Late in his team’s game against the Green Bay Packers on September 15, Indianapolis Colts tight end Kylen Granson caught a short pass over the middle of the field, charged forward, and lowered his body to brace for contact. The side of his helmet smacked the face mask of linebacker Quay Walker, and the back of it whacked the ground as Walker wrestled him down. Rising to his feet after the 9-yard gain, Granson tossed the football to an official and returned to the line of scrimmage for the next snap.
Aside from it being his first reception of the 2024 National Football League season, this otherwise ordinary play was only noteworthy because of what Granson was wearing at the time of the hit: a 12-ounce, foam-padded, protective helmet covering called a Guardian Cap.
Already mandatory for most positions at all NFL preseason practices, as well as regular-season and postseason practices with contact, these soft shells received another vote of confidence this year when the league greenlit them for optional game use, citing a roughly 50 percent drop in training camp concussions since their official 2022 debut. Through six weeks of action this fall, only 10 NFL players had actually taken the field with one on, according to a league spokesperson. But the decision was easy for Granson, who tried out his gameday Guardian Cap—itself covered by a 1-ounce pinnie with the Colts logo to simulate the design of the helmet underneath—in preseason games before committing to wear it for real.
No, we actually didn’t stop doing it. You probably haven’t heard of it because fewer people no enjoy watching it.
I watched numerous jousting matches in my life.
What we did stop was pretending it’s real combat. Today’s jousting matches are more like pro wrestling, where the bruises are real, but the outcome is scripted.
I mean that’s cool about jousting, but I think you’re missing the point. Which I don’t believe was about jousting specifically.
Maybe they should have referred to how we used to watch lions eat humans for sport in the colosseum. Popular shit from what I understand. Should we keep doing that because people liked it?
Public executions are another one…
You’ve watched numerous safe modern versions of “jousting” put on by SCA groups. That is not jousting.
But hey, you want scripted football, be my guest. People won’t get so badly hurt.
I want no football at all, thank you.
It’s the most boring sport possible, and designed to maximize the opportunity for commercial breaks.
I will completely agree about the commercial breaks. Professional American sports are nothing but commercial cash grabs as it is, college is headed the same way.
Dangerous sports may be the issue in the near future, commercials & betting may prove more damaging to sports than injury ever will.
Ok, well my point to the person I replied to is that we stopped doing dangerous and stupid sports.
“Jousting” that’s scripted is not what I was talking about. I was talking about the real thing. Especially the kind involving quintains, because, again, it was dangerous and stupid.
So you argue we should work to replace football with “football” over time, making the game more safe until it has your (dis) approval?
I’m not arguing anything except maybe we shouldn’t encourage something this dangerous. And I’ve only ever said maybe.
Which I know is a terrible affront to football fans and you have my sincere apologies for saying something so incredibly hurtful.