The NFL's TV ratings are up this season despite a rash of high profile domestic violence incidents. Merchandise sales are through the roof. But the future of football remains murky. Fifty percent of Americans said that they wouldn't want their son to play football, according to a poll in Bloomberg.
There is growing evidence that concussions and repeated head injuries can cause long-term brain damage. The potential for lasting injuries, as well as the other negative press the NFL has received recently, has parents becoming more and more wary of the sport.
Is it possible that, over time, football could lose its significance as a premiere sport much in the same way boxing has?
The survey reveals that high-income families are more concerned with the dangers of football. Roughly a third of those surveyed who make at least $100,000 a year say that football will lose support over the next twenty years. More than 25 percent of college-educated respondents agreed.
"I just think it has become too dangerous," Vince Vlasuk, a 38-year-old consultant in Strongville, Ohio, said. "I don't think they have the equipment they need to protect themselves, particularly at the junior high and high school level."
A handful of high school students recently died due to football related injuries, most notably players dying after game injuries in New York and Alabama. High schools have reported declining participation in the sports due to the increased awareness about the physical dangers.
Bloomberg's poll also revealed definitive trends among age groups. Fifty six percent of participants under 35 approved of their son playing football. That mark was the highest among any demographic group.
The poll involved 1,001 U.S. adults.
