The closing argument of 99% Invisible's story on the history of the football helmet. Just before it, a researcher points out that well over 95% of American football players are children, not NFL pros.
Defenders of football will say that today, players know what they're getting into. They're taking a risk with eyes open and they're well paid for it. But this ignores a fundamental truth about the sport, that over a million children play tackle football in the United States.
…more than 95%, in fact, of football players are actually kids because most people don't play as adults. Most people don't end up making it into the NFL. So from my point of view, that's where the big public health issue is, is trying to understand injury and safety, particularly in youth sports.
Football Helmets are designed to keep players safe. And they also give us a permission structure to keep playing a game that's fundamentally unsafe. They make us care about specific teams with their colorful branding. And yet, they also help us ignore the human beings underneath the helmets. The people who are sometimes bearing terrible consequences for all of our amusement.
More with Chris Berube after this.
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