Protective Parents Could Kill the NFL

Will the Millennials be the generation that killed pro football? Morley Winograd and Michael Hais, who've written two books on Millennials, think so, because if any generation is going to be scared off by the reports of the long-term risks of the game, it's them. "Millennials are the most risk averse in recent American history," they write in the Christian Science Monitor. In part, that's because their parents are so protective—and many are now deciding to keep their kids away from pro football entirely.

Adult Millennials, meanwhile, are less likely to be drawn to football's violent culture—the generation has a "focus on win-win solutions and an instinct for avoiding confrontation." All of which threatens to eventually cut off the pipeline of talent into the league. Of course, there is another option—"Perhaps Millennials will bring their group-oriented values to the NFL, producing a kinder, gentler version of pro football." Of course, the writers don't mention the fact that, since they define Millennials as everyone age 9-30, many are already in the NFL. (More millennials stories.)