Dallas Cowboys

Here's what football fans across America think about the sport

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Sports Illustrated writers Greg Bishop and Michael McKnight encountered a wide range of football fans on their tour across America, talking to hundreds of people in more than 30 states.

The full story, which seeks to understand how America really feels about football, is the longest and most comprehensive football piece ever published by Sports Illustrated. The authors also conducted extensive Q&As with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

In the course of their reporting, Bishop and McKnight surveyed 212 random fans across the country about football. What do they think about head injuries? Would they let their children play football?

Here's what those fans had to say about some of the hottest issues surrounding the sport.

Is football more important than your...

Religion? 26.7%
Family? 20.1%
Job? 1.4%

How do your feelings about football compare with your feelings 10 years ago?

Feel better 38.6%
Feel worse 22.9%
Feel the same 38.6%

Would you let your child play tackle football?

Yes 77.5%
No 22.5%

("No" answers are up 7.5 percentage points from a similar SI survey two years ago. Only 68.3% of women answered yes. Respondents without kids answered hypothetically.)

Are head injuries a serious problem in football?

Yes 94.3%
No 5.7%

Is the NFL taking adequate measures to protect players from head injuries?

Yes 64.7%
No 35.3%

(Note: 20.4% of respondents don't think the game can be made safer.)

How has player activism—like Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem—affected how you feel about football?

Feel the same 80.6%
Like football less 14.7%
Like football more 4.7%