[neverdem]

Don Jedlovec
Santa Clara player Bonnie Bowman wears protective headgear during a game. Her team plays in the N.C.A.A. quarterfinals on Saturday.

Associated Press
North Carolina's Elizabeth Guess, right, and Santa Clara's Micaela Esquivel tried to head the ball in an N.C.A.A. playoff game Nov. 20.

Kevin Rivoli for The New York Times

Patrick Fisher, product manager for Full90, modeling the headgear that the company sells to soccer players. The device weighs less than 2 ounces.

[lepton]

"I'd challenge any of these doctors who feel this has no value to run into the goal post without a Full90 and with it, then tell me, if they were forced to do it a third time, whether or not they would wear it," said Dorrance, whose team is also sponsored by Full90.

With or without, why run into a goal post?

[kdot]

I actually had a parent give me the, "If it saves just one child..." argument.

[Bernard]

Patient: "Doctor, Doctor - it hurts when I do this!"

Doctor: "Don't do that!"

What a great way to treat a symptom and not solve a problem. It's obvious to me that a small child should not deliberately hit themselves in the head with a ball. If the smaller age-groups would just not allow headers, this would not be a problem. And if anybody produces medical proof that nobody should header a soccer ball, just outlaw the move.

[festus]

I thought the whole point of soccer was to get the little ones to smash their brains to mush with the ball so they'd grow up to be good little commies like the countries where soccer comes from.

Headgear will defeat that whole object.

This will never stand.

[Tallguy]

If heading a soccer ball is really that dangerous....may I suggest the Nintendo version? (Sarcasm)

Seriously, the headgear looks more like a padded headband. I wonder just how effective that it would be. Many serious concussions are really caused by the whipping action to the cervical vertibrae of the neck. A little padding on the noggin isn't going to prevent that. This looks like more of a girls' fashion statement than a serious piece of athletic equipment.

[soccer_linux_mozilla]

The downside, as I see it, is that if they achieve wide adoption or even by those who elect to use them, there is a very real possiblity that they will effect certain player's play. Like shinguards, knee pads, etc. there will be players who will use them for more agressive contact. Rather than head contact being a painful accident, players with protective gear, may integrate it into their playing style, which, as in football and hockey, could theortically increase the number and seriousness of injuries the headgear was developed to prevent.

[soccer_linux_mozilla]

Manufacturer's website

http://www.full90.com/

[Squantos]

Me thinks Ryans getting a fine little cut of the gazillion to be made from such mandates.......

[Colonel_Flagg]

Peter Schilperoort, president of the association, said headgear prevented bumps and cuts previously suffered by his players, calling the equipment "the best thing since sliced bread."

I've coached youth soccer. If Mr. Schilperoort's association has had head injuries to u-8 players, then he has more worries than just helmets.

At that level players should be honing basic skills and learning to play safely and fairly, not causing blows to the head. Now, I'm well aware that at that age most soccer is just a scrum around the ball and accidents happen, but proper coaching is key to that.

[Casloy]

It's soccer, who cares.

[Thinkin' Gal]

There's a joke in here somewhere.

[Andy from Beaverton]

[Slehn]

Playing men's indoor soccer about twelve years ago, I took a very hard and straight on shot from a ball I was heading and was momentarily dazed. I continued to play, however, and finished the game without incident. A few days later a co-worker noticed that my right pupil was noticeably smaller than the left. I went to a Henry Ford Hospital medical center in Troy, MI and they immediately recommended that I go downtown to the main hospital where I was admitted through emergency and diagnosed with a dissection of the right carotid artery. I was told that type of injury is almost invariably the result of head trauma and usually associated with auto accidents. The only trauma inflicted on my head was by that soccer ball.

My recovery was complete and though that was my last soccer game, I'm more physically active now and in better shape than at any time in my life. If I were to give soccer another try, I think I'd want to give something like this a try.

[JohnnyZ]

Looks a lot better on the chicks ....

[Charles Henrickson]

whether heading the ball can cause concussions or long-term brain impairment. . . .

Exhibit A:

[Clemenza]

Men who play soccer squat when they pee...

Girls who play soccer wear comfortable shoes...

[groanup]

Okay, I have been watching this thread creep across FR for two days. First of all, who cares? Second, no. Your head will not be damaged by a soccer ball. If it could be you should play baseball.

[Jagman]

Soccer Headgear: Does It Do Any Good?

No. Next Question: Diana's Deathly confession -- Good for England or a spanner in the works?

[jrpascucci]

I split my head wide open on a goal post back in the early 80s, shooting for a close up goal, slipped and rammed headlong into the post - conked out for a few seconds, I'm told, but I was fine, just a few stitches and a surprising amount of blood, but it was right on the top of my head - these things wouldn't have helped at all.

In retrospect, I have no idea if I scored or not. Never thought about it before.

Although this might explain my later-in-life conversion to conservativism, I think on balance it didn't have any significant impact. I don't feel it's good to nerf the world, and it's not like this is going to stop broken necks or blown knees - soccer's popularity would decrease significantly if soccer players ended up having to don a similar head-gear as our more moronic and self-destructive cousins in the human family (cyclists, I mean...).

Seems to be a slippery slope - some kid gets hurt while wearing one of these, and they compensate for that, adding more and more protection. Eventually, soccer players will be wearing airbags (pre-deployed, for your protection) and waddling around the field after the nerfed out ball.

Anyway, if you want to fix a sport with a high rate of injuries, those curling guys are off the hook: http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/38/5/e29

:-)

[pfcal]

i have a big question, why not? If it protects your kid without hindering the game why wouldn't you? we protect our shins but not our heads...kind of weird. Having suffered numerous concussions while playing at UC-Berkeley and briefly in the MLS I still have lingering effects from all those concussions. if this was around when i was playing in college it would have saved myself a lot of pain and hardship not to mention the vast amount of $$$ thousands spent by the University on MRI's, CT Scans etc... out of 27 players on our team i can gurantee you that each one us had at least 1 concussion if not more each year. the fact is soccer is the only sport where we use our head and expose our head to other heads without any protection... kind of silly. Last question why would some of the best players and teams in the world use this if it did not help especially in the World Cup and 2004 Olympics? Pro-athletes never want to hinder their performance and i know i would never wear something like this if it didn't help. I guess what i am saying is that it is novel that some of the best players in the world are wearing head protection but too many parents are concerned kids might look weird or not want to wear it at first. just look at women's lacrosse and eye goggles at first no one wanted to wear them and now everyone is...just makes sense