Football is ingrained into the culture of America. Around here, however, it is more than just sport and entertainment. Some even liken it to a religion. Without question, it is part of who we are as a society.
That’s why The Tuscaloosa News is conducting an in-depth research project on football. With growing medical concerns about the long-term impact of concussions and collisions, and with the emergence of generations of young people who seem more interested in video games than participating in real, physical sport, we have decided to take a deep look into the topic.
Specifically, we are asking the question: “Should your kid play football?” We seek to explore all angles – from the benefits of playing to concerns of parents and questions about short- and long-term medical implications of participation.
As part of this, we are conducting a survey, and we invite you to participate.
The survey consists of less than 20 questions, and should take up no more than 10 minutes of your time.
The questions range from basic background data (your age and gender, whether you have children, etc.), whether you played football, whether your children play, and what benefits or repercussions have come from that. You do not have to have children to participate.
The survey allows you to leave contact information for follow-up interviews if you wish to make yourself available, but that is not required. You can take the survey and choose to not be contacted.
The data from this – along with information gained from numerous interviews and collected from studies and research by professionals in various fields – will be used to produce a package or series of stories and videos that will be published in the fall.
We hope the final product will provide parents and prospective players with a comprehensive and detailed picture that will allow them to make an informed decision on participation.
You can fill the survey out here. We thank you for your help.
– Tommy Deas, Executive Sports Editor
