How Riddell Saved Players' Skulls But Still Got Left With Plenty of Headaches

The hard-hitting story of a pioneering helmet brand

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In January 2010, President Obama paid a visit to the Riddell athletic goods factory in Elyria, Ohio. On the shop floor, the workers presented the chief exec with a gift—a custom-made football helmet finished in presidential blue, complete with the executive seal on the side.

Obama took the huge helmet in his hands and smiled. "I'll need this during the State of the Union," he said. "That's a serious-looking helmet. I can knock some heads with this."

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