geldefender^® Blog

The Little League World Series is officially underway after its start last Thursday and will continue until its climax Sunday, Aug. 25, with the championship. Here are the records to this point (keep in mind that this is double elimination):

US Teams

Great Lakes
0-2
Mid-Atlantic
1-1
Midwest
1-1
New England
2-0
Northwest
1-1
Southeast
1-1
Southwest
0-2
West
2-0

International Teams

Asia-Pacific
1-1
Australia
0-2
Canada
1-1
Caribbean
1-1
Europe & Africa
0-2
Latin America
1-1
Japan
2-0
Mexico
2-0

But the team to watch for is Eastlake Little League of the Northwest from Sammamish, Washington, which has been provided with 29 GelDefender products to finish out the tournament. Eastlake beat the team from the Southwest Thursday 8-4 but lost yesterday 7-9 against New England. However, the team is not out of the tournament yet, and they play again tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern against the Midwest team (to be televised on ESPN2). Keep an eye on these players as they advance, and check in with us periodically for updates on both their progress and the rest of the World Series!

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Our final GelDefender Impact Player is Class of 2006 Hall of Famer Harry Carson. During his 13 years with the New York Giants, Carson suffered his share of concussions (about 10), and now he’s paying for it with post-concussion syndrome.

He has made it his mission to educate others about the dangers of head injury in sports, having experienced the consequences (even, by his own admission, suicidal thoughts). He speaks at high schools and concussion forums to raise awareness and reaches out to those who are already suffering to get them help. He says if he knew the cost when he first started playing, he wouldn’t have played football at all. And though there’s nothing he can do about that decision now, he can and is spreading the word both to those who are now making that choice, so they can make educated decisions, and to those who have already suffered head injury.

It was almost assumed that, when 4,000 other former NFL players started a lawsuit against the NFL, the outspoken Carson would join up – he was even asked to be a lead complainant. But he said no. Asked why?

“People will think that I'm only speaking out for my own financial well-being," he said to Newsweek. "It's more important for me to deliver the message but allow it to stay pure and not have it be influenced by money."

So for his tireless efforts to promote head injury awareness and his open and honest participation in the conversation surrounding the consequences, we name Harry Carson our final Impact Player.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

The next GelDefender Impact Player is former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner. Though he is no longer playing, he still is heavily involved in football conversation and has a significant voice.

In his last season playing, Warner was the target of a suspected bounty hit – a very hard hit – in a game against the Saints. He knows more than anyone how the football’s culture has traditionally encouraged magnifying the violence inherent in the sport, rather than tempering it. He knows what it’s like to play through a potential head injury because stepping out of the game would be frowned upon. He also knows the long-term effects TBI can have, because one of his sons has suffered nearly his whole life from head injury.

So, knowing what he knows about head injury and with these experiences under his belt, he said on the Dan Patrick Show in 2012 that he worried over his sons playing the game that gave him his livelihood. He said that he had come down definitively on the question plaguing the minds of parents everywhere: Do I want my child playing football, knowing what I know about the risk of long-term head injury? He said no, he doesn’t, but that it’s still his children’s decision.

He came under heavy fire for that assertion. His critics called him uneducated and accused him of “throwing football under the bus” after all it’s done for him. And though Warner later issued a statement detailing all the things about football he still loved, he held firm that the violence is a serious matter that needs thought and attention.

"I think it's going to take a whole culture change from top to bottom to say our No. 1 priority is the player," he once told CNN. "That it's not money and it's not how far you go in the playoffs."
And so for his honest and open discussion in regard to head injuries and his continued insistence on the need for greater head safety for players, we name Kurt Warner as the third GelDefender Impact Player.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Our next GelDefender Impact Player is the current highest-paid player in the NFL, the record-setting Drew Brees. As quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, he is making a stand against head injury, particularly in youth sports.

One of the biggest initiatives he’s taken is a recent partnership with the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation’s program called PACE – Protecting Athletes Through Concussion Education. The program supplies more than 3,300 middle and high schools and youth sports organizations with free concussion testing using the ImPact system. The concussion evaluation device, used by all NFL and many NHL teams, takes a scientific baseline measurement of cognitive function before a potential concussion to compare with after a hit.

That’s not the only step Brees has taken in educating young players about head injury. In April, he dropped in unexpectedly on a Helmets on Heads program in New Orleans to talk with students about helmet safety and the importance of academics. And last Tuesday he joined a was part of a panel discussing head injury issues, along with former U.S. national goalkeeper Briana Scurry, former NHL goalie Mike Richter, and former NFL linebacker Carl Banks.

It’s no secret that young athletes pay attention when high-profile players like Brees talk. So when he tells them that “getting their bells rung” could really mean “concussion” and shouldn’t be brushed off, they’ll listen, possibly better than when their parents or even their coaches tell them. And for his willingness to dedicate time and energy toward raising awareness among our youth, he has earned his place as the second GelDefender Impact Player.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Willie Lanier, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker from 1967-77 and Pro Football Hall of Famer since 1986, takes a well-deserved place as the first GelDefender Impact Player. He was renowned for the hard hits he delivered during his rookie season until the game during which he took a knee to his head. He shook off the wooziness from what he knew to be a concussion and continued as normal until the game a week later, when he suddenly collapsed during a break in play. He didn’t regain consciousness for two hours. Eventually, the Mayo Clinic diagnosed him with a subdural hematoma: he was bleeding into his brain.

Once he’d recovered and was back in the game, Lanier decided that in order to protect himself, changes needed to be made. He chose to wear a modified helmet with extra padding on the outside to protect his head, an early approximation of what GelDefender is doing now.

He also resolved to never again lead with his head when tackling, instead wrapping himself around opponents. Between his first and second season, his nickname changed from “Contact” to “Honey Bear.” Looking back, having achieved both a wildly successful career and good health today at age 67, he has no reason to regret the concessions he made to protect himself.

Today, Lanier is a member of the NFL's Player Safety Advisory Committee and works to encourage other players to follow his example to take ownership of their own head’s safety by playing safer and smarter.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Golden Anniversary Enshrinement Festival will reach its climax this weekend, with the Class of 2013 Enshrinement Ceremony on Saturday and the NFL/Hall of Fame Game – featuring the Cowboys and the Dolphins – on Sunday. Here are the inductees to be enshrined:

 
• - Larry Allen
• - Cris Carter
• - Curley Culp
• - Jonathan Ogden
• - Bill Parcells
• - Dave Robinson
• - Warren Sapp

GelDefender is going to be keeping you up-to-date on what’s going on in Canton through Facebook, on Twitter, and here on the blog. We’re also going to be featuring throughout the week football greats who have stood up for head safety in the sport – GelDefender Impact Players. So be on the lookout this week for our coverage of the Hall of Fame events and see how our Impact Players have been fighting to make the game safer.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Today on our tour of American baseball, we are stepping away from a specific region and taking a look at a landmark of Major League Baseball across the nation: the 84th MLB All-Star Game.

Today kicks off the festivities in New York, New York, with FanFest at the Javits Center. Baseball fans have really been getting into the spirit too, having submitted 79.2 million votes (the most in All-Star Game history) toward the All-Star Game Final Vote, the winners of which are Blue Jays right-hander Steve Delabar for the American League and Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman for the National League.

Saturday through Monday will be packed with all manner of All-Star activities, including the Home Run Derby on Monday. It all culminates with the All-Star Game itself at Citi Field on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Given the level of participation of fans and the hype that has surrounded it over recent weeks, it is sure to be an exciting and entertaining event, one you won’t want to miss!

Baseball is and always will be a staple of the American culture, so we want to keep players from little league all the way to the majors outfitted with GelDefender head pads to  extra padding, comfort and cooling while playing the sport that they and the rest of America love.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Next on our tour of American baseball we will move westward to a baseball anomaly: Minnesota.

It’s hard to imagine Minnesota as a great baseball state, but we are recognizing it for one particular quirk. Of the seven states without Minor League teams, Minnesota has the distinction of being the only one with a Major League team: the Twins. And just because it is not one of the most noted states in the sport does not mean that there is no talent among its youth.

Take the team from Mounds View High School, for instance. The Mustangs had a very solid 13-4 season, climbing their way to the number one spot in the state and the 34 spot in the country. They finished the year in June by winning the 2013 Class AAA championship for the state in a 8-0 win against Rocori High Spartans.

Baseball is and always will be a staple of the American culture, so we want to keep players from little league all the way to the majors outfitted with  GelDefender head pads to  extra padding, comfort and cooling while  playing the sport that they and the rest of America love.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

After our brief star on the east coast, on our next stop on our region-by-region tour of American baseball we move inland to Ohio.

Ohio is home to both the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians in the Major Leagues and six Minor League teams like the Toledo Mud Hens and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. But we’re going to take a look at the fresh talent the state contains in the form of the Archbishop Moeller High School baseball team.

Ranked number one in the state and number 52 in the country, the Fighting Crusaders from Cincinnati ended their season with an overall 31-2 record. They finished out their impressive season by winning the Ohio Division I baseball championship title in a 7-1 win against St. Ingatius of Cleveland. Congrats to Archbishop Moeller!

Baseball is and always will be a staple of the American culture, so we want to keep players from little league all the way to the majors outfitted with  GelDefender head pads to  extra padding, comfort and cooling while  playing the sport that they and the rest of America love.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Our last stop on the east coast in our region-by-region tour of American baseball is up north in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is home to only two professional baseball teams: the Boston Red Sox in the Major Leagues and the Lowell Spinners in the Minor Leagues. But we’re going to continue our pattern of looking at a top high school team, in this case Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School.

The Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans are ESPN Boston’s number one high school team in Massachusetts following their Division 1 championship win, the first championship title in the school’s history. With a 22-5 overall season, the Trojans rose swiftly through the playoffs and ended their years with a 4-0 win over Nashoba Regional. And since Bridgewater-Rayham has a number of key players returning next year, Massachusetts should look out for this high school for the 2014 season as well.

Baseball is and always will be a staple of the American culture, so we want to keep players from little league all the way to the majors outfitted with  GelDefender head pads to  extra padding, comfort and cooling while  playing the sport that they and the rest of America love.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.