Tag: football helmet

No Safer Helmet Says Report

Football-HelmetFootball season is in high gear. But there is some sobering news out that suggests that when it comes to younger players there is no such thing as a “safer” helmet. The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted the findings of a study last week that found there are about 40,000 sports-related concussions in high school football each year! This may occur from misdiagnosis in-game, but the study noted that that it is unlikely that the players’ equipment factored in. The study involved 1,332 football players at 36 high schools during the 2012 football season. What the study did find was that the more expensive helmets may not be offering enhanced protection.

In the abstract, “Association of Helmet Brand and Mouth Guard Type with Incidence of Sport Related Concussion in High School Football Players,” researchers tested various mouth guard brands, including custom-fit mouth guards, and new and older football helmets.

“Our preliminary findings suggest that neither any specific brand of football helmet nor custom mouth guards result in fewer concussions in kids who use them,” said lead co-investigator Margaret Alison Brooks, MD, MPH, FAAP. “Despite what manufacturers might claim, newer and more expensive equipment may not reduce concussion risk. So is it worth the significant extra cost to families and schools?”

[Press Release: Can the ‘right’ helmet prevent concussions?]

Safety First

SG-HelmetsBill Simpson is known as the “godfather of safety” within the auto racing industry and he has taken his knowledge with Simpson Performance Products and Impact! Racing to the gridiron. He is looking to transform football the way he did with racing.

The result is SG Helmets, a football helmet manufacturing company that he created with former CART driver Chip Ganassi. Unlike typical football helmets the SG Helmets are unique in the sense that the liner is made from a blend of expanded polypropylene foams, and thus forms one continuous pad throughout the inside of the helmet, leaving no space unpadded. SG Helmets further weigh about half as much as an average football helmet, relieving unnecessary stress on players heads, necks and shoulders.

SG Helmets Official Website

U.S. Naval Academy Researchers Look to Improve Brain Buckets

The military has often created new technology that trickles down to everyday products, and now researchers at the U.S. Naval Academy may have paved the wave towards making a more robust helmet. However, this isn’t a military helmet, although there is no reason why their research couldn’t help soldiers on the battlefield, but rather a football helmet.

Physicist Murrary Korman and student Duncan Miller reportedly developed a simple experimental model to study helmet-to-helmet collisions – the types that happen regularly during a football game. The pair were able to get a pair of helmets from the football program and then created a ring of plastic that was just a 16th of an inch and six inches in diameter (about the size of an average skull) to place inside. Continue reading U.S. Naval Academy Researchers Look to Improve Brain Buckets

Riddell Donates Helmets to Youth Football Programs

Riddell is donating 1,000 new Riddell Revolution Speed football helmets to youth football leagues in need of new equipment. Many school and league programs have too many kids participating in the program, or the equipment costs are too much to keep up with. Unfortunately, it’s the kids who are put in jeopardy when teams use old equipment. Continue reading Riddell Donates Helmets to Youth Football Programs