The link between football and brain damage has been getting more and more media attention over the past couple of years, and as parents become increasingly aware of the danger football can pose, their attitudes seem to be shifting. According to a new Marist poll, “33% of Americans say the link between head injuries in football and long-term brain trauma would make them less likely to allow their son to play football if they had to make that choice.”
That’s a sizable number, but … it’s not that sizable, considering that we’re talking about brain trauma here. Despite all the media hype, the vast majority of parents still aren’t that concerned: 60 percent say recent information about football’s brain-destruction problem has made no difference in whether or not they would let their kids play football. Hell, 7 percent say it makes them more likely to let their kids play, which is one of the scarier stats we’ve seen in, um, forever.