Science+Fair+HT

= =  ** Science Fair Literature Review ** Rubber cleats provide a strong durable baseball shoe. They could be worn off and on the field. However metal cleats are supposed to have more traction. They dig into the ground further and more effectively then rubber cleats do and that is why people think metal cleats are better. Rubber cleats are also allowed in a lot more leagues them metals are. Rubber cleats have little traction but are great for running on turf and grass. (Hoefs)

Rubber cleats are all around a safer shoe. Many people are cleated (baseball term) during a baseball game. When players don’t slide properly and the bottom of their cleat hit’s the defensive player the spike can cut and injure you. It is not something that is rare and that is why many players switch to rubber cleats. It keeps more players safe and decreases the amount of injuries. Rubber cleats are very strong and durable. (Tesselaar)

The history of cleats goes back a long time. Many athletes all over the world have worn cleats for many different sports since the 1500’s. The first pair of cleats were made to play the sport of football and the special shoes were originally called, “football boots”. They were created in England. Later in the 1860’s cleats began to be popular in the United States. The use of cleats gained further popularity in the United States with the birth of the American football league in the early 20th century. The original football shoes were actually baseball shoes, but innovations quickly emerged and there was differences between the shoes. By the 1970s, players were wearing footwear with short, rubber cleats for use on artificial turf. (Fortenbaugh) A baseball shoe was defined by the Dickson Baseball Dictionary as a special type of shoe designed and worn by baseball players that features cleats for traction and a full set of laces for support. The first official baseball shoe was invented by Waldo M. Claflin, of Philadelphia in 1882. The spikes on baseball cleats can be made of rubber, plastic, or metal. The spikes on the cleats are rectangular. Rubber cleats have grooves and smaller indentations in the middle of the sole of the shoe.  (Fortenbaugh)

Plastic cleats are similar to rubber spikes. They have some differences like a hard bottom for thick hard plastic spikes, with no grooves at all. Instead of the edge of the sole, the spikes are where the out sole of the shoe are where the toes and ball of the foot would hit the ground when you are running. Metal spikes are similar to plastics spikes. Plastic spikes are thick pieces of plastic but metal spikes have thin pieces of metal as spikes. Instead of being thick pieces of plastics as spikes, they are thin pieces of metal to make it easier to dig into grass and sand, and thereby increase traction.  (Traction)

Metal cleats are supposed to have more traction than rubber cleats. Traction is the adhesive friction of a body on some surface. The cleats really dig into the ground and create power and make you run faster. The shoes aren't as durable as rubber cleats but they do serve a great purpose for baseball cleats.

**Work Cited**

Fortenbaugh, Dave. "Baseball Spikes." //Home//. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web. 17 Oct. 2013 []
 * Is a baseball player who has experience with cleats.
 * Author is studying to be a scientist.

"Florida Science Grade 8." pg.195-197McGraw Hill, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. []
 * Is an 8th grade text book for students all over the state of Florida.
 * Written by actual scientist.

Hoefs, Jeremy. "Metal vs. Rubber Baseball Cleats." // LIVESTRONG.COM //. N.p., 3 May 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. . []


 * . Has primary sources from players who have wore both metal and rubber cleats.
 * Used to play the sport and has all information about the rules and prices of cleats.

Tesselaar, Johannes. "Plastic vs. Metal Cleats: A Gripping Issue." // Los Angeles Times //. Los Angeles Times, 25 May 1986. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. . []


 * A paper article from the Los Angeles Times.
 * Has quotes from players and coaches.

"Traction Data Collection." //Center for Turfgrass Science (Penn State University)//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. []
 * Written by a student from Penn State University.
 * Author was a primary source to the experiment.