Nearly half of Americans say they would encourage their child to play a different sport than football due to concerns about concussions - up 8 points since the same question was asked four years ago - according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Those wanting their children to play a different sport include 46 percent of parents with a child in the household (up 9 points since 2014), 53 percent of mothers (up 13 points) and 39 percent of fathers (up 6 points).
In contrast, 49 percent of Americans say they wouldn't encourage their child to play another sport due to concerns about concussions.
In addition, 49 percent of Americans claim they follow the pro sport closely, down 9 points since 2014, compared to 51 percent who claim they don't follow it closely, up 9 points from four years ago. The biggest declines in close followers come from demographic groups making up key parts of President Donald Trump's political base including men ages 18-49 (down 24 points), men without college degrees (down 23 points) and white men (down 22 points).
Lester Holt anchors "NBC Nightly News" from the ground of Minneapolis, the host city for Super Bowl LII.
