The Evolution of Safety Gear in American Football

It’s easy to recognize that we use American football gear for player’s safety. However, you may not have realized how far these safety gear advancements have come over the last century. Football safety equipment has only improved in the years, and for good reason.

From better padding to mandatory helmets, football is an extremely dangerous sport, but it can be made much safer for all players and staff to participate in. In this article, we’ll dive into the important aspects surrounding the evolution of safety gear in American football, including when safety gear was first used and how it evolved into better and safer football equipment over the years.

Football in the Olden Times

If we go as far back as the early 1900s, helmets weren’t even typically used in football until around 1920, when the first “hardened” helmet and leather pads were introduced to the sport. 

From 1930 onward to the late 1950s, equipment got more focused on retaining player health and safety, and they created the first set of foam pads and face masks (1940) before helmets transitioned from sole leather to a padded plastic hybrid (1950). By 1970, placing reinforced plastic on helmets, shoulders and chest pads was common, as opposed to the traditional leather.

It wasn’t until 1975 that facemask cages were incorporated as an addition to the newer plastic helmets. By the end of the 1900s, specifically in 1998, the first shield mask was introduced for eye protection. It was by the modern 2000s that the NFL began enforcing better safety measures for its players and other participants, particularly related to head-based impacts and blunt traumas.

Modern NFL Safety Measures and Equipment

Most modern NFL gear, helmets, pads, cleats, and all, has been designed with safety being the #1 priority. Most NFL helmets are specifically designed to prevent concussions as best as possible, with an outer shell made from polycarbonate that allows the helmet to be both lightweight and durable. The inner shell is made from polyurethane (foam) to absorb the shock of the impact and improve comfort.

The NFL always requires you to have a face guard cage, usually made from titanium, to provide solid facial protection. Padding on shoulders generally carries air bladders and other types of foam to absorb impact shock as best as possible.

Has the Safety of the Players Improved?

From the continued research into football player safety, we’ve seen a drastic transition from hardened leather-based equipment to a combination of various materials. Football has come a long way from wearing no helmets and minimal padding to as much as possible. Polycarbonate and foam-based equipment is generally the most common reliable impact-absorbing material used to take hard hits without its helmet or pad structure cracking. 

While the evolution of football safety equipment has gotten better, stronger, and more durable over the last century, safety programs have tried to preach the implementation and importance of this equipment as best they can. However, an important thing to consider is that while players might feel safer under the guise of reliable safety equipment, are the decisions made on the field less safe because of it? Another thing we’ve seen over the years is the increase in hard hits and the rise of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which may be partially because football players feel like they can hit harder with fewer repercussions due to their padding and safety equipment.