Crusader

I think the helmets are needed but the technology has to be revolutionized. There is a new type of helmet on the way that I guess you could compare more to the deformation zones on a car. One that absorbs and diverts the impact. Read the article, I am really intrigued.

And on a personal level, I have played football since 1999 with 2 breaks, this year will be my last having played 15 seasons. I would lie if I said I wasn't a little worried how it will affect me having been in the trenches all this time.


"Dave Marver crouches in his Seattle office, brandishing two black football helmets that look pretty much alike. One is made by Riddell, the nation’s best-selling helmet manufacturer. The other is a prototype made by Vicis, the startup company for which Marver is chief executive.

He slams the crown of the Riddell model onto the concrete floor, producing the familiar violent crack of a strong safety blindsiding a wide receiver. Then Marver bangs his own company’s helmet down. The sound it makes is a flat, squishy thump—not something likely to thrill the average National Football League fan. Marver grins. “It’s up to us,” he says, “to make thump cool.”

This Football Helmet Crumples?and That?s Good

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

saintsfan1976

The Rugby argument is a good one but the forward pass would change that sport dramatically.

Leather? No.
Technological advances? Maybe.
More penalties? No. Even with replay these jokers get it wrong.

At the end of the day this is a hazard of the job.

SaintGup

The helmet stops fractures and cuts to the head, no matter what kind of helmet you produce, it will not stop CTE. Until you can put a protection inside the skull and around the actual brain, there will never be a cure, only minimised risk. If the the head is moving at speed and suddenly stopped, the brain will hit the inside of the skull. But now we all know the risks it comes down to choice. And as with smoking, if you know the risks and choose to still do it, don't ***** to the cigarette companies when you become ill.

vpheughan

Watch any college game. The first guy makes the hit, the following guy comes in and "spears" the tackled player. That is taught behavior.

saintsfan1976

The "big tobacco" of our next generation will be food companies.

Monsanto at the top of that list...