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Football and politics don’t always mix, but according to a new poll, they are often linked.
Football Uniforms Throughout History
A recent pollconducted by the RAND Corporation for The Upshotasked people about their attitudes toward allowing their children to play football.
The poll was conducted on the heels of a spate of reports linking football and concussions and brain damage. Most recently, the National Football League stated in federal court that they expect nearly a third of retired players to develop long-term cognitive problems at a “notably younger age” than those in the general population.
It seems those reports are starting to affect parental decisions. In the poll 55 percent of those surveyed said they would be fine with their sons playing football. That may be more than half, but it’s significantly lower than the average 90 percent of adults surveyed who said they would be comfortable with their sons playing baseball, basketball, soccer and track.
The pollsters also asked people who they voted for in 2012 and found that those who voted for Obama were about half (48 percent) as likely as Romney voters to be OK with their sons playing football.
There was no significant difference in results when Obama and Romney supporters were asked about other sports for their sons.
Whether or not parents had a bachelor’s degree also seemed to factor into people’s responses. People who earned a college degree or higher were 29 percent less likely to be comfortable with sons playing hockey and about half (46 percent) as likely to be comfortable with sons playing football, relative to adults without college degrees.
Could these numbers be highlighting the beginning of a decline for high school football? It just might be. According to a recent New York Times article, high school games and seasons have been canceled across the country this season as interest dwindles and health concerns rise.
-- via New York Times .