They look a little goofy. "Condom caps, mushroom heads—we've heard them all," says Erin Hanson, co-founder of the company that makes protective football helmets called Guardian Caps. "We just laugh, because we agree." As Wired explains, more important than how they look is how they function. And based on a new NFL vote of confidence, they function well. While the league previously mandated the use of Guardian Caps at all regular contact practices, this year they have allowed players to wear them in actual games. Considering that this is "a league known for policing every inch of player equipment to protect its image," writes Alex Prewitt, the nod of approval "doesn't just speak to their lab-tested utility (even if published, peer-reviewed on-field data remains lacking). It also reflects the urgency of the moment for football at large."
The story takes a deep dive into the league's "existential" concussion problems while providing background on the Guardian Caps. Hanson and her husband, Lee, scored their first real success when the University of South Carolina began using them in practices in 2013. Word—and usage—has been spreading ever since. The caps are foam-padded, but the piece digs into the physics and explains how the design's "sliding" effect reduces the magnitude of impacts. Only 10 NFL players have worn the caps in games this year, and while number that could grow, don't expect to see games filled with them in future years. The league sees the caps as merely a "transition" as it works on building a better helmet. Even so, the caps have "changed the NFL" in the interim, per Wired. Read the full story. (Or check out other longforms.)
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