Why do American football players wear tights and so much padding?

Protection! I assume the tights keep their cups in place.

even though it seems like you're just one of those people who ignorantly bash American Football.... i'll help answer your question everything's been said pretty well so far but i'll add to why they wear tight pants. they're tight so people can't grab onto them....as most of the time....you don't want to be tackled, and having baggy clothing just gives the opponent something else to grab onto ----------------------- i think that'll help answer your question on the tight pants also, Rugby and Football are quite different if you'll take an UN-BIASED look at the two....you'll see how the hitting is different it's been proven time and time again that if football players didn't wear the padding they did, and the hitting stayed the same, there would be death, brain damage, and overall...a HUGE leap in the number of injuries which people couldn't think of coming back from they're two different sports...just because you like Rugby doesn't mean Football is something you should bash

Compared to rugby, it's alot of padding. it's needed though due to hard hitting. injuries would be greater without.

They are not wearing tights, for one. Those are football uniform pants and are required, just like the jerseys they wear. The padding is because so many necks have been broken, they made it part of the uniform so it would keep the injuries down. We don't like to see our players paralyzed from the neck down due to getting tackled by 3 huge linebackers. Thanks for asking!!!

because you will get hit really hard and get hurt if you dont wear them

becasue it is a full contact sport, full, and there were so many injuries that as the years went on, the padding and protection got to be more and more improved and detailed, no one, no matter what team yo root for wants to see any player done at 25 and in a wheel chair or worse for life.....they couldn't play every week with out the protection.....it only makes sense. plus lots of these guys are 300 lbs plus.....getting hit by one of them is worthy of protection.

because they're girly men. Aussies don't need pads.

They wear tights to keep warm when they are out on the feild it gets really really cold! and and they wear the padding to keep themselves safe! lets say you are running full speed at this 280lb man who is trying to stop you from making a goal and he succeds in blocking you by just standing there but when you collide with him you fall and it hurts but if you wernt wearing any pads it would hurt alot worse!

Are you just trying to annoy? Or do you have very little understanding of American Football? Even with all that padding and yes helmets some retired players have serious brain damage after all those years of suffering concussions. At the turn of the century 1900's American Football was under investigation for being too violent and that's when helmets other protection in the college game came into the rules. Pro Football also followed to cut down on injuries. Yes American Football players do suffer serious injuries. Tell me have you ever been to Green Bay, Wisconsin in the winter or Foxboro, Massachusetts. Football pants and uniforms are very practical for this game and the conditions they play in. Getting tackled on artificial turf in shorts would not be very smart. By the way are you unaware of Canadian Football? They also wear padding and football pants, or do you just like to bash Americans?