Content warning: This article mentions self-harm.
Everyone remembers EA Sports’ catchphrase, “It’s in the game,” but it was originally longer: “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.”
That line was meant to show how real their sports games were. Basically, if something happens on the field or court, you’d see it in the video game too. Even though they dropped part of the slogan, the idea stuck around. Nowadays, EA’s Madden team is all about being real. They talk about it all the time. This year, though, there’s a new twist with Guardian Caps.
Guardian Caps are these big, padded covers for helmets that came out in 2010 to protect players’ brains better than regular helmets. Since last year, they’ve been used in practice and preseason games. For the first time ever, they’re allowed in regular season games starting this 2024 season.
Players get to choose if they want to wear a Guardian Cap during games. So, some teams might have lots of players with them on, while others might have none. It’s up to each player for now, but head injuries have caused so many problems that who knows what will happen next.
Guardian Caps might help reduce concussions and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), which is a brain disease from too many concussions that can lead to memory loss, mood issues, and even suicide. When Dave Duerson and Junior Seau died by suicide years ago, their brains showed signs of CTE. They both wanted people to know about the dangers of football on their minds.
The NFL has an image problem with CTE and also legal troubles from it. The movie Concussion shows how a doctor fought the NFL when they tried to hide facts about CTE. Because of this pressure, the league now has more rules and safety measures for players’ health.
Fans feel like head injuries are still being hidden sometimes.
When Guardian Caps started being used in 2022, they claimed they could cut down force from hits by up to 20% if both players wore them. Like wearing masks during a pandemic works best when everyone does it, these caps could become a regular thing soon. But you won’t see them in Madden video games because concussions don’t exist there.
