New evidence has been coming out in the last year that playing football may cause permanent brain injury fairly often.  The question I want you to address in this paper is whether better helmet technology is the best solution to this problem.  Make sure you evaluate with an informed, skeptical eye the arguments of helmet manufacturers that their helmets can solve the problem.  You should consider not only whether helmets can be designed to increase safety enough but also issues of whether the technology will be used effectively, such as whether schools can afford to buy and maintain safe helmets.  Keep your focus on the larger question of whether this is a problem that can be solved by technology alone.

Football risks:

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-26/health/athlete.brains_1_concussions-brain-damage-traumatic-encephalopathy?_s=PM:HEALTH

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/31/110131fa_fact_mcgrath?currentPage=all

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/sports/football/23duerson.html?_r=1&ref=headinjuries

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/sports/17concussions.html?_r=1

http://www.sportsmd.com/Articles/id/44/cid/1/n/chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy.aspx

http://www.slate.com/id/2281515/pagenum/all/#p2

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2010/101007NaumanFootball.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110202162041.htm

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1176377/index.htm

Helmets:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704402404574527881984299454.html

http://cohenfeeley.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/football-player-concussion-injury-controversy-escalates/

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/14/helmet-tests-create-more-concussion-controversy/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/sports/football/23helmet.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/sports/football/09helmets.html?ref=headinjuries

http://www.ongo.com/v/354276/-1/77F7976E4A715E4B/schools-juggle-safety-savings-with-helmets

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/19356/?a=f

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2009/09/delbarton_school_graduate_has.html