The Los Angeles Rams players and LA Rams fans know a thing or two about injuries this offseason. And having emerged from an injury-riddled season that dropped the team to a 5-12 record, the worst record of Head Coach Sean McVay’s career, injuries and their devastating impacts on the team and the players are well-known.

But isn’t that part of the thrill?

Professional football is a physical sport whose very design requires grown men to collide with other grown men at full speed. Frequently the collisions are harmless, with all of that kinetic energy dissipated harmlessly by the pads and equipment worn by the football players. Like boxing, fans jeer and cheer for the physicality and controlled violence. It’s a ‘man’s game,’ which is another way of saying that it’s very dangerous.

As long as the injuries are limited to events that occur on the football field, it’s all fair game. We cheer for the athleticism when players seem to defy humanly limits or gravity itself, to make a play. But we are watching players put their bodies on the line on every play as well. Not just during that torque and strain of one play. But over the course of a 17+ game NFL season in which some athletes participate in 1200 or more plays.

At the end, it’s obvious that the pain, bruises, strains and sprains have worn the physically fit athletes into someone who needs considerable medical intervention.

But sometimes, it’s not.

The NFL has approved the use of the soft-shelled Guardian Caps for regular football games. While they are an additional safety feature, some fans are put off by the unconventional and unsightly appearance of the new safety equipment.

But that should not discourage players from wearing them.

While the manufacturer of the Guardian Cap makes no claims about reducing the frequency of concussions by players who wear the device, the NFL itself says that players who wear Guardian Caps have experienced greater than a 50 percent reduction in concussions. And that level of protection could lead to reducing the chances of an NFL player from being afflicted with CTE long after their NFL careers are over.

Guardian Caps do not remove the physicality from the game of professional football. It’s simply a device that removes the high frequency of concussions from the sport. Reducing the frequency of concussions is something I believe we can all support.

Whether or not it is a fashion risk.

Thanks for reading.