Schutt Helmets out of Litchfield, Illinois has taken the warning label to new levels.  You know, those tags that seem to be in the way when we buy something new – often discarded as quickly as possible;

The new Schutt warning label will feature a permanent, interactive graphic called a QR Code, which can be scanned by any mobile device. Scanning the new Schutt warning label will launch CDC’s new “Heads Up” concussion app, making it very easy for millions of football players, fans, coaches and parents to get the information they’re looking for.

“There is no organization in the country that is more highly recognized for their unbiased and objective work on concussions than CDC,” said Robert Erb, CEO of Schutt Sports. “By using this QR Code on our warning label, we’ll make the very best information from the very best source available immediately – and permanently – on our helmets. We briefly thought about just using a simple hangtag, but we know very few actually get read. Most are thrown away. We wanted to do something more useful than that and really produce something positive in the marketplace.”

Players, coaches and parents can read the new warning label – which has the same text as before – but can now also scan the QR Code, which will launch the “Heads Up” app on their mobile device or make it easy for the user to download the app.

I do applaud the effort to educate in the easiest possible way, as well as use of the CDC.  When people start to take the time to truly understand about concussions (and all the equipment involved in any sport) we will begin to see a paradigm shift.

You can view the images below and read the full press release;  Continue reading →