Nicholas Esayian bought a bankrupt racing-helmet business from a legend, halved the weight of a football helmet, and now has Virginia Tech calling his Apache the best-rated helmet it has ever put on a crash rig.
Bauer changed hockey by fastening the blade to the boot. Nearly a century later, it is trying to own every millimeter between the player and the ice.
The NFL is less a single sports company than a carefully tuned operating system for 32 clubs - one that turns a short season into year-round media, data, merchandise and global fandom.