NFL Pads Now Equipped With A/C; Power Steering and Rear Spoiler to Come

Oh, this modern age that proffers such splendors. No longer will NFL players have to hold fast to fans (the machines, not the face painters) on sweltering NFL sidelines. That's because technology has seen fit to give us, and by us I mean the players, air-conditioned shoulder pads.

Thus far, according to Darren Rovell, a few NFL and college teams have already been using what has been dubbed the Temperature Managing System, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that most of them inhabit warmer climes. The NFL teams include the Cowboys, Dolphins, Cardinals, Rams and Colts, with Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and UCLA representing in the college ranks.

The concept was developed by University of Florida researchers and further carried out by Jacksonville's Williams Sports Group. Former Cowboys safety Billy Bates sought out Williams in 2004, when he was looking for shoulder pads for the high school team he was coaching at the time. He was shown the new pad system, which immediately blew his mind and caused him to race giddily around their offices while making various animal noises.

It also piqued his interest enough that Bates became part owner of Williams. Like many players, he has claimed to have suffered a host of heat-related illnesses. Bates said he typically had to have IVs injected at halftime and after the game. And a study last year commissioned by NFL charities said air circulating inside the uniform was more cooling than air blown onto it from a exterior source. So it's probably a safe guess that these pads will become fixtures for the first few months of many NFL seasons to come.

(H/T to Shutdown Corner)

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.