The Illuminated Donkey

Have you ever been sitting around with a bunch of guys late at night, drinking a few beers, shooting the breeze, when all of a sudden a violent argument breaks out about whether the helmets of the Jacksonville Sharks — you know, the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League, back in `74 — were silver or gold, and since you're tired of that asshole Scottie mouthing off like there ain't nothing he don't know you put up $500 — and I don't gotta tell you that's $500 you don't have — just to shut him up, only the thing is that asshole's drunker than you and ain't one to back down from a fight or a bet (plus, unlike you, he didn't blow his last three paychecks, one sweaty dollar bill at a time, on Sinnamon down at the stripclub, so he can pay up if it comes to that), so boom, you got a bet, and you better find out the answer right damn now since nobody's leaving that room until you do?

Well, The Helmet Project might be just what you're looking for. This admirably obsessive work in progress is one man's attempt to create an atlas of every single helmet worn by both professional and college football teams, current and defunct, from the Green Bay Packers to the Division III Hampden-Sydney Tigers.

Oh, the Sharks' helmet was silver, by the way.