Many sports rely on protective helmets to prevent serious injuries to the head. This is especially relevant for high-impact sports such as football. The football helmet has come a long way since its early production. With a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that as many as 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries occur each year, the football helmet continues to evolve with increasing technological improvements.
Early Beginnings
The first football helmets were used in 1896. Football helmets were not seen as necessary pieces of equipment because early forms of football were not as tackle-based. With the introduction in 1888 of tackle football with legal hits below the waist, protection became more important. Unfortunately, most protection was pad based, with helmets the last accepted piece of equipment. However, the football helmets of the late 19th century provided no where near the protection that football helmets do today. Early helmets were made from leather or moleskin and provided only minor padding and very little protection for major hits.
Regulation
Although helmets were introduced in 1896, helmets were not required until 1939 for college players and 1943 for professional football. These requirements were largely due to the involvement of organizations such as the National Football League. As helmets became mandatory, a new focus was made on designs to both increase functionality and safety of the helmet. For example, the leather became padded and ear holes were made to allow for better communication while on the field. As regulation increased, including the involvement of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment Standards, fatal head injuries dropped by 74 percent, along with a dramatic drop in general head injuries, according to research performed by the Division of Neurosurgery, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine
Competition
Helmet design really took off as more manufacturers entered the market to get a piece of the profit from the new helmet regulations. Healthy competition pushed manufacturers to find new ways to raise helmet standards, resulting in large amounts of money going toward research to improve helmet designs, such as changing materials from leather to hard plastic shells in 1939 by the Riddell company, and the introduction and increase of shock-absorbing padding.
Modern Technology
With the invention of computer technology, helmet manufacturers had new ways to test helmet designs and explore new technology to put inside each helmet, especially for professional play. Today's helmets employ several pieces of technology designed to better protect football players. New materials have allowed lightweight and strong shells made from polycarbonate alloys, and face masks made from a vinyl coated steel alloy. Even the overall design of the helmet has been changed to a more spherical shape to reduce concussions. New "hits" technology records the impact, magnitude and location of head strikes during a football game. The helmet then provides the information to professionals to study football impacts and further prevention and treatment of head injuries, especially concussions.
References
- Popular Mechanics: 10 Steps in the High-Tech Evolution of Pro Football Helmets
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine: Birth and Evolution of the Football Helmet
- ABC News: Ready for Some Football & and Concussions?
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Concussion in Sports
- Riddell: Hits Technology
Member Comments