Sports Insight

sportsinsightmag.com January/February 2019 Sports Insight • 9 individualization, dealers can bring in lip guards and mouthguards that not only protect, but have graphics and colors that allow athletes to represent their style and make a statement," he adds. 4. Gotta Wear 'Em Mouthguards have long been mandatory for play in contact sports such as football, hockey, lacrosse and wrestling, but the great opportunity now lies in basketball and soccer — and to a lesser extent baseball and softball. "We are hoping that mandatory mouth- guards for basketball and soccer will become a reality in the near future because we see a rising number of injuries in these sports," points out Sisu's Akervall. She would like to see the entire sports industry get behind the effort. "It really takes a village," she says. "We need to come together as an industry to impact these decisions." "Football, hockey, wrestling and lacrosse pose a high risk of injury to the jaw or teeth," points out Tasty Clean's Gore. But, she adds, the same painful and potentially expensive injuries can be minimized or even prevented in sports beyond those where it is mandated "by simply wearing a guard." n T here is absolutely no research that shows that mouthguards, while certainly providing tooth, lip and jaw protection, help to prevent concussions. As one industry executive says, it's like putting on shinguards and hoping you won't break an arm. "Some folks may still believe there is a connection," admits Shock Doctor's Jay Turkbas. "However, the research data on concussion and prevention don't support that belief. We encourage all retailers not to use this as a rationale because there is no statistical data to support it." Sassa Akervall is even more succinct. "Mouthguards cannot protect against concussion," the Sisu Mouthguards exec stresses. "It is extremely hard to protect your brain from any damage directed to your head. Mouthguards certainly will not help. We work tirelessly to try to educate our consumers on this fact and [retail- ers] also need to be highly educated on this topic and embrace the data that is out." n MOUTHGUARDS 1. Graphics and lip guards for foot- ball are prominent. 2. For on-the-run sports such as lacrosse or ice hockey, lower-profile mouthguards with minimal exposure and tight fit that allow for easier speaking and breathing are the most important. 3. There is a trend towards multiple purchases — for practice and game- days, in particular. 4. Wearable technology, in the form of sensors, is making a move in mouthguards. Companies are adding sensor technology with a microchip embedded in a mouthguard to helps understand how many hits an athlete endures. n KEY TRENDS Mouthguards DO NOT Prevent Concussions Never, ever, at any time, use the "C" word when selling mouthguards. Sisu Mouthguards Shock Doctor

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