Football helmets should not be used.

Pro has proposed a radical change to the protective equipment provided to NFL football players. The rationale for this change is that removing the helmet will reduce the illegal tackling technique called “spearing”, thus reducing the repetitive head trauma that leads to CTE, a debilitating brain injury that causes mental and psychological impairment that can lead to suicide.Pro has offered Rugby as a case study to demonstrate that a violent, helmet-less sport does not have a concussion problem. Since Rugby players do not have concussions, then the players in the NFL will alter the way they hit.Pro has suggested that the NFL players will “not lead with their heads” and “not use that much force in a tackle.”Does the prosecutions case hold wahta, Ms. Vito?Let’s recap, from the ground up.1. NFL Players will not change the way they hit nor will they reduce the amount of force in a tackle. These men are trained from the time they could walk to physically dominate an opponent. That’s the sport’s premise. I’m bigger, I’m stronger, I’m faster, I’m meaner, and I’m imposing my will on you. I demonstrated hits to the head occur on normal plays, not just targeting and spearing.Pro offered a video showing a vicious shot to the head by Duanta Robinson on Jeremy Maclin. Pro offered evidence that the player disregarded rules, ignored fines, and took deliberate steps to injure an opponent through spearing. Watching the video, the announcers pointed out that Duanta Robinson committed the exact same penalty and hit on a player on a player previously. Some players, like Duante Robinson, completely disregard their own safety to inflict damage when they see the opportunity. There is no thought, moral dilemna, or compassion. It's see hit, execute hit.James Harrison has been fined over $150,000 for illegal hits. [1] Ndamaokung Suh has been fined 8 times and is considered the “Dirtiest Player in the NFL” by his peers. [2]Players will see a vulnerability in their opponents’ head and target that vulnerability. Baseball pitchers throw bean balls. Hockey enforcers use high sticks and elbows against the boards. Players, in most contact sports, wear protective helmets because opponents attack their head. Reliance on an opponent reducing the potentially lethal force in a hit, out of the goodness of their heart and respect for sportsmanship, or their own self preservation, is naive and impractical. It will seem like a good idea, until a player dies from a blow to the head.2. Rugby does have a severe concussion problem.The perception that rugby players did not suffer concussions stems from the lax concussion protocol and under-reporting of concussion injuries. I provided study results that show Rugby players have concussion rates, after 2012 when new rules went into place, that equal or exceed American football players. Rugby tackle forms do not differ in any way from American football tackles. Good tackles are executed properly. Bad tackles lead with the head in Rugby as well. It’s the nature of physical contact that players will attempt to gain the greatest leverage and lower their center of gravity, placing the head in a dangerous contact zone.3. Removing the helmet without changing the equipment is more dangerous for player safety.In conclusion, I have countered claims to the underlying assumptions in Pro’s argument; that removing helmets will be effective in reducing CTE. Pro offers an idealistic, but impractical solution, to a severe problem facing many contact sports. Concussions are common in mens/womens soccer, hockey, football, and rugby. The common factor is not the use of helmets. The common factor is repetitive contact with the head causing internal damage to the brain. In football, the speed, size, and pure violence of the athletes means that the head requires protection from potentially lethal forces. What good is avoiding a concussion when a player is lying on the field with a fractured skull?Thank you for the interesting debate. I hope our readers enjoyed the discussion.[1] http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...[2] http://www.thesportster.com...