Poll: 50% Of Americans Don't Want Sons Playing Football
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CEDAR HILL (CBSDFW.COM) – A recent Bloomberg Politics poll shows 50 percent of Americans said they don't want their sons to play football.
The research suggests concerns about football injuries have convinced many parents not to allow their children to play.
"They're running 10 miles an hour at each other full speed. That's like running into a brick wall! Who wants to run into a brick wall? Who's to say what happens internally to your body? I don't think it's safe at all," said parent Roderick Nicholes. He won't allow his 7-year-old son to play ball, no matter how many times he asks.
It's a hot topic, especially in the Lone Star state where football is considered king.
Cedar Hill is sizzling with excitement as its football team chases its third state championship. CBS 11 News caught up with some parents as they picked up their playoff tickets to ask how they felt about risks of playing.
For some, the reward is well worth the risk.
"They teach them responsibility, teamwork, it's just been an incredible experience for me and my son," said parent Charles Ralph.
His son is a Cedar Hill senior football player. Ralph admits he's aware of the dangers of playing ball.
Another Cedar Hill parent, George Willis said he doesn't dismiss concerns about football-related injuries, but he believes time remains to disprove the negative findings.
"Perhaps in the next 5-10 years, we'll know more about how to avoid a lot of the things we're learning on the injury front," said Willis. "But I think it's still a part of the American fabric… so I don't see football going away anytime soon."
Only 17 percent of parents surveyed said they believe football will grow in popularity in the next two decades.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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