Suiting up: Costs are high to outfit football players

LIMA — When Lima Senior player Mark Johnson got the chance to make a few bucks doing yard work for his aunt, he jumped at the chance.

Because of that extra work, the senior receiver has his Under Armor team cleats, ankle braces and gloves, all purchased from his hard work.

“I thank them a lot,” Johnson said. “If they ever need something from me, they can just call me and I’ll do it.”

The costs of playing football pile up quick. There are cleats to buy, pads to purchase and gloves to get.

The busiest months for high school sporting goods and team apparel are August through December, according to local sporting goods stores such as Lima Sporting Goods and Delphos Sporting Goods.

Outfitting football players requires the most equipment of any high school sport. Athletic departments supply the athletes with every necessary pad, from helmet to knee pads, shoulder pads to hip pads.

With the shelf lives of pads in different stages, athletic departments try to stagger their purchases so as to not break the budget. A helmet has the shortest lifespan, with only nine years guaranteed. Shoulder pads can be refurbished and repaired, while other pads are on a need-to basis.

According to Lima Sporting Goods owner Dave Kirian, the cost for helmets runs $160. Shoulder pads vary between $80 and $100.

“We still have some (shoulder pads) on the shelves from the 70s or 80s, probably,” Ottawa-Glandorf athletic director Al Laubenthal said.

Schools have the option of purchasing equipment through multiple sources, including Lima Sporting Goods.

In 33 years of working at Lima Sporting Goods, owner Dave Kirian orders the same knee pads he did more than three decades ago.

While the schools supply the necessities, it’s up to the players and their families to pick up the extras. Gloves, elbow pads, special chin straps and helmet visors are common purchases.

“My parents help me out because with sports and school I don’t have a lot of time,” Lima Senior running back Desmond Harvey said. “Sometimes with the gloves and other things, it gets expensive.”

Thankfully, for wallets and bank accounts, team discounts can make the purchases cheaper.

The Under Armor cleats the Spartans picked retail for $90, but the players bought them for $70. Socks, t-shirts, shorts and other clothing can be had for a discount as well, as part of a spirit pack.

“If a kid wants a different kind (of shoes), he can buy that as long as it’s black like the rest of the team,” Lima Senior coach Darnell Collins said. “The parents are happier that we have team shoes, so they can save $20. But if their kid wants that pair of Nikes, then they have to go out and spend that $90.”