How do I implement the changes that I call forth?
What I am going to be focusing on in the next couple of class periods is the implementation of each product that I want to introduce into the game.
So to start, I will begin with everything that falls underneath my equipment and technology sub-field and the things I want to implement within that field.
I want to re-iterate the fact that there isn't a perfect solution to the problem. Can concussions ever go away from the game of football? No. Injuries are a part of the game, injuries are really a part of life, you can get injured no matter what you are doing. However, the key concept that I am trying to make clear is that the status quo is not acceptable. And it is honestly a down right shame that I have to make that clear. Fans of the game of football don't think that's a true statement. "The players know what they are signing themselves up for." I'm sorry. No. No they do not. And why am I so certain about the fact that no football player knows what they are getting themselves into? It is because we are dealing with the brain. No one, not even medical professionals, knows the risks and the degree of risks of brain damage in professional football. The brain is the least known part of the human body. It is also the most important part of the human body. To make matters worse, each generation of athletes become more and more athletic. I mean this is a fact, just look at world records for marathons or the hundred yard dash throughout the last century. They progressively get shorter and shorter in time. We live in an era where a 6'3, 245 lbs linebacker that runs a 4.45 forty can collide with a return specialist that can run a 4.3 forty. Where the NFL messed up is not in its attempt to change the game, but rather in the fact that the NFL is reacting to problems that have been around for a generation and that might be too little, too late.
First off:
MIPS - A proactive, rather than reactive, solution to the concussion crisis.
I've already talked in great depth about MIPS as a helmet and what it brings to the table. Here is a quick summary of the helmet itself:
The idea behind MIPS is simple: The plastic layer sits snugly on a player’s head beneath the padding. By allowing the head to float during an impact, MIPS can eliminate some of the rotational force before it makes its way to the brain.
Implementation. Here is my preliminary thoughts on going about implementing MIPS in the game of football:
1) Data collection and analysis has been already done by the Swedish institution that developed MIPS. Therefore, MIPS has already been scientifically proven to be a possible solution to the concussion crises. This is a preliminary task that has already been done and must be known.
2) There needs to be comparable data. Numbers are what talk to people, so a comparison of concussion rate before and after MIPS helmets will be crucial in solving the problem. This will be a problem because no lower league football teams have concussion data because of plain ignorance.
3) To begin implementation, select elementary, middle, and high school football teams within
selected school districts from throughout the country must sign a contract that requires them to utilize MIPS helmets in their future endeavors as a football program. Teams will compete against each other using the helmets and concussions will be monitored.
4) After a few years of data collection, it is expected that MIPS will show a vast decrease in the concussion rate. By then, it will not be a surprise of the data can easily persuade football at the college and professional level to implement MIPS as the NCAA and NFL will be under intense scrutiny if they were to ignore, what would be at that time, a public outcry.
5) The NFL and NCAA can start preliminary testing by using MIPS helmets during training and the preseason.
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