Preview

Football Helmets and Concussions

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1252 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Football Helmets and Concussions
Joe Able
Football Helmets & Concussions
POW!! CRACK!! I just attempted to deliver a key block on a 240lb linebacker in order for my quarterback to score a touchdown. Our helmets collided. I was dizzy, the lights got brighter, and my head was pounding; I could have sworn I had a concussion. On the sideline a teammate said I’d be fine and that I was going to have the game of a lifetime. I strapped my helmet back up and went back onto the field. I actually did have that game of lifetime, but at what cost? The football helmet is associated with strength and toughness, and so are the men who wear them. The helmet is not there to protect strength and toughness; it is there to protect something much more fragile- the brain. Can the technology of the helmets keep up with each generation of bigger, faster, and harder hitting players and prevent concussions?
A football helmet has long been time iconic symbol and cultural artifact. American football can be traced back to the mid-19th century. The very first intercollegiate game was played in 1869 and the first professional game was played in 1892; however, they did not use helmets. In fact the leather helmet was not invented until the early 1900s, and its use was not enforced until the 1920s. Since that time helmets have evolved and become more protective. In 1939, Riddell, a company in Illinois, manufactured plastic helmets because they thought it would be safer for the players. Football helmets became mandatory by the 1940s in the NFL and plastic facemasks were being put on them as well. The helmets we see players wearing did not come onto the market until the 1990s. Todays helmets are made of polycarbonate and are much stronger than any previously made helmet. Riddell has recently developed a helmet called the Revolution, which is supposed to be more concussion proof, but in theory there is no such thing.
Because it is an intense collision sport, football has had an immense problem with concussions. Recently the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Football helmet

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The average tackle football player has a natural tendency to experience fear and tension when thinking about the heavy rate of concussion injuries within the sport. In response to the violently physical nature of the game, Riddell Sports has produced a helmet that provides the best defense to worries and consequences of a concussion. The Riddell Revolution 360 football helmet has been constructed by engineers to protect the mental processes and safety of players. As a football player myself, I can think of no better alternative for head trauma prevention than this helmet. Riddell takes into account and states that players sustain roughly 950 impacts to the head over the course of a season. As a result of this, the helmet places a strong emphasis on protection of the most impacted part of the head, the front. Patented in 2012, HIT technology was established by Riddell in their experiment labs to measure the severity and location of head impacts from all directions. This technology proves that detrimental impact to the brain can go unnoticed or misunderstood, and use it to prevent future mental problems for players. This product changes the way participants feel comfortable and confident on the playing field more than ever before. The technology that is added includes a new carbon steel facemask that flexes in reaction to impact. Also added to the helmet was a new face frame structure which is made up of continuous hexagonal shaped padding on the interior that shapes to players heads for a custom and tight fit. This is important for reducing the amount of force to the head, which will allow the sport to be more commonly tolerated by everyone interested. With the rise of cognitive damage in football due to head trauma, parents are more hesitant than ever to allow their children play the game at a young age. However, parents can be assured that the expanded technology in the Riddell 360 will protect their children like never before.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Next is the helmets and pads that the NFL players have on. The helmets and pads, which is a very hard plastic helmet that protects the head and the pads are the same thing except it goes over ones shoulders. Even though the helmets are there…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is due to the parents of youth football players and the American publics refusal to make changes to the safety regulations to protect players at all levels. The publics ignorance has led to tragic accidents like happened to kids like Zackery Lystedt which could have been prevented if concussions were viewed as more of medical trauma and less as a part of the game. The findings made by Dr. Omalu helped shed light on the dangers but parents of youth player knowingly expected those potential dangers as just a part of playing football. Societies refusal to change the game and the parents of youth player’s ignorance has further raised the misconception that concussions and football go hand in…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Football Concussions

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The National Football League has recently faced a class-action lawsuit from hundreds of ex-football players regarding the lifelong effects of football concussions. The NFL has settled its brain trauma case in September of 2013 with an agreement to pay out $765 million to 4500 football retirees (Ezell). Concussions have become a major issue in not only the game of football but the business of football as well. In high contact sports, such as football concussions are going to be very prevalent. Equipment and regulations do not meet standards for players in the National Football League, college, pep warner, and many other football league across America. Of the many theories to sustain this major problem an equipment change seems to be the most…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Concussions have been an issue in the NFL for over 5 decades. Over the course of time, they had been increasing. One of the major factors for the increase was the changing of the game itself. Teams no longer heavily relied on running the ball but became quick offenses. They relied on quick curls, drags, hitches and slants, leaving the receivers defenseless after catching the ball. In a conventional west coast offense, the ball was thrown at least 15 yards down the field but now many teams are only throwing it 5 yards down the field. The players that are catching these short throws are expected to have a great YAC (yards after the catch). These players…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Concussions

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Concussion, the diagnosis every player dreads but hears too often, so what is actually being done to prevent this from sidelining millions of players every year and protect players from getting life-threatening concussions? Concussions are a serious health risk sustained by all athletes, more specifically football players. Football is a sport that demands more from its athletes mind and bodies than most sports do. The endless head collisions that occur on the line of tackle, as well as, one perfectly positioned hard hit to the head or body could potentially ruin a player’s career, as well as, his personal life. The constant fear over short and long-term health effects regarding concussions in sports have already resulted in rule changes, lawsuits,…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One way to prevent a concussion is to make sure your child or athlete is wearing the proper headgear. If the protective headgear is secure and the coaches monitor the athlete’s better concussions can and will be reduced. We need to step up the monitoring of our children and athletes by making sure that their helmets are fully functional and are being used properly under the right condition. In football the athlete must wear a helmet with the chin strap buckled and his/her mouthpiece in to play, but that doesn’t guarantee that the athlete will stay concussion free. Now here’s the part every athlete must understand, even with a helmet on you aren’t safe from concussions and you should avoid all blows to the head. The helmet must fit properly; too loose and the head has room to move which raises the risk for a concussion. If the helmet is too tight, then the helmet won’t absorb the impact which also raises the risk for a concussion. The helmet must fit right, and this isn’t monitored enough in football and we wonder why American high schooler suffers almost 4 million concussions each…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Concussions in Football

    • 2783 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Shyr, Luna. "NFL Looks to Helmet Technology to Combat Concussions." . N.p., 1 Feb 2013. Web. 25 Mar 2013.…

    • 2783 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In high school athletics there are numerous of ways an athlete can receive a concussion. High school football is no exception. A concussion can not be prevented by wearing a helmet in a contact sport. People are slowly becoming more aware of concussions and realizing the long term effects of repeated brain injuries. In order to prevent a concussion from occurring high school football coaches must inform their student athletes on how to tackle the opposing opponent properly. Also, football athletes must understand the risk involved when using their head to tackle their opponent instead of using their body. So many young football players do not understand the proper form for tackling because they watch professional football player's tackle wrong.…

    • 186 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the history of football there has been concussions because poor helmets have bad padding. Many people have in it taken a major part in it. How many people have died from head injuries. So people are should upgrade the helmets to protect anymore bad injuries, people have upgraded helmets but we need to do more from causing a lot more concussions. The head and brain are one of the most important parts of the body which they need to be protected and that is a very good way to protect it from injuries…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The game of football was invented November 6 1869 the first game played was by Rutgers and Princeton Unversitys sense that day the game of football has grown into what it is today a multibillion dollar industry, but new studies have been released showing that in high school kids 11.2 kids get a concussion out of 10000 games or practices. But what are concussions? A Concussion is caused from a violent shock or a heavy blow to the head, causing the brain to hit one of the sides of the skull sending a shock wave in your head.…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brain Injuries In Football

    • 1303 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The awareness of brain injuries and the effects it has on a person during and after their football careers has to rise on all levels. All the untold facts has to be told to the world in order to prevent brain injuries. Every head collision effects the brain, it is very important that every person who participates in the game know that. Many concussions occur on every level of the game. Those concussions causes players brains to function differently forever. Repetitive head collisions can lead to the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. That disease can possibly lead to death. It is essential that the players of the game have a great reason to believe that they will not develop that disease. The people of America love football it is a great sport, but too many lives have been lost and too many lives have been altered negatively forever to allow the game to stay this way. Everyone affiliated with the game of football must help to create a safe game. It is imperative to the safety of the game and those who play the game for fun and for a living. The United States is a country of safety and freedom. Football is one of America’s most popular sports, it is essential that the sport is altered to ensure safety for all the players…

    • 1303 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Football helmets have always been designed to prevent and stop skull fractures. Now they have the same design and are trying to prevent concussions and professionals don't even fully understand concussions. “The majority of helmets are designed , tested and certified for linear compression only. They don't help/prevent violent twisting during angled impacts. The sharp twisting from angled impacts. The sharp twisting from angled hits increases the potential of…

    • 70 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To add further difficulty in creating a study, many mild-to-moderate cases of TBI (including concussions) are not reported. While current data indicates that helmets reduce impact forces to the brain, and therefore reducing the incidence of head injuries in general, studies have not translated into whether or not helmets reduce the rate or severity of concussions. There is hope in further helmet designs, but at this point, helmets cannot be proven to prevent concussions. (Hanna’s article) For example, in a study it was found that differences in between two models of helmets affect the ability to reduce concussion risk, thus leading to evidence of reduced injuries in relation to concussions although helmet design may never prevent all concussions (Chloe’s article). However, further study into these designs is needed, specifically into helmet designs that lessen acceleration over the continuum of impacts (chloe’s…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Causes Of TBI And Skiing

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Henry Marsh, neurosurgeon at St. George, argues that helmets can cause a rider to feel overconfident in their abilities, so this can also be taken to the opposite side. You always have to exercise common sense no matter what. Nowadays, a lot more skiers and snowboarders wear helmets to prevent a brain injury, but some people believe that helmets are foolproof. If you look at professional football players, however, you will see that this is simply not true. While wearing a helmet does reduce the risk of a fatality, the problem is that concussions occur when the brain bounces from the front of your skull to the back. For that reason, there is no real protection from a big hit. If you want real protection from a head injury, remember: it is not the helmet that protects you, it is the head. A helmet can do a lot to lower the risk, but you still should evaluate the risks of your…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays