Patent ID: 8181275

Claim:
A lacrosse glove, comprising: a plurality of finger receiving portions; a thumb receiving portion; padding disposed on a back side of the finger receiving portions and the thumb receiving portion; and a rigid protective element extending over and secured to the padding disposed on the back side of the thumb receiving portion, the rigid protective element comprising a protective thumb portion that extends from proximate to a tip of the thumb receiving portion to a base region of the thumb receiving portion, the protective element further comprising a protective transverse portion that extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the protective thumb portion from the base region of the thumb receiving portion toward a center portion of the glove; wherein the rigid protective element is configured to permit flexure of the thumb receiving portion of the glove in a first direction toward a front side of the thumb receiving portion and to restrict flexure of the thumb receiving portion of the glove in a second direction, opposite the first direction, toward the back side of the thumb receiving portion, and to further restrict flexure of the thumb receiving portion of the glove in a third direction, generally perpendicular to both the first and second directions, away from the finger receiving portions; wherein the rigid protective element comprises a plurality of living hinges to permit the flexure of the thumb receiving portion, and a rib portion extending generally along the protective element and having gaps at the locations of the living hinges, surfaces of the rib portion adjacent the gaps being configured to come into contact with each other when the thumb receiving portion is moved in a direction toward the back side such that flexure is restricted.