WERE LEATHER HELMETS BETTER?

WERE LEATHER HELMETS BETTER? I have posted a number of times on the use of the head by football players in making tackles. I began with this post which said that: “With better football helmets, the use of the head to make a hit, a kind of spearing with the helmet, has increased.” Although I was repeating a common assertion, it may be that the belief that modern helmets are better may be mistaken. Christopher Shea in the Wall Street Journal (November 19-20) called attention to a study (which is reported on here in Science Daily) comparing leather football helmets from 100 years ago and modern helmets. The study “compared head injury risks of two early 20th Century leatherhead helmets with 11 top-of-the-line 21st Century polycarbonate helmets.” The helmets were crashed together at various angles to simulate hits that are common in games and practices. The conclusion: “For many of the impacts and angles studied in the lab, the researchers found that leather helmets offered similar, or even better, protection than modern helmets.” Although modern helmets may be better at preventing skull fractures and severe brain injuries, they are apparently no better than the leather helmets at preventing concussion.