Saturday, September 16, 2017
Article Links:
http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-smith-new-helmet-reduces-concussions-2017-9
https://www.digitaltrends.com/health-fitness/vicis-zero1-lab-nfl/
Above are the two article links that you should read this weekend. Below are the discussion questions which we will go over in class:
Discussion Questions:
- Why do some coaches, like Jerry Jones, reject the idea that CTE exists?
- What injuries are similar to CTE in other sports teams?
- Why has it taken so long for safety technology to develop?
- What else should be done to help protect athletes in other sports?
- What are the challenges that lay ahead for the Vicis company and their Zero1 helmet?
Please answer at least one, you don't have to answer them all, but one paragraph in total should be the length.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think it has taken so long for safety technology to develop because the designers and creators have to put their product through so many tests to prove their product works before they can put it on the market for professional teams to buy. They must go through tests such as simulations of impact players would experience in a game to see how proficient the helmets are at protecting against head trauma. Also, there are more "mainstay" companies who produce protective gear which makes it hard for new companies to enter the market. Making really effective safety technology takes a long time, and putting it through all the tests also take up a lot of time. That plus not having a market in need of new technology has made it hard for more safety technology to develop quicker.
ReplyDeleteThe Zero1 took such a long time to develop, because the cause of the difficulty of preventing concussions. However, there must be more done to athletes in other sports such as soccer and cheerleading where the concussion rates are also extremely high. One thing that can be done is focus on neck exercises to limit the head motion on head traumas. This is because the strengthening of the neck has been proven in studies to help reduce concussions. The Zero1 developers need to make the helmet more appealing to the players to wear in order to become more successful. One way that they can do this is by sliming down the helmet size. This is because the apparent bulkiness of the current model is not appealing form players to wear from a style perspective.
ReplyDeleteI think Vicis and the Zero1 have come a long way, but they still have a ways to go. As a small startup company, making your way into the NFL is no easy task. Like the article said, companies like Ridell have already established players loyalty. If a player has had good experiences with Riddell's products, what would make them want to switch? I think the biggest challenge for the Zero1 is not only going to be getting its name out there, but establishing that it can compete with top of the line helmets.
ReplyDeleteI think that the innovation of helmet technology has fallen behind because of the fact that they must undergo a series of tests, trial and error, and to even be recognized by the big leagues such as the NFL. I think some struggles that could be in the way for complete success to Vicis is that the NFL already has strong ties with other companies, making it more difficult for the Zero1 to become huge quickly.
ReplyDeleteWhy has it taken so long for safety technology to develop?
ReplyDeleteI think it has taken a while since roughness and hard play in sports are what people seek for. The literal goal of numerous sports (Football, boxing, rugby, etc) is to hurt people, not to keep them safe. If no one was getting roughed up in these sports, to a lot of people, there would be no incentive to watch it. I personally love watching hard tackles in football or knockouts in boxing. It is the thrill and grittiness of the sport thats makes it's events entertaining and fun to watch. Right now, I think safety technology is becoming more prevalent in the sporting world since coaches are looking for ways to preserve their players as much as they can. Teams cannot afford to lose their star player(s) to potentially preventable injuries.
- What else should be done to help protect athletes in other sports?
ReplyDeleteThis is a very complicated question to answer in the state that it could be impossible. However it can be helped certainly. One of the main problems that goes on in sports is injuries with the knee, more specifically ACL, MCL and PCL. What can be done to prevent these injuries would be making a lightweight knee braces that doesn't restrict any movement. This would provide much more stability to knees and help athletes, who the main reason they don't wear braces now is because they are too big and bulky. If they were lightweight and wouldn't be any kind of distraction during the game, athletes would wear them and there would be much less knee injuries which have such a long and rigorous recovery process. Vicis is revolutionizing the NFL and I believe that a lightweight and efficient knee brace could revolutionize all sports.
The Zero1 helmet was an incredible creation. It is tough to market a newer and safer type of helmet to the NFL, because they already have popular equipment companies, but it is possible. So they need to market to the NFL, but also to younger players, because it is a concern of many that football isn't safe for their child to play, but maybe it would be more popular if parents knew about this helmet. This technology and idea should be spread to other sports such as baseball with batting helmets and hats in some situations because a 100 MPH ball coming towards your head can be life threatening. Pitchers and batters have had major brain damage and injuries from not having protective enough hats or helmets. Overall, Vicis is doing great, but they are not done yet.
ReplyDeleteFootball safety has always been an issue within the United States. For a very long time, studies have shown that the continual clashing of heads is very detrimental to the brain, and for a long time the NFL has done everything within its power to hide that fact. If the NFL had openly admitted the fact that CTE exists, many people would be turned off from football until further technology had been created to ensure the safety of the players. This option would cost millions of dollars as well as many talented athletes not interested in joining football. Zero1 still has the challenge of convincing the NFL and College football that protection is a priority, and money needs to be spent to ensure maximum safety for the players. Hopefully other sports will follow pursuit and seek safety measures to their games as well.
ReplyDeleteFootball is one of the best and most watched sports in the United States. Having a relativaly safe game should be a top priority. A big challenge that lays ahead for the Zero1 helmet is for it to be easier to wear and more "football friendly". By this I mean more slick and even a bit smaller if possible. Throughout the NFL CTE has existed but the NFL as a huge corporation was able to hide this fact for the normal viewers day in and out. CTE can be found in hockey or other violent sports with head to head contact. Athletes should be protected with new rules and ways to conduct the game in a safer manner.
ReplyDeleteThere is no question that with the Vicis company and their new Zero1 helmet will come across lots of challenges along the way. One of the biggest challenges will be getting players to switch from the traditional helmet that they are very comfortable with, to a new helmet that is a lot bigger. We see Alex Smith as well as Carson Wentz have already made the change to Vicis. I think another challenge is getting non quarterbacks to wear the Zero1 because due to having a bigger helmet it might move while a player is running a route therefore causing it to get in their way, like sight of the field. I think more quarterbacks will wear it because they usually just sit back in the pocket and will not be affected by movement as much. I do however think that the Zero1 is an incredible invention and will be great for football and protecting its players.
ReplyDeleteMore safe helmet designs and safety in general for physical contact sports like football has taken a while to develop because of technology. Football has been in America for over a century and there were never true studies on the brain to see what was happening to these players. This is the first part of the problem that set back the development of these products; you have to recognize that there is a problem past just pain in the head, the physicality of this sport is causing diseases in the brain. Then once this is finally being recognized, their needs to be the technology in order to truly study this and find out the problem and what can be done. Then crafting the new helmet begins. There are so many components that have to go into making this helmet scientifically that it takes a while. When you add all of these aspects together it is not something that is simple to study and improve, thus taking a while for these technologies to finally enter the sport. These diseases have not been truly recognized and agreed to be a danger until in the recent past.
ReplyDeleteAs of right now football is arguably one of, if not, the favorite sport to watch in America. Although in the past 15 years, the sport of football in general (not just the NFL) has been receiving lots of backlash due to health issues which comes along with that large amount of contact that takes place in the sport. Although, above all injuries that come from football, head injuries (Short term and Long) have affected the sport the most. This put lots of pressure on companies which produced football helmets because, they then had to further advance technology in helmets to prevent injuries. This pressure also created business competition between football helmet producers to create the perfect helmet, in order for their companies name to be advertised and eventually known nationally (and maybe even globally) as the safest helmet (best). These companies who fought and won this role then had even more pressure on themselves to maintain their position as best helmet producing company. At this point, the creator of the Zero1 helmet "Vicis" holds this role and are in a lot of pressure to keep the players wearing their helmet safe. As well as maintain their positions as the safest helmet company.
ReplyDeleteWell, according to Jerry Jones, there are not enough valid research being done to connect football to short or long term head injuries. However, Jerry does agree that there is a big problem with injuries and trying to prevent them, he doesn't believe that the research up to this point draws a clear relationship between football collisions and head injuries such as CTE. Jerry believes in trying to prevent injuries from happening, but wants there to be actual research backing the idea that head injuries like CTE are derived from collisions in football.
ReplyDelete- Why do some coaches, like Jerry Jones, reject the idea that CTE exists?
ReplyDeleteI think that NFL coaches and executives (Owners, General Managers) reject links between CTE and Football because they love the sport of Football and want it to keep on growing. Football is by far the most popular sport in America but that could soon start to decrease if links between CTE and Football become more evident. Jerry Jones has also said that he doesn't necessarily disagree with the links he just thinks there should be more evidence before people start making Football out to be a deadly sport. Jerry Jones is known as an avid Football fan and lover of the sport as he is the current owner of one of the most popular sports teams the Dallas Cowboys. It makes sense that he's trying to deny the links as of now but soon it's going to start to become more and more clear how CTE and Football are related and then he will not be able to deny the reports. Jerry Jones is also known as one of the most outspoken owners in the league and the statement that denies current reports that CTE and Football are related definitely confirms that position.
Why has it taken so long for safety technology to develop?
ReplyDeleteIt has taken so long because before concussions were well known about helmets were made to stop hits that could fracture a skull or hemorrhage. Helmets do a good job at doing that now but with a incline in likely hood that CTE is connected with concussions, There has to be a helmet (like the Zero1) that can reduce the likely hood of concussions.
- What are the challenges that lay ahead for the Vicis company and their Zero1 helmet?
I think some of their biggest challenges are making the helmet a little smaller and maybe sleeker and then after that i believe that most NFL teams would incorporate them into their regular season.
Why do some coaches, like Jerry Jones, reject the idea that CTE exists?
ReplyDeleteI think Jerry Jones and a lot of the executives in the NFL community reject the idea of CTE because of the economic backlash it could have on this multi billion dollar cooperation. The NFL and football has been engrained in American culture and is a huge part of American lives. Because of this, people buy merchandise, tickets, TV coverage, etc which all contribute to the profits of these executives and the NFL. If, CTE becomes a worry of football superstars and they begin to stop playing football for fear of future health issues, not as many people would be willing to watch or buy NFL gear. From the business side of things it's logical for Jones to deny the link of CTE to football. But, the evidence is clear, and the NFL needs to start initiatives to combat CTE and head injuries to protect it's players.
What else should be done to protect players?
ReplyDeletePersonally speaking, I don't know if there is a way to prevent concussions in the NFL. The new helmet made seems like a step in the right direction, but it is not a perfect solution. The NFL has put new rules in place over the past couple years to defend defenseless receivers along with other penalties to attempt to protect the players. All that can be done is further scientific studies to see what we can do to save the future of one of the best sports in American history. The future of the game is at risk and people are doing what they can to fix that with rules and new helmets for protection.
Why do some coaches, like Jerry Jones, reject the idea that CTE exists?
I think some coaches (or team owners like Jerry Jones) reject the idea that CTE exists because they love the sport of football and they don't want to see their sport vanish. People like them are willing to die on the field and some players feel that way as well.
Why has it taken so long for safety technology to develop?
ReplyDeleteIt's taken so long for safer technology to develop because not everyone believes in things like CTE. The NFL and other coaches have said that it doesn't exist. The helmets that have been used previously weren't meant to protect players when they were hit on contact. Previously the helmets were there for when they had a concussion. The people producing the helmets previously weren't focusing on player safety.
Why do some coaches, like Jerry Jones, reject the idea that CTE exists?
ReplyDeleteCoaches and owners may not want to admit that CTE exists because it directly attacks their lifestyle. Coaches may not want to admit that they are coaching grown men to go and sacrifice their body for a school or franchise when it could have major side effects on their mental health. For owners, it's quite obvious why they reject the idea of CTE: money. If future talented athletes see these studies now, they may choose to play basketball, baseball or soccer instead of risking head trauma and playing football. So, if in the future the Cowboys are made up of less explosive athletes, viewership and ticket sales of the NFL and the Cowboys themselves will go down and they won't make as much money. Even though the new helmets like Zero1 is a step in protecting players from head injuries it may be some time before there is a reduced risk from gaining head trauma in football.
For multiple reasons there had been many health concerns and violations against NFL players and now people are finally realizing it is a dangerous sport and realize that safety precautions need to be implemented. It has taken so long to develop the safety technology because of many reasons. One of the reasons is because various different sports teams and coaches have denied anything about CTEs, saying it is not real so the league can keep running and their players can keep playing. Another reason it has taken so long to develop this technology is because it has only been a noticed problem in recent years. The last reason it had taken so long to develop the safety technology is because football is a very random and wild sport that you can get hit from any angle so creating the proper technology is very difficult. Im glad to see that they are now using safety technology so there are less injuries in the future.
ReplyDelete