Head Injuries In The Great Gatsby

Head Injuries In Football Since football was created in 1869, head injuries have been an issue. Constant contact and bodies colliding give the sport its bad reputation. Football is America’s most popular sport but many fear the game due to its reputation. All football leagues have been improving helmets to reduce injuries but the head injuries can still be prevented greatly. The sport has a long history of head injuries that may not stop immediately but is surely being reduced.

Sports are not mentioned much in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The only character that played football in the novel was Tom Buchanan. “Her husband, among various physical accomplishments had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven.” (Fitzgerald 6) This activity lead to his “cruel” body physique. Football is a violent game that many times will lead to some sort of injury. The novel never mentioned that Tom had a head injury, therefore he is lucky. In 1869, the game of football was created.

In 1920, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was founded. It consisted of 14 different teams from coast to coast. In 1922, the name APFA was changed to the current name now, the National Football League (NFL). Once the NFL was established this when people started to take the game more serious. In 1940, John Riddell invented the first plastic helmet and started mass producing it. The plastic helmet was a great alternative to the leather helmet based on protection and style. The plastic were baked into the helmet and the helmets were also equipped with facemasks. This was the first prototype and it definitely had flaws but it was much improved than the leather helmet used until 1940. The plastic helmet used in the 1940 stayed very similar until 1971. Riddell is still the leading helmet company today grossing over $200 million dollars in