Breaking: Football Helmets Are a Good Idea

This piece from Unqualified Offerings made me pause for a second:

↵↵I wonder if the most effective solution to brain and other injuries in the [NFL] would be – less protective gear. [...] It may mean more forceful impacts than colliding with mere flesh and bone, especially if helmets and pads make players more reckless in their play because of a false sense of security. What are the brain injury rates in rugby/Australian-rules football, I wonder? Other injuries?

↵↵It’s a fair enough question to raise, especially the “false sense of security” bit. After looking at the stats, though, the answer is probably, “no.” The rugby and lacrosse categories, which are unfortunately lumped together, account for about 3,000 American head injuries, while football accounts for more than ten times that. Seeing as football is far above ten times more common in the States than rugby, I have to jump on the “helmets are good” bandwagon that’s all the rage these days.