Why does Amon-Ra St. Brown wear black tape on his arms?
Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. With the Detroit Lions rolling on offense in 2024, he has nine touchdown catches through 14 weeks, the second-most in the league behind only Ja’Marr Chase. St. Brown has caught the eye on the field with both with his play and his uniformGetty In fact, in the four seasons since being drafted in the fourth round, behind 16 other wide outs, St. Brown has consistently caught the eye. He ranks third in receptions with 391, seventh in receiving yards (4,408) and ninth in receiving TDs with 30. But it’s not only that impressive output, or his spectacular catches, that St. Brown has become famous for. The 25-year-old is also known for what he wears on the field and is often seen sporting black tape on his arms. While tape is a familiar sight across the NFL these days, some fans may not be aware of the purpose it serves. Why does Amon-Ra St. Brown wear black tape on his arms? St. Brown, like many other WRs, wears turf tape to help protect himself from body-to-body or body-to-surface contact – and especially cuts and grazes that can be sustained from artificial turf. As of the 2024 season, there are still 15 NFL stadiums that use artificial grass for their fields. Turf tape is used by athletes who are most prone to fast and hard impacts. Players put the tape – usually made up of nylon and cotton with a medical adhesive – on the back of their triceps down to the bottom of their wrist. But any exposed skin that has direct contact with the surface upon collision can have turf tapes applied. St. Brown is often seen sporting turf tape on the fieldGetty Good-quality tapes are sweat-proof, water resistant, and gentle to the skin, with an elastic property that allows them to stay in place with a full range of motion. While turf tapes mainly offer players an extra layer of protection, they can also be a nice statement piece on the field – and St. Brown’s black tape has become an integral part of his Lions uniform. The effects of artificial turf on the body has been a hot topic in the NFL for many years, with a vast majority of players preferring natural grass fields. Back in February, days before the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the NFLPA revealed that 92% of the union ‘wants grass’. “It’s not rocket science,” executive director Lloyd Howell said. “The bottom line is, it’s unquestionable that our union wants to have a working condition where they play on grass.” A number of NFL stadiums still use artificial turf Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders running back, was vocal on the issue at the time, discussing how much turf tape he has to wear when playing on synthetic grass. “You bounce a little bit different off concrete, rubber and plastic than you do off grass and dirt,” he said. “It hurts. Turf is a lot harder surface. “When it comes to my legs, on turf, you stick. On grass, dirt, you move a little bit. So, it’s the accumulation of those little things.” talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and you can stay up to date with all the latest from around the league via our dedicated ‘EndZone’ YouTube channel.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL.
With the Detroit Lions rolling on offense in 2024, he has nine touchdown catches through 14 weeks, the second-most in the league behind only Ja’Marr Chase.
In fact, in the four seasons since being drafted in the fourth round, behind 16 other wide outs, St. Brown has consistently caught the eye.
He ranks third in receptions with 391, seventh in receiving yards (4,408) and ninth in receiving TDs with 30.
But it’s not only that impressive output, or his spectacular catches, that St. Brown has become famous for.
The 25-year-old is also known for what he wears on the field and is often seen sporting black tape on his arms.
While tape is a familiar sight across the NFL these days, some fans may not be aware of the purpose it serves.
Why does Amon-Ra St. Brown wear black tape on his arms?
St. Brown, like many other WRs, wears turf tape to help protect himself from body-to-body or body-to-surface contact – and especially cuts and grazes that can be sustained from artificial turf.
As of the 2024 season, there are still 15 NFL stadiums that use artificial grass for their fields.
Turf tape is used by athletes who are most prone to fast and hard impacts.
Players put the tape – usually made up of nylon and cotton with a medical adhesive – on the back of their triceps down to the bottom of their wrist.
But any exposed skin that has direct contact with the surface upon collision can have turf tapes applied.
Good-quality tapes are sweat-proof, water resistant, and gentle to the skin, with an elastic property that allows them to stay in place with a full range of motion.
While turf tapes mainly offer players an extra layer of protection, they can also be a nice statement piece on the field – and St. Brown’s black tape has become an integral part of his Lions uniform.
The effects of artificial turf on the body has been a hot topic in the NFL for many years, with a vast majority of players preferring natural grass fields.
Back in February, days before the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the NFLPA revealed that 92% of the union ‘wants grass’.
“It’s not rocket science,” executive director Lloyd Howell said.
“The bottom line is, it’s unquestionable that our union wants to have a working condition where they play on grass.”
Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders running back, was vocal on the issue at the time, discussing how much turf tape he has to wear when playing on synthetic grass.
“You bounce a little bit different off concrete, rubber and plastic than you do off grass and dirt,” he said.
“It hurts. Turf is a lot harder surface.
“When it comes to my legs, on turf, you stick. On grass, dirt, you move a little bit. So, it’s the accumulation of those little things.”
talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and you can stay up to date with all the latest from around the league via our dedicated ‘EndZone’ YouTube channel.
