What can be cooler than wearing NFL football helmets? NFL football helmets just seem to have that extra oomph. The bright colors and elaborate, sometimes whimsical designs are guaranteed to win looks of admiration. They make great ice breakers and can come in handy when you are trying to score the phone number of a pretty lady.

Football fans want to wear the helmet of the teams they root for - right? For the most part yes; they will wear the helmet of the team or teams they root for. But there are a good number of fans who wear the NFL football helmets of teams they do not necessarily root for. Heck, there are a good number of non-football fans who will wear NFL football helmets for the sake of fashion.

It may all sound superficial but let us be honest with ourselves. Do you remember rooting for a team not because they were good but because they had the coolest looking uniforms? Ladies, do you remember screaming your lungs out to cheer the star quarterback not because he has skills but because he looks hot? The same thing goes for football helmets; if the design looks good, no matter how much the team sucks, people still gravitate towards the team's helmets. Of course, it would not hurt if the team ruled over Super Bowl. Still, a good design is a good design and it will appeal to people from all walks of life - NFL fan or not.

Fans can choose between authentic and replica helmets. Authentic helmets are, as the name suggests, the same helmets worn by professional players. The face masks are made of steel and the thickness of the padding conforms to league standards. In contrast, the face masks of replica helmets are made of plastic and the padding is made of Styrofoam.

There are a several major manufactures of NFL football helmets. The leading manufacturers of professional football helmets include Bike and Schutt.

Football is probably the only game that looks more painful than professional wrestling. Ironically professional football players were not required to wear protective helmets until the 1930s. Compared to the helmets of today, the early prototypes did not provide much protection.

The early football helmets were made of leather. Eventually the leather helmets were replaced with harness style helmets. Head related injuries prompted sports scientists and helmet manufacturers to improve the helmets further and the result is the NFL football helmets players proudly wear today.

The designs of the helmets do more than make a fashion statement; any design or logo change mirrors the growth and evolution of the teams. In the spirit of change, the NFL made it mandatory for all teams to have alternate or throwback uniforms. These uniforms should bear designs different from their primary team logo and designs.