Bobbleheads have recently become all the rage among collectors of sports souvenirs. Those oversized craniums, wobbling on springs as if Parkinson’s disease were desirable in a doll, are a pleasant diversion when perched on your mantel or flanking your computer monitor.
They’re funny not just because of their striking ugliness, but because they point beyond themselves to some disturbing home truths—at least the football bobbleheads do. In real life, the craniums of 300-pound linemen are incredibly vulnerable, despite appearances. Blows to the head, no matter how thick the skull or its natural padding, can lead to serious brain injuries, most commonly concussions. They are the type of injuries that can cut short careers. Thus the most recent attempts to improve the safety of football players have focused on helmet technology—specifically, efforts to make the headgear lighter, stronger, and cooler.
“It’s a question of simple physics,” said Vikings tight end Hunter Goodwin. “A lot of concussions are caused by a whipping effect of the head and neck, and with less weight to propel, there’s less whipping.”
Goodwin is one of a handful of Vikings wearing the most modern version of protective lids. After a four-year study of both head-on and lateral collisions, Riddell Sports introduced the Revolution.
The most noticeable difference is its size—if you thought Jim Kleinsasser, Bryant McKinnie, or Chris Claiborne appeared a bit bubbleheaded this year, you’re right. The Revolution’s shell is bigger than standard models, to accommodate extra padding. It’s also got six oval-shaped holes across the crown to provide better ventilation, and it wraps around the mandible to protect the jaw.
Goodwin said that after years of little change in helmet technology, Bike—a competitor of Riddell—came out with a space-age prototype that he tested in 2000, when he played with the Miami Dolphins. “I was the players’ association rep in Miami, and in a players’ union meeting the safety issues were discussed,” he said. “We saw the results of the tests between the Bike and the old Riddell helmet, and that made it a conscious decision for me.”
Riddell introduced the Revolution at Super Bowl XXXVI, where Rams fullback James Hodgins was the first player to wear it in a game. Riddell made the Revolution available to the rest of the NFL in time for the 2002 season. Other companies are working on similar models. Schutt Sports unveiled a new brain-bucket at the Army-Navy football game a couple weeks ago. Schutt claims its helmets borrow from technology used in the Army, meaning we’ve come full circle since John T. Riddell allowed the U.S. government to borrow his patented suspension helmet design in 1939 to protect Allied troops in combat.
The suspension model—an unpadded plastic shell literally suspended above the player’s head by crisscrossing straps—was still the helmet of choice in 1975, when equipment manager Dennis Ryan joined the Vikings staff. In fact, Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton was one of the last to change to a padded helmet, and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page never did make the switch.
“When Page went to Chicago, I think we had to send his helmet there, which they painted blue,” Ryan said. “He also wore an aluminum face mask. They bent a lot, and what was scary is, they would collapse. There were a couple of times where you wondered if you were going to get the helmet off the player’s head, they would be smashed in so far.”
So even though the old helmets were good enough to protect the bean of a future supreme court justice, one would have to be pretty thick to deny that today’s models are a decisive upgrade. But it’s still too early to tell if the Revolution has helped reduce concussions league-wide. “It’s tough to say one helmet is better than another,” Ryan said.
Of course, the lack of data—scientific or anecdotal—is both a blessing and a curse. How can you tell which blows should have caused a concussion, but didn’t, thanks to the new helmet? “I haven’t noticed anything, but I guess that’s a good thing,” said Revolution-wearing Vikings tackle Mike Rosenthal. “It must be working.”—Patrick Donnelly
Leave a Reply Cancel reply