In 2011, Erin and Lee Hanson founded the company Guardian, with the goal of innovating current sports equipment. In 2012, Guardian debuted their signature product, the guardian cap. The guardian cap is designed to fit over lacrosse, hockey and football helmets in order to reduce impact and redirect rotational forces upon collision.

The company hopes to prove that soft-shell helmet technology is superior as opposed to hard shell designs. The soft outer layer has helped reduce impact to ribs, hands, fingers, knees and heads. Guardian caps have two layers, one soft and one hard. Initially, the soft layer absorbs the impact, which reduces the impact on the inner hard layer. In addition to providing extra protection against direct impacts, lighter colors can lower helmet temperature by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit for more comfort.

Since their release into the commercial market, their usage and media presence has only continued to grow. Every level of football has players using guardian caps. “You see them in the [National Football League] and some college teams use them as well. It’s an extra layer that goes on top of the helmet that is supposed to give extra protection to the helmet,” said Aaron Moberg, Mounds View’s head football coach. “A lot of the time, they are used in practice and then not in the games. There is one team that I am aware of in 6A that uses them for games and practices, and that is Park Cottage Grove. So I assume they use them all the time,” said Moberg.

A study performed by Boston University found that every year, male hockey players increase their chance of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) by 34%, and every year, more athletes are being diagnosed with it. CTE, a brain condition commonly found in high-contact sport players such as football or hockey, is associated with a myriad of negative symptoms including cognitive and motor impairment as well as behavioral and mood changes. The purpose of guardian caps is to prevent and mitigate these adverse effects from sports. Guardian caps are a new innovation designed to help prevent and reduce the effects of hits to the head and its concussive effects.

Mounds View currently does not use the caps, but they have potential to be used in the future. “[We are] still learning more information about guardian caps and how effective they are … The helmets we use are high-end helmets, so when you put something else to attach them to that helmet, it can have an impact on the functionality of the helmet,” said Moberg. “And also, there’s a drawback to kids putting them on and thinking they are invincible, so while they can be an extra layer of protection, they also do not give you 100% protection, and [players] could get injured if you do not use proper form.”
The NFL began mandating guardian caps for select position groups during practices. Caps are not required for games, however, they are permitted per each player’s choice. Notable players who often wear them in games include Los Angeles Rams guard Kevin Dotson, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs, and Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp.

Guardian caps are a useful tool for player safety, and their use is becoming more common in recent years. As players, coaches and fans learn more about the science behind concussions and try to innovate new ways to combat them, guardian caps have prevailed as one of the most prominent methods to improve the games that millions of players love.