A Clear Conscience

Abstract

In the late 1960s, longstanding criticisms of the lack of football helmet standards became complementary to broader calls for product safety research and regulation. Several non-profit voluntary standards associations formed by engineers and scientists began devoting attention to protective football gear. Ultimately, however, a new organization funded by sporting goods manufacturers proved most influential in establishing football helmet standards. The industry’s influence was connected to changing legal principles that made it easier to sue manufacturers for harms caused by consumer products. The sporting goods industry sought to limit its liability by framing prevention of football injuries as the responsibility of individual players, parents, and coaches. The industry’s rush to develop and adopt helmet standards ironically occurred in the context of significant scientific uncertainty over how to effectively test helmets.