Helmets were not always standard gear until after World War II, some pioneering players wore primitive head covering as far back as the early 1900s. The earliest versions were made of soft leather and were designed to cover the ears. The flaps on the original head harnesses covered the ear completely. They were ridiculed for hindering communication on the playing field. The first helmets offering full protection of the skull and featuring holes in the earflaps were introduced between 1915 and 1917. The new flat-top caps were still made of soft leather and it offered some suspension, rather than resting directly on the skull. During the 1920s and 1930s, makers began to utilize harder leathers and some fabric cushioning …show more content…
That is about and average of 15000 hits in a 10 year playing career. That does not bring into account the amount of hits they take in pee wee, high school, and college football. Riddell has been at the forefront of the issue to try and help reduce concussions. The CDC has estimated that as many as 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year. (The Helmet that Can Save Football)
In 2002, Riddell developed a new Revolution helmet designed to reduce the incidence of concussion. Schutt Sports Group, the other major helmet manufacturer, followed suit with an improved helmet of its own called DNA. A three-year, Riddell-financed study of high-school players by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that the annual rate of concussion was 5.3 percent for players wearing the Revolution helmet and 7.6 percent for players wearing standard helmets. (10 Steps in the High-Tech Evolution of Pro Football …show more content…
The rotational movements of the brain inside the skull and the shearing forces affecting the upper reticular formation that create torque, which leads to the typical loss of consciousness. These forces also cause the brain to move in a swirling fashion and contact the inner prominence of the skull, particularly the petrous and orbital ridges and the wings of the sphenoid. Such movement makes the brain bump into the interior of the skull at the point of impact, as well as on the opposite side of the skull, resulting in bruises that damage the