TECHNOLOGY IN SPORTS Ryan Schmadel, Bryan Pforte, Kevin Corley
SAFETY IN FOOTBALL
NFL SCRUTINY � The NFL has been under a lot of scrutiny the past few years involving their former and current players health � 18,000 former NFL players took part in the lawsuit which settled for $765 million � 4,500 of those players blame their head injuries on the NFL � Most of these athletes suffer from dementia, depression or Alzheimer's
The Business Side
COST OF EQUIPMENT � It costs about $1,000 to suit up for a football game in the right equipment � Helmet- $340 � Shoulder pads- $350 � Thigh pads- $25 � Knee pads - $15 � Cleats- $120
EQUIPMENT CONTRACTS � From 1989-2013 the NFL had an exclusive sponsorship deal with Riddell with the helmets and shoulder pads the players wore. � Riddell no longer has exclusive rights due to many lawsuits from former NFL players over concussions � The NFL reached a $765 million settlement with former players � Xenith took advantage of the non-exclusive deal between the NFL and Riddell and now sells equipment to the NFL as well � Riddell is still the leading seller bringing in $60 million as Xenith brought in $10 million
ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
HELMETS � The NFL has begun to change the design and material of helmets � The goal of the new design is to reduce the impact in the narrow space between the outside of a helmet and a player's head � The flexible outer shell made from a bendable plastic and ends with an inner shell and liner that are meant to provide a more customized fit around the head � The outer shell is the core layer, which is comprised of hundreds of flexible columns that act like shock absorbers
SAFER PRACTICES � The NFL has began looking into these machine based practice dummies � These machines can go up to 25-30 mph and can move in any direction and can make sharp turns just like a NFL player � These machines will give players live action without the risk of injuring a teammate and lessen the risk of injuring oneself � There is no helmet to helmet contact and no physical toll on the body during practices and leaves players more fresh for games � These machines go for about $3500
SAFER TURF FIELDS � There is now turf with shock pads placed underneath � Shock pads will absorb some of the impact from when players land after a hit, or the force from them running and changing directions � With padding underneath, players will also have better traction which will reduce injuries � Requires less maintenance than real grass
EQUIPMENT THROUGH THE YEARS
CLEATS � Cleats in the NFL used to be referred to as boots in the early stages of the league � First cleats weighed about 31 pounds � When these cleats were wet, they nearly doubled in weight � Modern day cleats weigh about 0.5 pounds
SHOULDER PADS
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