Saturday, October 27, 2007
Evolution of the football helmet - and players
A former Harvard quarterback has developed a new football helmet designed to reduce concussions. Hope it works. Concussions are a real problem in the sport. But I have a suggestion that might work in conjunction with new helmets: weight limits for football players. They do it at the pee-wee level. Why not for high school, college and pro players? OK, maybe not for pro players. They're adults. But football players in general have become almost physical freaks of nature. They're bigger, faster and stronger than ever -- and keep getting bigger, faster and stronger. The increasing size, speed and strength of players contribute to injuries too. Olympic-style wrestling has weight limits and weight categories. So does boxing. Football should have them as well -- especially at the high-school level. ...
FYI: I've been thinking about this issue ever since attending a high-school football game a few years back. Glancing at the players and then at the program, I was shocked at the size of players -- many of them weighing 225 pounds and up. In high school! ... Think of all the weight-related ailments these players will inevitably develop down the road -- from bad knees to diabetes. ... These are the rough limits I'd consider: High school, 215 pounds; college, 250 pounds; pros, whatever, though a cap of 275 to 300 pounds wouldn't be unreasonable at all.
Update -- Scott has more on Xenith LLC. The company's web site is here. ... Hope their helmets are more practical than their web site. ...
A former Harvard quarterback has developed a new football helmet designed to reduce concussions. Hope it works. Concussions are a real problem in the sport. But I have a suggestion that might work in conjunction with new helmets: weight limits for football players. They do it at the pee-wee level. Why not for high school, college and pro players? OK, maybe not for pro players. They're adults. But football players in general have become almost physical freaks of nature. They're bigger, faster and stronger than ever -- and keep getting bigger, faster and stronger. The increasing size, speed and strength of players contribute to injuries too. Olympic-style wrestling has weight limits and weight categories. So does boxing. Football should have them as well -- especially at the high-school level. ...
FYI: I've been thinking about this issue ever since attending a high-school football game a few years back. Glancing at the players and then at the program, I was shocked at the size of players -- many of them weighing 225 pounds and up. In high school! ... Think of all the weight-related ailments these players will inevitably develop down the road -- from bad knees to diabetes. ... These are the rough limits I'd consider: High school, 215 pounds; college, 250 pounds; pros, whatever, though a cap of 275 to 300 pounds wouldn't be unreasonable at all.
Update -- Scott has more on Xenith LLC. The company's web site is here. ... Hope their helmets are more practical than their web site. ...
