Football Helmets Advance in Technology, and Rise in Price.

Football related concussions have been on the rise for over the past decade. On average 1.7 to 3 million sport and recreation related concussions happen each year. Out of those, 300,000 are from football.

A little known fact is that though football helmets are a protective equipment used by every player, they cannot completely prevent concussions. A football helmet’s purpose is to reduce the risk of head traumatic injuries 

So, what are experts doing to help lower this number?

There have been great advancements in football helmet technology that still cannot prevent concussions, but can detect hits in real time that have a high chance of concussing the player. 

This is referring to Riddell’s Insite Smart Helmet Technology. This advancement in technology collects individual impact profiles that can analyze a hit, a technique, and performance adjustments that help coaches correct the players actions to prevent injury. 

While this helmet technology could be useful for players, how costly is it for a program?

“A new helmet is going to cost in the neighborhood of $400,” said Eric Sholtis, Athletic Director at Athens City Schools. “The number for our helmet reconditioning, which you don’t legally have to do

every year, but you should do every year, is gonna cost roughly $100 a helmet.”

“So just to put it in perspective, a helmet is going to cost around $400, and then it’s going to cost $100 per year per kid,” said Sholtis. “So that’s $700 a helmet is going to cost for a kid for four years.” 

The Athens Wildcats High School Football Team had 44 students on their roster in 2022. That’s $4,400 yearly just for helmet refurbishment. If that stands as an average for all high schools, it can get costly adding the sensors to the helmets which cost $75 per helmet. 

“We don’t purchase the sensor in the helmet for impact,” said Tim Cope, Athletic Director at Champion

High School. “It’s just too expensive.”

“We do have all helmets and shoulder pads reconditioned yearly,” said Cope. “ But, we do try to cycle the older helmets out for the newer style.”

As of right now there is no clear cut way to prevent concussions in football, but the technology is advancing in that direction. The main issue with today’s technology is the cost of the equipment. So, for football to become a safer sport, the equipment needs to become more accessible. 

“The best way for our school to get the new helmet sensors would be through funding,” said Cope. “If the NFHS and OHSAA made it mandatory, I would have to budget the extra costs.”

“This would put additional burdens on the school’s athletic budget,” said Cope. “It would force smaller school districts like us into making a decision to offer football or not because of the extra costs to operate.”

For smaller districts, increase in helmet technology prices put them in a tough position. Where a school has to decide whether to improve the safety of their athletes, or dissolve the sport as a whole.

“What has to be decided is if the technology will eliminate the risk of a head injury or help diagnosis,” said Cope. “I feel that prevention is the key and that comes from training and coaching. You cannot put a price tag on someone’s safety.”

Football related concussion has doubled in the last decade. Helmet technology advances every year, but so does the cost. How is this affecting schools? Find out in my new story at https://t.co/kxkLS20yEM

— Nicholas Clementi (@Nclementiksu) December 15, 2022