On Thursday, NFL teams learned that beginning in 2022, they’ll be able to use alternate helmets. Their use hasn’t been allowed for a number of years — even when teams were wearing throwback (as shown in the above photo from a Kansas City Chiefs-Oakland Raiders game from 2009) or Color Rush uniforms.
But it hasn’t been because the NFL was living up to its reputation as the No Fun League. Instead, it’s had to do with safety. In the hope that it would help prevent concussions, the league hasn’t allowed alternate helmets so that players wouldn’t switching from one helmet to another during the season.