers is that it increases grip strength by preventing the fingers from easily releasing the ball or the jerseys of other players. Research performed by Dr. Arthur Rettig and others at the Methodist Sports Medicine Center has disproved this theory, however; while there were no significant differences in grip strength between taped and untaped hands in regard to players' non-dominant hands, the dominant hands of players were shown to have a significantly stronger grip when untaped than taped.

Traction

Some professional football players such as Eric Weddle claim that the tape they place on their bare fingers gives them additional traction that aids with interceptions on the football field. Unlike the disproved grip strength theory, the use of tape does provide a change in grip traction when compared to bare hands or leather gloves. While most NFL players wear silicone gloves designed to provide significant grip traction, players who don't like the feel of the gloves or who find them difficult to use in certain conditions can improve grip traction through the use of finger tape.