"LEATHERHEADS"

The first few football games I watched this week, the announcers discussed the new

rule concerning helmets. If a player has his helmet knocked off during a play, the player must leave the game for one play. Some people may disagree with this because it could potentially take a team's best player out for one play, or longer, if the player actually sustained a head injury during the process of his helmet being knocked off. 

          During the fall of my sophomore year, I took an injury prevention class. It was similar to an athletic training class. I learned how to correctly tape an ankle if an injury occurs, how to check different parts of the body to determine what a specific injury has occurred, and just an overall about how to prevent injuries. It was my favorite class to date. During the semester I had to pick articles on any type of sport and anything about the sport. Well, all my articles had to do with football. Shocker, I know. One article I found was very interesting. The article is titled "Why Leather Football Helmets Could Provide a Better Defense Against Concussion." I know what you are thinking. There is no way a leather football helmet can cause less concussions. Well, here is my review of the article, and I hope you can see why it might have been a mistake to change from "leatherheads" to the helmets we have today.

Carole Phillips

Article 4

November 13, 2011

Gregory, Sean. "Why Leather Football Helmets Could Provide a Better Defense Against Concussion." time N/A (2011): n. pag. www.healthland.time.com. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

          I found this article on leather football helmets versus modern day football helmets. I never understood how football used to be played only wearing leather helmets. My grandfather could literally fold his football helmet up and put it in his pocket. That is insane compared to the football helmets we have today. While reading the article called ‘Why Leather Football Helmets Could Provide a Better Defense Against Concussion’, some very interesting points were discussed.

          One researcher stated “leaderheads” do a better job of reducing concussions from lower hits to the head. One reason behind this is the stiffness of today’s helmets. Our modern day helmets do not do as well of a job absorbing the energy from lower helmet hits. So, not absorbing this energy would move the head, skull, and brain any which direction causing concussions. The “leatherhead” helmets do a much better job absorbing this energy from the blow since they fit so tight on the head.

          Another aspect discussed was that back in the day when “leatherheads” were worn, using your head as a defensive weapon was not very common. Today, when making tackles most defensive players use their helmets first, instead of tackling the correct way. My dad and I counted in the Auburn versus Clemson game from 2010, there were eleven helmets knocked off due to helmet to helmet hits. “Leatherhead” players were forced to use their own body’s more then their heads. It seems today that using your own head to make a tackle is the new technique.

          This article might have been one of the most interesting ones I have read. I just always believed “leatherhead” players, played with the same force as football players do today. The article concluded by saying “leatherheads” will definitely not be used again because players would not adjust how they tackle, and many fatalities would happen. It would be interesting to see today how “leatherheads” would impact the game of football that we are all used to today.