The Best Way to Sneak into Better Seats at a Sporting Event or Concert (Trust Me I’ve Tried Them All)

I have lived my whole life buying the cheap seats at sporting events. As soon as I would sit down in the upper corner, I would quickly spot dozens of empty seats in the lower bowl calling my name. At first I was naive and tried sneaking past the usher (often just hoping the usher didn’t check my tickets) and simply sitting in an empty seat. Victimless crime, right?

However, the problem was that eventually the real ticket holder would show up and I would be forced to awkwardly leave those seats and find new ones. Often this method would turn me into a seat nomad, moving me around numerous times during a single game. Even while happily seated I would have to endure constant anxiety–thinking about when the proper ticket holders would arrive. I would also constantly be looking around for other open seats so I would have a backup plan. Frankly, it was hard to fully enjoy the spectacular view my new seats entailed. Fortunately I have since perfected my methods and now routinely sit in fantastic seats without any anxiety.

Going With a Large Group? This method is not for you. Seat poaching only works with a small group. I would say 4 people maximum although no more than 2 is preferred. If you are bringing the whole family, you are going to be confined to your assigned seats.

First Save Money On Buying Tickets. You still need to buy a real ticket to get into the stadium. You will want to purchase the cheapest seats possible (since you won’t be sitting in them). The key to getting the best price is to wait until the very last minute to buy tickets. My strategy is to show up at the stadium and buy tickets on Stubhub using my phone while I am physically standing outside the stadium (sometimes even inside right by the people checking tickets). The best time to buy is approximately 5 minutes before the start time of the game. Compared to buying a day (or month) in advance, prices will typically fall 50-75% if you wait until right before game time. You need to have confidence that there will be seats available–trust me there will be. I have attended plenty of sold out events and still found tickets on Stubhub right before the game starts. If you don’t believe me, start tracking ticket prices for events you aren’t attending on Stubhub. Just don’t forget that Stubhub doesn’t allow you to purchase tickets after the event start time so don’t wait too long (this is also why prices plummet right before game time).

Scout Out Available Seats on Stubhub. When there is less than 5 minutes left before game time and you are already at the stadium (and have your tickets), pull up Stubhub on your phone and find what seats are still available in the lower deck. Keep checking until game time. Take a screenshot of the best available seats on your phone for reference later. Since it is so close to game time, you know these seats will be empty and the real ticket owner is highly unlikely to show up. Fortunately Stubhub lists both the row number and seat number of all listed seats so you will know exactly where to go. Remember that you can’t check on Stubhub which seats are available once the game starts. Typically I will screenshot two or three available sets of seats in the lower deck just in case. See below screenshot from Stubhub.

Now Time for Some Quick Photo Editing. You now know what seats to go to, but you still have to get past those pesky ushers. Fortunately they only scan your ticket when you enter the stadium, not when you enter your section. Instead they merely take a quick glance at your ticket to confirm your section number. So this presents the perfect opportunity for a bit of photo editing magic.

Using the native iPhone photo editor (or equivalent android editor), just edit your section/row number on your real ticket to the lower deck seats that you found still available on Stubhub. Don’t worry about changing your seat number since you just need to get past the usher. To do this on an iPhone, you will have to take a screenshot of the tickets and then use the white marker to erase your section/row number.

Then you will need to take another screenshot of that step (in order to write text over the white marker areas). Just select the text editor and type in the section number and row number and re-size to the appropriate size:

Viola! You know have the best seats in the house! Remember it doesn’t have to look exactly right since the usher is going to only barely glance at it.

What if the Real Ticket Holders Show Up? In the unlikely event that the real ticket holders show up (this has never happened to me using this method), simply say “whoops must be in the wrong seats”. Then get up leave the section and try again with the backup set of seats that you screenshotted from StubHub right before the game. Lighting never strikes the same place twice!

Stop Wasting Time Looking for the Best Parking Spot

There is nothing more frustrating than wasting 5+ minutes driving around a parking lot looking for a parking spot. You inch along in your car as pedestrians decide to take the slowest diagonal crossing route to get through the lane. You have the grandma’s pushing their walkers, and you have the family of four who decide to walk in the middle of the lane rather than the sidewalk. And just pray you are not behind a parking spot “stalker” who stops in front of you to wait for the guy walking up to his car to unload his stuff, get in, and drive away before taking the spot, leaving you with nothing. And then you have the driver that just stops randomly in the middle of the lane to drop people off. All things considered, it is no surprise that over 40% of motorists say that looking for somewhere to park is a stressful experience.

Save Time by Parking In the First Available Spot

What if there was a way to save yourself all the grief of circling around the parking lot, get to your destination quicker, and get a bit more exercise to boot. Well there is: simply park in the first available spot that you see and start walking! A scientific study on parking published in the Journal of Statistical Mechanics (who does these studies!?!?) found that on average you will save time by parking at the first available parking spot rather than circling around looking for the best spot.

Walking is Good for You

Over half of Americans use a fitness tracker on a daily basis to track their steps. So don’t ask me why people who drive to the gym feel the need to fight for the closest spot in order to save them from walking an extra fifty feet. Regardless of where you are going, just park towards the back to help your daily step count!

Avoid Fights

Americans spend roughly 17 hours each year looking for parking. But rather than getting accustomed to it, parking seems to bring out the worst in people with 20% of men and 12% of women admitting to having a verbal fight over parking. So you can avoid fights by just parking as soon as possible.

Save Yourself Mental Anguish

There is a theory in psychology related to mental health that states that every decision process takes up space in your mind, and you can essentially declutter your mind by removing unnecessary decisions. Parking is one of those areas of your life where you shouldn’t be allocating your limited mental space. So stop stressing about parking and just walk a little further.

Economic Costs of Looking for Parking

Since people spend so much time looking for parking, there is a significant cost to society from all the wasted time. A study by INRIX found that looking for parking costs motorists in major US cities approximately $350 a year in lost time and fuel.

Why You Shouldn’t Accept Gifts at your Wedding

The wedding business machine has the world convinced that they should spend exorbitant amounts on a wedding (the median wedding costs ~$14k) and then recoup some of the cost via monetary and physical gifts from the attendees. Essentially the model is to throw an extravagant party that you can’t afford and then charge guests for the privilege of attending. This notion is even embedded in the all of the popular wedding guides, with The Knot suggesting a minimum gift of at least $50 in order to at least cover the marginal cost of attendance. Wedding gifts have morphed from expressions of love/friendship into required contributions to subsidize an outlandish party. If you can’t afford the $100 frying pan on your gift registry, why are you spending $2000 on decorative flowers?

Times Have Changed

The average age of women getting married has increased to about 28 years old in 2019 from ~20 years old in the 1950s. Today over 2/3 of couples have already lived together before they walk down the aisle. The traditional idea of showering the young cash-strapped married couple with household items to furnish their new home rarely applies anymore. Wedding gifts are remnants of a time when couples got married while still living with their parents and trying to start a household without two pennies to rub together.

Attending the Wedding is Expensive

When planning their big (and expensive) day, It is easy for the happy couple to forget how expensive it is for their guests to attend. A study by Bankrate found that it costs guests on average between $200 and $400 just to attend the wedding. This includes the cost to travel, the cost of lodging, and the cost of wedding attire. Add to that the potential need to take vacation days from work, the cost of attending the bachelor(ette) party, and the wedding shower, it is not surprising that some guests decline to attend due to cost. Just by attending your guests are giving an expensive gift.

The Charity Registry

Even with a “no gifts please” line on your wedding invite, you may still run into people who simply can’t resist giving something. A new movement in wedding gifts is to get rid of the traditional gift registry and replace it with a charity registry to instead funnel gifts towards the couple’s favorite charities. This idea removes the cost-to-attend offset mentality while also pleasing the more traditional wedding guests who desire to contribute something to the couple. Also I think it goes a long way towards staying grounded if you can contribute to those in need while also throwing the most expensive party of your life.

Gifts Still Make Sense for Some

Couples out there who still fit the classic mold of early marriage and/or are struggling financially are still a perfect fit for a gift registry. However, for the more established couples out there, it doesn’t feel right to ask your guests to help subsidize your decision to wear a tiara or buy an Italian tuxedo.

Write Thank You Cards

Even in a no-gift wedding scenario, you are still expected to send out thank you cards to your guests. This acknowledges that the guests still had to spend a significant amount of time and money to travel in order to celebrate with you as you threw your own personal prom.

No More Gifts

Wedding gifts are no longer optional expressions of generosity towards the couple, but instead have become required parts of attending the wedding. I plan on removing that requirement when my times comes around. In the end, the decision to not accept gifts does reflect some level of privilege. But as a relatively well paid professional in my late 20s, all I desire from my wedding guests is their attendance.

A Steamy Take on the Shower Debate: Entering at the Head or Far Side

Entering the shower is a decision that nobody thinks twice about. I am here to tell you that you should be thinking about it. Believe it or not, public opinion is starkly divided on which side of the shower is best to enter on. In a proprietary survey run by Controversial Stand, 47% of respondents preferred entering on the side directly under the shower head, while the remaining 53% preferred entering on the far side. I am here to weigh in on this divisive issue and definitely declare that entering on the head side is superior.

Advantages of the Head Side

Easy Temperature Adjustments. If you entering on the same side as the controls you have the distinct advantage of being able to easily adjust the temperature without being fully immersed if the water is too hot or cold. If you enter on the far side, you have to fight your way through the entire stream of water in order to change the temperature.
Speed. Regardless of which side you enter on, you still need need to turn on the shower and set the temperature on the head side. No need to waste time by walking over to the other side.
Spillage. Once you start the shower, the water is going to be spraying straight towards the far side of the shower. By opening and closing the curtain on that side in order to get in, you are increasing the odds of water ending up on the bathroom floor.
Avoiding bumping into stuff. People often put shampoo/soap bottles on the far side of the shower, so entering on the head side allows you to avoid running into anything.

Advantages of the Far Side

Easing into it. Some people feel more comfortable starting slow and getting their feet wet first.
Avoiding getting your hair wet. It is significantly easier to avoid getting your hair wet if you enter from the far side.

My Take: If you are among the approximately 50% of people who have been entering the shower on the far side your whole life, you may be surprised to learn that you have been doing it wrong this whole time. However, no need to fret, simply try entering on the head side the next time you shower and you may be happily surprised to find a whole new and improved shower entrance experience.

Bathroom Hand Dryers Waste 2 Billion Hours Each Year

It is one of the most divisive issues of our time: paper towels vs. electric hand dryers. Critics of paper towels point to the fact that we throw out 13 billion pounds of paper towels each year. Critics of electric hand dryers claim that they blow around dirty germ-filled air and are less hygienic. But little is said about the economic cost of all the time spent waiting for hand dryers to actually do their job.

The Handshake Test

The goal of drying your hands is to pass the handshake test. This means your hands have to be dry enough so that when you shake someone’s hand immediately after leaving the bathroom, that person can’t tell that you just washed them. We have all had the somewhat yucky experience of shaking someone’s hand only to pull away with a wet hand afterwards. And it doesn’t just feel yucky: it is bad for public health since leftover moisture on hands is the perfect place for any remaining germs to thrive and spread. Therefore, one of the goals of hand drying is to fully dry hands (duh!).

2 Billion Hours

An academic study on hand washing found that drying your hand thoroughly with a paper towel takes approximately 10 seconds whereas drying with a modern high power electric air dryer takes approximately 20 seconds (and longer for older models). This equates to a 10 second time save for choosing paper towel over air dryers and explains why most people will choose paper towels over electric dryers when given a choice. While 10 seconds doesn’t seem like much time, it adds up. The average person goes to the bathroom 6-8 times per day, meaning the average person would save over a minute per day by using paper towels instead of a hand dryer. Over a year, this person would save somewhere between 6-8 hours of time. Aggregate that across the entire US population, and we would waste 2 billion hours collectively each year if we switched entirely to electric hand dryers. If we value our time at mere $10 per hour, the aggregate economic cost would be $20b per year–significantly more than the $6b in total that we spend on paper towels. So from a purely economic viewpoint, paper towels are more efficient.

Other Key Considerations

Electric dryers help the environment by saving trees used for paper towels.
Since they take longer, electric dryers increase wait times for bathrooms and can increase lines. This means more wasted time and higher economic cost.
Electric dryers use electricity which has an environmental and economic cost, although ~1/5 of the price per use vs. paper towels.
The classic bathroom move of putting your hands under the dryer for 5 seconds then wiping them on your pants or shirt is unhygienic. Paper towels improve compliance with proper hand drying, which improves health.
Paper towels can be used for other purposes, such as cleaning your face or opening/closing the bathroom door.
Electric hand dryers require significantly more upfront cost than paper towels. A modern hand dryer can cost over $500.
Someone has to replenish the paper towels regularly and clear out the waste, which adds to the cost.

The Biggest Myth in Modern Politics: Social Security’s Demise

The idea that social security is broke is one of the biggest myths in modern politics. In reality, the social security trust fund has run a net surplus every year since 1982 and at the end of 2018 had accumulated $2.9 trillion. Social security is not broke, rather it is flush with more cash than it has ever had in its 84 year history. However, exclamatory headlines often cite the “impending doom” of social security. These doomsayers focus on actuarial estimates that the trust fund will be depleted by 2035 if no changes are enacted. Most people wrongly assume this means social security will cease to pay out any benefits starting in 2035. However, in reality the fund will still be able to pay out approximately 80% of benefits even in this doomsday scenario. Lastly, most people don’t realize how easy it is to fix this “doomed” entitlement program with a few common sense changes to the tax and benefit structure (see below).

The Basics of the Social Security Trust Fund

It is a common misconception that social security tax proceeds and payments go into and come out of the federal government’s general fund. Instead, when social security was set up in 1935, an independent trust fund was established to hold and invest tax receipts and pay out retirement benefits. The fund was designed to ensure that the government would not spend social security tax proceeds on other items and guarantee that the money would be earmarked for future retirement payments. The fund invests its huge cash balance in government bonds which pay interest to the fund. For example, in 2018 the fund received $83 billion in interest payments on its $2.9 trillion invested in US government bonds. From a budgeting perspective, social security is operated independently of the rest of the government and does not need congressional approval to pay out benefits. To that point, the fund continued to pay out benefits in full even during the government shutdown in early 2019.

How is Social Security Funded?

Social security is mainly funded through a dedicated payroll tax. Employees pay 6.2% of their wages and employers chip in another 6.2%, for a total of 12.4% of all wages up to $128k per year (as of 2019). There is no tax on wages above 128k per year. In addition, social security earns interest on surpluses held in the trust fund and from taxation of benefits, although these two sources account for only ~12% of the annual budget.

The Easy Fix

Given all the negative hype and the common assumption that social security is doomed, most people wrongly assume that any fix to the system would be extremely costly. In reality, ~90% of the long term budget shortfall would be solved by simply eliminating the cap on taxable earnings while keeping the current cap on benefits . In the system today, someone making $130k per year pays the same amount in social security tax as someone making $1 million per year and the same amount as someone making $100 million per year. If that doesn’t seem fair to you, you are not alone. Seven out of ten Americans favor eliminating the cap as part of a fix to Social Security. If you combine eliminating the cap with gradually raising the full retirement age by one year to 68 years old, Social Security would then be fully funded into perpetuity. It is that easy.

Other Potential Easy Fixes

If eliminating the cap sounds too extreme (it shouldn’t), there are other potential methods for shoring up social security.

Allow the trust fund to invest in higher returning assets like stocks. Academic research indicates that this change alone would be highly likely to fully fix the long term funding status for social security. Canada’s equivalent of social security invests proceeds in stocks and recently increased its benefit payments.
Raise payroll taxes by 1.4%. Gradually increasing the current payroll tax rate from 6.2% to 7.6% (with an equivalent increase on the employer’s portion) would fully fund the system.
Increase the full retirement age. Americans are living longer healthier lives, so there is something to be said for continuing to raise the full retirement age.
Some combination of the above. Try the Social Security Game to see which combinations work .

Why and How to Become Irreplaceable at Work (6 Tips)

Being irreplaceable at work is desirable for several reasons:

You won’t get fired. Nobody wants to get fired, even if you dislike your job. Being fired makes you feel like a failure.
You can demand more perks. Want more vacation? An office with a window?
You will get paid more. Your boss will notice your importance and compensate you for it.
You have the leverage. Need to leave early sometimes? Work from home? You got it.

Critical vs. Irreplaceable. It is important to distinguish between being critical and being irreplaceable. An office may need a secretary to answer the phone and order office supplies. These tasks might even be critical to the function of the business. That doesn’t make the secretary irreplaceable since there are tons of people who can properly complete those tasks. However, maybe after years of working with the company’s accounting software, the secretary has also become an expert with the system and has created customized reports that only he/she is able to produce. That could make the secretary irreplaceable if it would be extremely difficult for someone new to learn how to replicate those reports.

How to Become Irreplaceable:

1. Master your core job functions. Be extremely reliable and competent at your basic job requirements. This is not enough on its own to be irreplaceable, but it is a necessary starting point.

2. Become an expert in something. Try to become better than everyone else at your office at something. Preferably choose something that is critical for the company’s or your boss’ success. You will become the go-to person for things that involve that skill.

3. Find and fill a need. Always be on the lookout for ways to improve processes that your office relies on. Particularly focus on your boss and look for recurring issues and help design solutions to solve those problems. Preferably come up with solutions that require you to be involved due to the expertise you have developed (point #2).

4. Become the point person for a key client. Business leaders are extremely reluctant to disturb large client relationships. If possible, try to get involved with handling important clients and build a relationship with them.

5. Always be innovating. Even if you succeed and your boss/company become completely reliant on you for something, it is crucial to continue to innovate and look for ways to improve your work.

6. Don’t just be good at one thing. It is great to have one thing that everyone relies on you for, but it is even better if people rely on you for a handful of things.

Avoid being irreplaceable for the wrong reasons. Although it sounds great to be indispensable, there can significant negative repercussions if you are required to be working in order for the business to function. This can make vacations impossible and force you to be constantly checking in at work. If possible, it is better to focus your efforts on critical processes that don’t require you to be present 24/7.

The Emotional Cost of Not Giving to Beggars

Anytime you walk around a major city you are bound to walk past at least a few destitute looking beggars. Maybe they are sitting down on the sidewalk with a sign. Maybe they are claiming to be a homeless military veteran. Maybe they have a sob story, maybe they don’t. Regardless, 99% of people will walk right by without even acknowledging them. You should be in the 1%.

Giving is Good for Your Mental Health

Regardless of if you think the person deserves money or not, there is a major cost to walking by a desperate person, hearing their plea, and doing nothing. It makes you callous. You start to lose empathy. You become desensitized to the plights of your fellow humans. Having empathy for those less fortunate than you helps to generate gratitude for your own situation. Numerous studies show that gratitude leads to happiness.Other studies have shown that giving money away will make you happier than spending it on yourself. To put it simply, giving will make you feel better.

It is Better to Err on the Side of Generosity

It is easy to find a reason not to give. Maybe you don’t feel like your have enough money to spare. Maybe you are in a rush. Maybe you are afraid. Maybe they look like a drug addict. Maybe you suspect them of lying. Maybe you think they are lazy and should get a job. Maybe you don’t have any change. Whatever the reason, people often rationalize not giving in order to feel better about themselves. This is exactly what creates callousness over time. People believe that they can manage being generous in some aspects of their life and not in others. Most people want to be generous and kind to their friends and family, but then switch their attitude when they see a stranger in need. Just be generous everywhere in your life and avoid walking the fine line of turning on/off your generosity.

You Set an Example for Others

Generosity is contagious. A 2010 study confirmed that both generosity and selfishness were contagious, meaning that your actions have the potential to start a chain reaction among the people around you. By not giving you are telling the people around you that it is ok if they also don’t give, which creates a downward spiral.

But Aren’t They Just Going to Buy Drugs or Booze?

Maybe. But maybe not. You don’t know their situation. You don’t know why they are begging. Beggars are not just drug addicts or alcoholics. Many people end up homeless after a series of unfortunate events, including losing their job, a personal/family crisis, or crushing medical bills, combined with a lack of a support system. Around 20% of homeless people suffer from a mental illness, 25% are children, and domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women. There are over 60,000 homeless veterans in the US.

If there is a 50/50 chance that the person sitting in front of you desperately needs money for food/housing/medicine or alternatively is going to use the money to buy alcohol, is it worth it to not give to them just in case the latter is true? I believe it is not worth the risk. Furthermore, who are you to say that this person who is down on their luck doesn’t deserve a beer? Most of America is quick to grab a drink after a tough week.

Regardless, alcoholics and addicts are still people and have the same basic needs as the rest of us. Even if you know that the person begging you for money is an addict, the dollar you give isn’t necessarily going to drugs and could help that person survive until they are able to get help for their addition issues.

Why Not Just Buy Them Food?

Because maybe the person doesn’t need food. Maybe they need socks. Maybe they need money to make rent this month. Maybe someone bought them a sandwich 30 minutes ago and they are full. Maybe they are allergic to sesame seeds. Maybe they don’t like bananas. If someone is specifically asking for food, then obviously giving food makes a lot of sense. Also if it makes you feel better knowing that they definitely won’t be buying drugs/alcohol with your gift, then go for it. But generally speaking, it is more efficient to give cash than food.

The Absurd Notion that Beggars are Secretly Rich

One reason that some people cite for not giving to beggars is that they don’t really need the money and are often faking being homeless. These people believe that between strong social support systems and money from begging that panhandlers are doing just fine. There are even rumors of rich panhandlers who are making over 100k per year. Fox News host John Stossel is famous for saying “that some people beg for a living and can make big bucks, $80,000 a year in some cases.” However, reality shows a much different picture for the vast majority of beggars, with one study indicating that 80% of beggars make less than $50 per day. Although hard to know for sure, most wide scale studies indicate that beggars take in less than minimum wage. Bottom line is that you can stop worrying about the destitute looking beggar you passed on the sidewalk getting up, jumping into his new BMW, and driving off to go to sleep in his mansion.

What About Other Ways To Give?

Instead of giving directly to someone on the street, some people prefer to give to charities that specifically focus on helping impoverished people. These organizations can be highly effective in permanently lifting people out of poverty by providing long term support through housing, food, health care, and counseling. Giving to such organizations is a great way to help. But I think there is a place for both direct and indirect giving. Direct giving has the benefit of being immediate and also can help people who might otherwise be missed by existing support systems. Additionally, direct giving provides you with the emotional benefits of helping the person who is right in front of your eyes. Why not do both?

You Can Afford to Give

Maybe you can’t afford to give a dollar to everyone who asks. Instead you could give a quarter. Or maybe just a penny. It is really not about how much you give. Rather just the act of giving will make you feel better and also humanize the person asking for money. Sadly, too many people have the attitude that they can’t afford to give. This is pervasive even among the middle and upper middle class. In fact, the poor tend to be more charitable than the rich. Create a giving budget for yourself and then spread it out as needed.

A Soccer Player’s Opinion: Why Your Kid Should be Wearing a Head Guard

If you knew that I was a 26 year old adult with no kids, it might strike you as weird that I am giving parenting advice. However, as a lifelong soccer player who recently starting wearing a head guard while playing in my adult soccer league, I feel that I am in a good position to give advice. Two years ago, after taking an elbow to the back of the head during one of my soccer matches, I decided to start wearing some protection. Today I can say confidently that I think it is best for everyone, especially kids, to wear a head guard of some kind while playing. In fact, I will be bold enough to predict that within the next decade the USA soccer organization will mandate that all non-professionals wear head guards while playing. We are already seeing individual college and high school teams adopt full team policies to increase head protection, and the town of Princeton, NJ, is mandating head gear for all soccer players under the age of 14.

What does the research say?

The research clearly shows that soccer is one of the most dangerous sports in terms of concussion risk, ranking #3 after just football and wrestling for boys sports. For girls sports, soccer ranks #1 for concussions and has been shown to have more concussions than even boys football. Between heading the ball, head to head contact, elbows to the head, colliding with goal posts, and hitting the ground, there are plenty of opportunities for head trauma while playing soccer. In fact, USA soccer has mandated no headers in leagues for kids under 10 years old. However, despite the focus on headers, the majority of concussions in soccer are not from heading the ball, but rather from head-to-head contact or other head impacts. Given the extensive research and publicity of concussions in the NFL, most people are now aware that frequent concussions are highly detrimental for mental health.

What is a head guard?

A head guard is a foam padded layer of protection you wear around your head. Some models are full “caps” that cover your whole head, while others look more like headbands with protection only in the front and back of the head. Importantly, head guards not only cover the forehead, but also provide expansive protection in the back and side of the head, where the skull is the weaker than the forehead. From my knowledge, the two leading brands in the industry are Storelli and Full90. To be clear, these “head guards” are not full helmets and they still allow the player to head the ball effectively.

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How does a head guard help?

A head guard simply provides some padding around your head which reduces the force of impact. Just like how wearing a helmet has been shown highly effective in reducing impact in football, the same basic science supports the use of a head guard. In fact, Virginia Tech performed a study that shows that headgear reduced g-force impact to the head by as much as 50%, resulting in a potential 84% reduction in head injuries. There is no doubt in my mind that wearing a head guard reduces your risk for a concussion, but it certainty doesn’t completely protect your head from damage. There is always going to be some risk in soccer, but wearing a head guard is a common sense way to reduce that risk. This is particularly true for reducing the impact of non-intentional head contact, since most of the head guards have larger padding areas in the back/side of the head. This helps to alleviate accidental head-to-head or elbow-to-head contact.

Can Better Technique Help?

One of the counter arguments for head guards is that instead soccer players should focus on better heading technique. The idea is that if you are able to intentionally head the ball with the center of your forehead, which is the strongest part of your skull, there is a significant reduction in concussion risk. Additionally, it helps to reduce whiplash if you actively use your neck muscles to head the ball rather than let the ball hit you passively. This is particularly an issue in girls soccer due to relatively weaker neck muscles. I agree that it is important to teach better heading technique, which can help reduce concussion risk.

All that being said, technique alone is not enough to remove the risk of concussions in soccer. In fact, only 25% of the concussions in soccer are from intentionally heading the soccer ball. Most concussions are from events out of the player’s control like bumping heads with other players, getting hit by an elbow, hitting the ground, or from the ball unexpectedly hitting you in the head. There is no way that improving heading technique will help prevent these concussions. However, I believe a head guard can be effective in reducing the severity of such impacts.

What’s the downside of wearing a head guard?

Style/perception. It is not usually considered “cool” to wear a thick protective headband during sports. However, most of the popular head guards have relatively low profile designs which will likely make them more bearable for self conscious teenagers.
Cost. Most of the high end options cost ~$60 which can be a significant amount for many families. I strongly believe that it is worth the cost.
Heat. Wearing a fully covering head guard can be suffocating if you are playing soccer in the summer heat. Fortunately there are many options that provide open top options that look more like headbands that leave room for heat to escape. From my personal experience, I can pertest that getting overheated is not a concern for the headband-like designs.
Comfort. People who don’t like the feeling of wearing a headband are unlikely to enjoy wearing a head guard. Additionally, if you have the slightly wrong size, a head guard can feel constricting.
Weight. There has been some pushback on wearing head guards due to the idea that they could increase whiplash by making the head heavier, therefore making it harder for your neck muscles to create positive forward momentum into a header. However, the typical head guard weighs only 8 ounces vs. the typical adult head at 160 ounces, so it is very modest increase in weight. Additionally, as discussed earlier, most concussions are not from heading the ball but rather from unintended contact, where this issue doesn’t apply. That being said, for younger kids and girls this could be a reason to opt for the lightest possible head gear options.
Ability to head the ball effectively. There is often concern from more serious soccer players that wearing a padded head guard will reduce their ability to use their head effective to redirect the ball to complete passes and score goals. From my experience wearing a head guard for multiple seasons, I can personally attest that there is limited to no impact on the way that you can head the ball. In fact, I scored two headed goals this season while wearing the head guard. For the most part, you will rarely notice that you are wearing a head guard even when heading the ball.
Increased risk taking. Just like in football with helmets, there is some concern that the increasing use of head guards will make soccer players more reckless. The idea is that if your know that your head is safe you will take more risks and therefore end up putting yourself in just as much danger (if not more). Although there is probably some truth to this concern, the fact that most concussions come from unintentional contacts makes me believe that it is unlikely that more aggressive play will cause significantly more risk. Additionally, despite this concern in football, everyone still wears helmets, so clearly the leagues have determined that having protection is the better option.

Why I Wear a Head Guard

The logic is pretty simple. We know that concussions are a problem in soccer. It has been proven in a lab that head guards work to reduce concussions. What else do you need to know? None of the reasons against wearing a head guard are particularly compelling to me. Once I realized there was a way to continue to play my favorite sport while reducing the risk of permanently damaging my brain, I jumped on that opportunity. Now that I have been wearing a head guard for a while, I feel strongly that I should recommend it to everyone. When my future kids play soccer they will definitely wear a head guard while playing. To anyone who disagrees: I challenge you to bang your head against a goal post with and without a head guard, and then see how you feel.

Disclosure: I have no economic interest in any of the head guard manufacturers listed in this article. I have received no payments from any of the listed companies. I purchased my exoshield head guard for full price from amazon. All of the above is my own opinion and I have received no compensation whatsoever for this article.

Why it is Worth Living Within Walking Distance of Work

You are not alone in traffic. The typical American commute is worse than it has ever been, with the average person spending 54 minutes per day commuting to and from work.

Waste of Time

54 minutes per day adds up to four and a half hours per week. People are busier now than ever. There simply isn’t enough time in the day to fit in all the activities we plan for ourselves.

Commuting Increases Your Risk of Death

A bit dramatic, but if you are in the vast majority (80%) of people who commute to work via car you are putting yourself in danger. Although driving feels safe and routine, more than 1.3 million people die each year from fatal car crashes . Statistically speaking, driving an hour per day is more dangerous than skydiving.

Waste of Money

The most common reason against living close to work is the (typically) higher cost of living. But you don’t just save on gas when you walk to work. Including the cost of car maintenance, depreciation, insurance, and accidents, driving can cost upwards of 30 cents per minute. So that 54 minute commute is costing you over $300 per month. That doesn’t include the opportunity cost of 54 minutes per day. Assuming you value your time at $10 per hour (you could always drive for Uber for an hour/day after work instead of commuting!), then the opportunity cost is an additional $200 per month. That’s a total cost of $500 per month for the average American. Living close to work just got a lot cheaper.

Walking to Work is Healthy

Studies have shown that long commutes increase your risk of depression, high anxiety, high blood pressure, back pain, and social isolation. On the other hand, walking to work has been shown to reduce stress, increase cardiovascular health, and improve productivity. Building in a few minutes of walking into your day simply makes you feel better. In fact, people who can’t live closer to work should at least consider parking a few blocks further away!

Your Relationships Will Improve

Time spent commuting eats into time that could be spent fostering relationships with friends and family. One study found that having a long commute increases your risk of breaking up with your spouse by over 40%.

Career Benefits

Walking to work means that you are less likely to be late and more likely to arrive at work in a good mood. You also have more flexible in terms of managing personal matters at home without disrupting your entire workday. Additionally, you have the ability to fill in for team members who can’t make it to work on days with inclement weather. Bottom line is that your boss will be happier with you.

More Sleep

A shorter commute means you can set the alarm for a few minutes later. Getting enough sleep has an incredible array of benefits.

Help the Environment

Walking over driving helps the environment!

Conclusion

The benefits are numerous, yet only 5% of people walk to work. It is time for you to be one of them.

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