Baseball Vs. Football Cleats: 7 Differences Explained

No matter what outdoor sport you play, the chances are that you should use cleats. That’s the fact in sports such as soccer, softball, baseball, and football. Yet, even when the word cleat is the same, the features of different sports cleats are not.

In this article, you will learn the differences between football and baseball cleats in-depth, so you can acknowledge the perks each cleat has for their named sport. That said, what’s the difference?

In short, baseball cleats are lighter in weight and less supportive than football cleats. In addition, football cleats come only with plastic (molded) spikes, whereas baseball cleats can have metal spikes. The look of the shoes also varies as football cleats often have more color and design options.

In addition to the main differences, there is more that you should know about to understand the features of both sports cleats fully. Now, stick with me, and I’ll walk you through all features that baseball and football cleats differ and have in common.

What’s the Difference Between Baseball and Football Cleats?

Even when all cleats are designed for the same purpose (traction), there can be massive differences between the cleats meant for different sports. The difference isn’t the biggest between baseball and football cleats, yet, they are there. Let’s review each one separately!

1. Support

One of the biggest differences between baseball and football cleats is the support. Think about it; in football, you need to move in all directions, including back to front and side to side. However, the movement is mainly forward in baseball without much side-to-side movement.

This has been acknowledged in football cleats; thus, they are built with more supporting material. If not, football players would experience more ankle sprains, among other injuries.

Baseball cleats aren’t included with unnecessary material, especially on the sides of the shoes, because it would add pointless weight. They are less supportive, but it’s okay for baseball.

2 Midsole

The shoe midsole is also different on baseball and football cleats. Given that the spikes on baseball cleats are sharper and can be out of metal, the midsole is included with more material, cushioning, and comfort.

In contrast, football studs aren’t as sharp, as the shape is more round. That’s why the midsole on football cleats isn’t as cushioned and comfortable. Generally, both cleats are as comfortable as the next because their pros and cons cancel each other out.

3. Weight

Football cleats are heavier because there is more supporting material around to shoe for better support. Thus, the players need to run with more weight on their feet, making them slower, although the difference is minimal.

As baseball cleats have less material than football cleats, they are also lighter in weight and faster to run with.

4. Spikes

The spikes are one of the biggest and most noticeable differences when examining both types of cleats side by side.

The biggest difference is that baseball cleat spikes can be made out of plastic, also called molded cleats, and metal. Especially the metal spikes are very sharp to dig deep in the grass and provide ultimate traction and control.

However, football is a contact sport, so metal spikes are out of the question for safety reasons. In addition, the shape of the spikes, or in this case, studs, is rounded for safety reasons once again.

Finally, what many people get wrong is that football cleats have toe studs, as do baseball cleats, even though it’s a high-contact sport. In sports such as soccer, the toe stud is illegal because it is a serious safety hazard. However, the toe stud is included in football cleats to further aid traction and provide stability and control for diving and jumping.

5. Looks

Do yourself a favor and go to a shoe store to look at baseball and football cleats. You can instantly see that football cleats are included with more innovative designs, colors, etc.

On the other hand, baseball cleats are much plain and simple looking, which is a pro for some and a con for others.

I like special-looking sports shoes as it makes you look cooler, even though I wouldn’t wear rainbow-colored shoes with my regular life outfit. Although, there’s nothing wrong with that!

6. Cost

All things considered, the price difference between football and baseball cleats isn’t big. Yet, overall, football cleats are slightly more expensive than baseball cleats.

Although, when they are compared to the cost of soccer cleats, they are on the low end. The material on soccer cleats needs to be specific for the optimal ball-handling feel, which isn’t needed in either baseball or football.

For visual learners who like to skim everything like me, check out the table for quick information!

Feature	Baseball	Football
Support	Less supportive	More supportive
Midsole	More comfortable	Less comfortable
Weight	Lighter	Heavier
Spikes	Plastic and Metal	Only plastic
Cleat shape	Sharp	Rounded
Looks	Overall less dashing	More colors and designs
Cost	Slightly less expensive	Slightly more expensive

Can You Wear Football Cleats for Baseball?

Today, people are multitaskers and may have more than one sport as their hobby. If you’re an all-American athlete, there’s nothing more American than playing football and baseball. Yet, purchasing two separate cleats for each sport can get expensive. That raises the question, can you wear football cleats for baseball?

You can wear football cleats for baseball as the support is more than enough, eliminating big risks of ankle sprains. However, the studs aren’t as effective on the grass as baseball cleats, so the traction isn’t as good. In addition, football cleats are heavier, slightly slowing your speed.

Luckily, you need to sprint for 90ft at a time in baseball which is often finished off with a baseball slide. Football cleats aren’t optimal for baseball because that’s why there are baseball cleats in existence, yet you can use them without any worry.

Can You Wear Baseball Cleats for Football?

Naturally, some people want to use baseball cleats for football as people want to use football cleats for baseball. As it turns out, you can use football cleats for baseball, but is it the same other way around?

Generally, you can wear baseball cleats for football, given that they have plastic cleats, not metal. Metal cleats are illegal in football because of safety. Still, you shouldn’t use baseball cleats for football because the support isn’t as good as it should be; thus, the risk of injury increases.

But if you have no other choice and play football only recreationally, you can use baseball cleats for football. Just remember to acknowledge the lack of support and that you can’t play with baseball cleats with metal spikes, only plastic.