Actually, several years ago someone designed a football helmet with padding on the outside. It was highly effective in reducing injuries but the football establishment didn’t want it.
I suppose there is a many-way tension in the design of athletic helmets: make them easy to see out of but protect the face, light so they do not add neck stress but protective and cheap (for all those school kids) and now also not dangerous to others by being hard or pointy. Maybe something in leather?
One of my all-time favorite articles in “Mad Magazine” was how to make baseball meaner, tougher, more action-packed (and deadlier…….) You start out with a cannon ball instead of a baseball…………
There really is a two-edged sword here: On the one hand, football is a violent game and always has been (no less than Teddy Roosevelt, a pretty rugged guy himself, tried to ban it 100 years ago). On the other hand, players have gotten bigger, faster and stronger over the years, so a really big hit can all but maim an opponent (Sidney Rice is probably still hearing birdies tweet after Sunday’s game at Chicago). No easy solution.
That’s what makes rugby all the more remarkable because there’s almost no protective equipment among players beating the crap out of each other for two hours in that sport. Football fans are really missing the boat by not giving rugby a watch.
Linguist over 11 years ago
Cajun Butterscotch ? Is that like Hot Butterscotch ?
bwalk7217 Premium Member over 11 years ago
Actually, several years ago someone designed a football helmet with padding on the outside. It was highly effective in reducing injuries but the football establishment didn’t want it.
DavidGBA over 11 years ago
I suppose there is a many-way tension in the design of athletic helmets: make them easy to see out of but protect the face, light so they do not add neck stress but protective and cheap (for all those school kids) and now also not dangerous to others by being hard or pointy. Maybe something in leather?
MontanaPhil50 over 11 years ago
Why does the defense need helmets anyhow ;>}
Godfreydaniel over 11 years ago
One of my all-time favorite articles in “Mad Magazine” was how to make baseball meaner, tougher, more action-packed (and deadlier…….) You start out with a cannon ball instead of a baseball…………
Guilty Bystander over 11 years ago
There really is a two-edged sword here: On the one hand, football is a violent game and always has been (no less than Teddy Roosevelt, a pretty rugged guy himself, tried to ban it 100 years ago). On the other hand, players have gotten bigger, faster and stronger over the years, so a really big hit can all but maim an opponent (Sidney Rice is probably still hearing birdies tweet after Sunday’s game at Chicago). No easy solution.
That’s what makes rugby all the more remarkable because there’s almost no protective equipment among players beating the crap out of each other for two hours in that sport. Football fans are really missing the boat by not giving rugby a watch.