The Evolution of Basketball Socks

Football, basketball, baseball, or cricket - all sports have one thing in common, they all require players to run. When it comes to running, the majority of people think about having a good pair of shoes. Having a great pair of shoes is one thing, but wearing high-quality socks is equally important.

An excellent pair of shoes alone will never provide the players the comfort and cushioning they need. Shoes designed for a particular sport will give them an edge and improve player's performance, but high-quality custom athletic socks complement those shoes and enable you to have a flawless running experience during the game.

An athlete or sportsman's feet is an important feature of their body. Due to the need for constant running, their feet require special care, and the player should ensure protecting their feet with custom socks. A basketball player also doesn't need normal run-of-the-mill socks; they require stylish and flashy pairs of custom basketball socks, which give their feet protection they need and keep their style game different from all other sportsmen.

Basketball is all about having fun, being stylish and popular. While many prefer minimalist black and white uniforms, it doesn't showcase the flair we expect from the game of basketball, and that's the reason we see various stylish outfits on the field. Ten people wearing loose trousers, short sleeve shirts, and woolen socks seemed alright for the beginning. As soon as the game progressed to become the most recognized sports event all over the world and the players' popularity increased – it began to change to more formal, and uniforms evolved with time as well. Basketball is an ever-evolving sports game; the players' uniform, style, shoes, and socks always change. From short ankle socks to knee-high tube socks, custom basketball socks have evolved over these years. So, in this blog, we'll peek into those eras and have a look back at how those basketball players used to wear custom athletic socks compared to other decades. What has changed over these years? How do the players wear custom socks in recent times? Why is it very important for the players?

 

The Beginning of Basketball: 1891 – 1920

Basketball initially started being played in 1891. During this time, players would wear their street or workout clothes which were regularly loose jeans or fleece shirts. Most men would wear exceptionally high athletic socks extending over the knee.

The First Real Basketball Uniforms: 1920 – 1940

After 1920, the main b-ball pullovers started to show up. The pullovers secured like a leotard to guarantee shirts wouldn't get untucked. Ladies and youngsters were relied upon to wear kneepads. In 1917, Converse released "Chucks" named after Charles Chuck Taylor. Men across America started wearing these high-top converses with custom basketball socks extending simply over the shoe.

The Baggy Socks Trend: 1940 – 1960

In the 1930s, a polyester-nylon mix was made. By the following decade, b-ball uniforms had totally changed to this new clothing material. Moreover, players could be seen wearing extremely short shorts, fitted jersey, and belts. Regarding socks, the baggy sock trend was well known. These baggy socks would lay only somewhat above shoes close to the lower legs.

The Iconic Tube Socks: 1960 – 1990

During the 60s and 70s, players started wearing much taller athletic socks with stripes, called tube socks. These popular custom basketball socks were regularly splendidly hued and stuck out. Other than the socks, the uniforms stayed the same as the last period, with short shorts and tight shirts.

During these times, basketball players decided to cover their bones to keep their calf muscles warm as they were constantly playing matches, and the competition was becoming fiercer. So they had to take extra care of their legs, so it may be possible that Tube Socks helped them to serve this purpose.

The trend of the tube socks remained through the mid-80s; many were a fan of these tube socks - striped or solid white, and the higher, the better. It all lasted long until we saw a complete reversal of the sock direction.

The Ankle Socks: 1990 – 2000

The 90s brought a huge revolution for basketball socks and uniforms. Players who were wearing longer knee-high socks suddenly started showing up in ankle socks. People started calling it The No-show socks. It was uncool to show socks during this phase. During the 80s Michael Jordan was a pioneer in wearing long and free shorts, which turned into the whole game's style by the 1990s. It was a big transition for all basketball lovers and enthusiasts. People would roll down the socks to keep the trend alive.

Present Day Basketball Socks

In today's times, basketball players wear socks with a variation of colors and lengths. Most players can be seen with socks up to their calves. Many professional and amateur teams have adopted the trend of custom basketball socks with their mascot and team's colors. There's not much change in the uniforms of the players since the 90s, but they have become even looser with a little longer shorts.

The beauty of this period is that there's no rule to be cool. There's no limit to the designs of the custom basketball socks. After 50 or 60 years, basketball players and fans finally had enough of the baggy socks or tube socks, low or high socks. Now, it doesn't matter how you wear your socks; no colors are off-limits, no design is out of bounds. Nobody bothers about the length of the socks till the person wearing the socks is comfortable and okay with it. It has been a roller-coaster ride ever since. You see pictures on the socks - dollar bills, galaxies, and superheroes. Everyone has realized that it's more fun to experiment rather than trapping all of them in a singular trend.

If you like a different sock style or era, do let us know. We will be interested to hear what the future holds for us in terms of the styling of custom basketball socks. 10 years from now and you never know, your favorite sock style can rise from the ashes, or a totally new custom athletic socks style can emerge from nowhere. Who knows!