Motorcyclist dies in crash protesting helmet law.

[Hairtrigger]

For sure the players would play differently if they were not wearing helmets
 

Imagine the game of Football without helmets

It started off that way 

Indeed.  Football helmets help, no doubt, but from back when I played in school 95% of what I needed a helmet for was when another helmet hit me.  Same with the pads - they help, but realistically thick pads give less and will hurt an unpadded person more than being hit by another unpadded player.


Hence, safety gear begats more safety gear.  Still probably a good idea, but no pads/helmets wouldn't be the blood-bath that you might assume.  Just look at rugby - similar rulesets with plenty of similar physical contact and no helmets or heavy padding, and there's sure injuries, but not too excessive.

[yellowtail3]

Another point about helmets is that back when I was riding, I used a Bell Star for years. This was the helmet of choice for racers and people that wanted maximum protection from impact and abrasion. A great helmet in its day, the 1970s.

hey, I had one of those in the 1970s. Brings back memories of high school, two-stroke triples, and... Kenny Roberts.