Jockstraps, also known as athletic supporters, are men's undergarments for use in sports and other activities. The typical jockstrap consists of an elastic waistband with a support pouch for the genitals and two straps extending from the bottom of the pouch across the buttocks to the waistband.
Some jockstraps have pockets for a protective cup (UK: box), usually with a padded rim and made of hard plastic, sometimes with ventilation holes. Cups are worn by baseball and cricket players and others participating in full-contact sports. There are both soft cups and hard cups.
Other types of jocks have narrow waistbands, (swimmer jocks or runner jocks), wide waistbands or have a seat instead of straps (jock briefs, or support briefs).
Jockstraps were first developed in the late 1800's to be worn by bicycle delivery boys by the Bike Company. Bike is still the market leader. Other well-known brands include The Duke, Flarico, Adams, Champion, Ace, Bauer & Black, Safe-T-Guard, Franklin, Pro Sport, Stromgen, McDavid, Futuro, Core, Sportjock, etc..