The helmet that will save football. Or not?

[Skeptic]

When I played sandlot football as a kid, we had no equipment at all. I NEVER tackled with my head and I was never tackled by someone that put their head into me. We only used our shoulders, arms and hands, and protected our necks, noses, and heads.

I think a helmet that offered LESS protection would reduce injuries. This is ripe for analysis and hard data to support any such change, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest it's worth considering.

Nowadays they call it rugby.

But seriously, folks, keep in mind that the brain continues to move when the body abruptly stops, and it bangs against the skull. (I hate to get technical here, but ...) The point is that serious concussions have occurred when with a hard tackle to the torso , generally but not always head-on, stops a runner cold but the head snaps forward momentarily. I know of one situation when parents had a helmet constructed for their son so he could continue to play after a serious concussion -- I know, and I agree, it was stupid of them, incredibly so, but it is what happens when one lives their lives their through children -- yet the boy was tackled at the waist and almost killed with a concussion.

The fact is football is a dangerous sport. Our love of it is hard to reconcile but there it is. But I agree: take away all the protection and it would be a safer sport.

 

[33jacket]

Sure, then wait until someone ACTUALLY dies on the field with how big fast and strong players are now.

nah. Wont happen anymore than that does now

 

[bobongo]

take away all the protection and it would be a safer sport.

That would be like taking seat belts and padded dashboards (and air bags, headrests, etc.) out of cars to make driving safer. But we know that statistically, driving is much safer with them, not without.

 

[awbuzz]

here is the helmet that can save football; take away the facemask and hard shells and I gaurantee you remove many many brain injuries, sure there will still be some and more broken noses. But not as many.

otherwise forget it. The impacts that happen are due to secondary forces and no helmet that is hard at those speeds will stop a brain from banging around...

All true!

Kind of like the fall from a 50 story building isn't what kills someone... it's the sudden stop at the end that does it.

 

[Coloradojacket]

The number one concussion sport is rugby, which = football without helmets.

Not sure where you get this. The number 1 concussion sport is soccer now closely closing the gap is lacrosse. I played rugby for 10 years and never saw a player out with a concussion. In the game there are not as many hard tackles and hardly ever head to head. It hurts just as much to tackle as it does to be tackled.

 

[bobongo]

Not sure where you get this. The number 1 concussion sport is soccer now closely closing the gap is lacrosse. I played rugby for 10 years and never saw a player out with a concussion. In the game there are not as many hard tackles and hardly ever head to head. It hurts just as much to tackle as it does to be tackled.

I got it from statistics listed in the link to gtpi's post. They may be incorrect, but that's what I was referencing.

As far as soccer is concerned, I believe that could be fixed with one change - helmets for soccer players. End of problem. A soccer ball to the head isn't nearly as big a hit as you see in real football. Seems a simple helmet would do the trick. Maybe.

 

[Coloradojacket]

So for what it is worth here is my take on concussions in football. and yes I know that back in the past kids did not report as much on concussions.....we called it getting your bell rung.
1. Kids watch too much pro-football. I coached youth football for 4 years and had to constantly teach kids how to tackle and how to even block. They said well that is not how the Bronco's do it and I would say, yea great.
2. I believe that the creation off all this passing offense has created more concussions. When we used to run the ball the play was in a much more contained zone. Hard to build up speed in a phone booth. Also blocking was tught to be lower on the body as well as tackling lower.
3. Yea players are bigger and faster
4. No kick offs are not an issue. You see when they measure the stats on injuries in kickoffs they use a formula, injuries/plays. Naturally there are fewer kick plays.

 

[Skeptic]

That would be like taking seat belts and padded dashboards (and air bags, headrests, etc.) out of cars to make driving safer. But we know that statistically, driving is much safer with them, not without.

Well, the difference might be combined collision speeds of 120 mph and four tons of metal. Only a fool would lead with his head if it was not protected, and I played tackle football for years in my youth, bareheaded and barefooted. I don't recommend it, but one adapts to his environment. I never saw a serious injury until we put on the pads and helmets, and suddenly knees were blown out and concussions were sprayed about. Plus, if you like statistics -- and doesn't ever GT nerd? -- it would be safer because who the heck would play and who would watch the safer sport?