Abstract

The sport of football has been emerging in the United States for many years. Revenues in both the National Football League and within NCAA football have grown exponentially due to the sport’s immense popularity. However, recent research regarding Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has the sport on notice. Boston University’s CTE Center has been conducting research on the detrimental effects of playing the game of football. A 2017 study by Boston University stated 87 percent (177 out of 202) of former football players tested positive for CTE, and yet the NFL is projected to produce $14 billion in revenue this year. Furthermore, a decline in youth football participation has been slowly occurring since 2010. Does this decline have to do with further research being published on the negative effects of football on the human body? How will a decline in youth participation impact football as a product? This article will begin to establish a correlation between CTE research and football participation, while also addressing the impact CTE research is having on society as a whole.