Will Anti-Concussion Technology Prove a Hit?

ESPN has just pulled out of a Frontline PBS documentary on the NFL and head injuries. The documentary is to be titled “League of Denial”. By now, it comes as no surprise that the NFL has a serious problem. The game is as popular as ever but something will need to be done to address this problem. The billion-dollar NFL industry has ample resources to achieve the best of all worlds: relative safety while maintaining the excitement and physical contact that fans seemingly love.

One such device is a helmet sensor developed by Reebok (with GE also working on the problem), the purpose of which is to detect hits that cause concussions. This technology, called CheckLight, uses an LED light to alert coaches when the player is enduring a dangerous amount of trauma.

Another kind of helmet technology, currently in use, is a camera, which shows the incredibly violent nature of football. Adrian Peterson, a star for the Minnesota Vikings, has been wearing a helmet camera during practice. This technology will no doubt reveal the severity of the sport while validating the skills of the players. This never-before-seen perspective has also been used by the Patriots quarterbacks in training camp. People still comment on the Joe Theismann leg injury on Monday night football. That is a “hit” that changed his career and maybe the helmet cam will change football for the better.