Does the media influence parental decisions, even when it comes to their children playing football?
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Can the media influence parental decisions, even when it comes to playing tackle football? Conor Langs, University of Missouri - Columbia Over the last decade, the sport of football has declined tremendously regarding youth participation, leaving many to question what is causing this problem. With the recent influx of mass media taking over modern society coupled with new research on brain injury in football play, it is safe to assume that media (all facets) could be influencing some of society regarding the reality of the game. However, the media could possibly influence some to want to play the game as well. Despite the declining number of youth participants over the last decade, there are still countless pieces of modern media that encourage football play -- such as Play60 commercials, articles containing information on how the game is safer, television of camaraderie like Remember the Titans, etc. Curious to gauge the media's impact on this topic, I conducted 10 qualitative interviews of middle-class parents -- five who allowed their child to play football, and five who did not -- to see how their media usage could have potentially influenced their own specific decision for their child. Based on the results of my research, I concluded that the media has some form of impact in each parent's decision, although the amount of influence varied from each individual. Media seemed to influence parents who were against football more, but recent research on the dangers of the game being easily accessible to everyone made football parents think twice about their particular choice for their child. This project's results benefit the field of journalism because I believe it is important to be aware of media usage and how that impacts day-to-day life -- such as shaping one's opinions and beliefs. Knowing how powerful of an influencer mass media can be can help individuals manage what they consume if they choose. This research is also beneficial to journalists and the media themselves, as they are able to gauge how well of a job they are doing when it comes to laying out the facts of football.
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