Today's Tidbit... AT&T's 5G Helmet And The Goodyear Silents

As seen in a television commercial airing of late, the Gallaudet Bison football team used a 5G helmet for the first time in their October 7 game against Hilbert College. The Bison quarterback uses a 5G helmet developed by AT&T with a heads-up display above the right eye. It displays a play selected on the head coach’s tablet device, and the quarterback then signs the called play to his teammates.

It's a beautiful commercial, made all the better by the voice of Amira Daugherty, a hard-of-hearing artist who sings "The Sound of Silence" in the background.

I first saw the commercial after coming across a reference to a 1920s-era semi-pro team comprised solely or mainly of deaf players. So, the rest of this tale concerns a fascinating outfit known as the Goodyear or Akron Silents.

The team's background is rooted in the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company operations in Akron. Workforce shortages during WWI led Goodyear to recruit deaf employees, and they soon had over 1,000. Like many companies back then, Goodyear had athletic and activities directors who organized sports teams, musical groups, and other activities for their employees. One of the organizations was The Silent Club. Members of The Silent Club organized football, basketball, and baseball teams that competed in Akron industrial leagues. They stepped up the level of competition and became a traveling semi-pro team as they added former football stars from Gallaudet. From 1917 through 1927, the Silents won more than 85% of their games