Abstract
Sports equipment has evolved over time to both enhance performance and to reduce the risk of injury. Protective equipment is particularly important in contact sports where injuries are frequent. In American football, helmets and shoulder pads are two pieces of protective equipment which are strictly implemented to absorb hits of massive force to reduce the risk of head and upper body injuries respectively. While the risk of injury is reduced, the athlete’s calculated perspective of risk is altered. This change in risk equilibrium has the unintended consequence of the individual foregoing caution and playing in a faster and more aggressive style. This altered behavior not only increases the individual’s own risk to injury, but also puts other athletes who are on the receiving end of contact at greater risk themselves. This displacement of risk is particularly dangerous when an athlete is hit in an area that is unprotected and vulnerable, or in an area where the equipment is not as effective as perceived. Drawing on existing research and theories of risk in sport, this preliminary study will examine the relationships and potential disjuncture between sports equipment changes, athlete perceptions of injury risks, and actual injury risks, and will outline future directions for this research.
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