During the 2016-17 season, 1.09 million high school athletes played football in the United States. That's an incredible amount of high schoolers participating in one of America's most beloved sports. And for plenty of those high schoolers, the love of the game is what drives them to perform at their absolute best. While many of these players will stop playing after high school ends, thousands of them dream of playing college ball -- or even professional football one day.

For anyone that's had a dream of pursuing a career they love, working hard is only half of the battle. The other half of the battle is finding the right tools to increase your performance and minimize anything that may be considered a setback: in the case of football, an injury. Football grip gloves are the perfect tools to have in your arsenal if you plan on catching a football continuously. Working like a second skin, these gloves give players the advantage of protecting their hands in a high-impact sport while also giving those hands the ability to better grip a fast, high flying football.

But not all football grip gloves are created equal. To find a pair of truly awesome football gloves, you need to consider a few points before you find the pair that works best for you. Let's review three key features to examine before your next purchase of football gloves.

Ventilation

Some men sweat especially hard out on the field. Some don't. Ventilation may play a key role in your purchase of football grip gloves, or it may not, but the important thing to consider is if the glove feels comfortable in terms of temperature. You don't want anything that makes your hand sweat so much you'll want to rip the gloves off; that defeats the whole purpose of buying gloves in the first place. You want to look for something that allows air to circulate within the glove, keeping your hands cool and dry. Mesh between the fingers and along the back of the glove can give your hands the added boost of air they need to stay comfortable.

Materials

Leather, silicone, or specialized brand materials make up a few of the choices when it comes to football grip gloves. Some gloves have an extra-sticky surface, while others utilize materials like leather for an enhanced grip without the stick. The choice will depend on your preferences, as no single material particularly works better than another.

Padding

If you're just starting out in football, you may seek out a glove with a bit more padding, but if you've been playing the game for years, your hands may be more conditioned to the feeling of a ball landing in your hands. Padding provides extra protection against injury, but some may find that extra padding is too much and doesn't give them the same sensation and control of their dexterity that they need. Again, it's all up to personal preference, as there are pros and cons to padded gloves depending on a particular situation.