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I've been hearing this for 10-15 years now. Meanwhile, not only is the NFL still exceedingly popular, but there are new football leagues popping up everywhere,

• SketchySeaBeast 8y ago
  It's got so much cultural momentum behind it at so many levels - college, high school, even younger - it's like trying to stop that 400 lbs lineman. It seems to be the best way small town America can create heroes and legends for itself.
  • Kye 8y ago
    It only takes one generation. Parents might be able to force kids into it for a while, but that won't sustain it to the pro level if other things draw their interest. Kids these days seem to be more about making stuff in games and meeting people all over the world in eSports than knocking heads together. And their parents seem to be okay with it.
• deleted 8y ago
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• ZacharyPitts 8y ago
  At the same time, high school participation is way down over the past 10 years: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/30/high-school-football-numbers-drop-brain-trauma https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/30/high-school-fo... (plus many more articles with just a quick search). Locally, a couple of high schools dropped varsity football because they couldn't get enough recruits for brain injury.
  • Dirlewanger 8y ago
    Interesting to read, but I wonder how many of those schools actually sent kids to D1 schools. I'd be willing to bet that most of the schools shuttering their football programs weren't college football recruitment hotspots to begin with and only had the odd kid every few years play at a D1 level.