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A new study published in the Sociology of Sport Journal suggests that American adults who attend religious services more frequently are more likely to support tackle football for children, despite growing awareness of the sport’s risks. The association appears strongest among individuals identifying as Protestant and those without a college education. These findings indicate that religious engagement may shape how people weigh the benefits and harms of youth sports—particularly a sport as culturally embedded and physically risky as football.
Football holds a special place in American society, celebrated not just as a sport but as a cultural institution. While it is widely embraced for fostering teamwork, character, and community pride, it also presents a number of physical risks, especially for children. Youth tackle football has become a flashpoint in recent debates over player safety, with concerns about concussions, brain injuries, and even fatalities generating increasing scrutiny.
The researchers behind the new study sought to explore how religiosity might influence adult attitudes toward youth tackle football. The idea for this inquiry stemmed from the observation that football and religious belief often overlap in American life. Not only do many athletes and fans openly express religious faith, but churches frequently serve as community hubs that promote traditional masculine ideals aligned with sports culture. As the authors note, for some believers, playing football may even be seen as a way of “glorifying God.”
Given this backdrop, the study aimed to assess whether religious involvement—and specific religious affiliations—are associated with greater support for children playing tackle football. The researchers also examined how these relationships vary across social groups, particularly by race and education level.
“Football is far and away the most popular sport in America. But, there are some very concerning aspects of it and most people do not think too critically, or frequently, about them,” explained Chris Knoester, a professor of sociology at The Ohio State University and principal investigator of the National Sports and Society Survey.
“While there is growing concern over the health risks of youth tackle football, particularly concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), many Americans still support the sport for children,” added Laura Upenieks, an associate professor of sociology at Baylor University. “We wanted to understand whether religious beliefs and practices play a role in sustaining that support, especially given football’s longstanding ties to Christian values, traditions of masculinity, and the entanglement of football and religion.”
“We know from our previous research that attitudes about kids playing tackle football are quite divided. Also, education and race are important factors distinguishing these attitudes. Moreover, Christian religious affiliations are associated with very positive views about the importance and value of sports participation.
“Thus, we were interested in further exploring the extent to which religiosity may be linked to attitudes about kids playing tackle football and how religiosity might be more or less important for people’s attitudes, based on their education and race,” Knoester said. “Might the violence and risk of football lead particularly religious people to be wary of the appropriateness of tackle football for kids? Might this vary under some conditions, like across educational attainments and racialized experiences in sports and society?”
To examine these questions, the researchers used data from the National Sports and Society Survey, which included responses from nearly 4,000 U.S. adults collected between 2018 and 2019. The survey asked participants to indicate their level of agreement with the statement: “Tackle football is an appropriate sport for kids to play.” Responses ranged from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
The survey also collected information on religious attendance, religious affiliation, education, race, income, marital status, and whether the respondent had played football as a child. Using this information, the researchers built a series of statistical models to predict support for youth tackle football based on religiosity and its interaction with social characteristics.
Key indicators of religiosity included how often respondents attended religious services and their stated religious affiliation. Education was categorized by whether or not respondents had completed a college degree, and race was coded as White, Black, Hispanic, or Other.
The results suggest that religion does play a role in shaping how Americans think about children playing tackle football. People who attended religious services once a week or more were more likely to agree that tackle football is appropriate for kids. About 48 percent of weekly attenders supported youth tackle football, compared to only 40 percent of those who never attended services.
Religious affiliation also mattered. Protestants showed the highest level of support, with over half expressing agreement that tackle football is suitable for children. Catholics and other Christians also expressed more support than atheists, agnostics, and those affiliated with Judaism or other religions. These patterns lend support to the idea that Christian traditions—particularly Protestantism—are closely tied to favorable views of football.
“Given the well-documented health risks of youth tackle football, we expected religiosity might correlate with greater caution, as it does with many risky health behaviors (e.g., smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, illicit drug use),” Upenieks told PsyPost. “Instead, we found the opposite: religious involvement was associated with more support for kids playing tackle football. This suggests that in some communities, football is seen not just as a sport, but as a moral, even sacred, activity–one that builds character, discipline, and faith, and is ‘worth the risk.'”
One explanation is that certain Christian communities promote ideals of toughness, sacrifice, and perseverance that align with football culture. The concept of “Muscular Christianity,” which dates back to the 19th century, promotes physical strength and competitive sports as pathways to moral and spiritual development. In this view, playing football is not just a test of athletic ability but also a character-building exercise that aligns with religious values.
Importantly, education emerged as a key factor shaping these patterns. While more religious individuals tended to support youth tackle football, this effect was especially strong among those without a college degree. Among religious adults with less education, support for tackle football increased with higher religious attendance. But among those with a college degree, religious attendance was not linked to greater support—in fact, college-educated weekly attenders were less likely to endorse tackle football than their less educated counterparts.
Race, on the other hand, did not appear to significantly alter the relationship between religiosity and football attitudes. Black respondents were generally more supportive of youth tackle football than White respondents.
“We reconfirmed our previous finding that Black adults are markedly more supportive of youth football, compared to White adults,” Knoester said. “But, this difference was not moderated by religiosity.”
The researchers note that this finding may reflect the broader cultural significance of football within Black communities, where the sport is often viewed as a potential path to economic mobility and social recognition.
The study’s authors point out a notable tension in their findings. Religious attendance is typically associated with greater health-consciousness and risk aversion. Past research has shown that more religious individuals are less likely to smoke, drink excessively, or engage in other harmful behaviors. Yet in the case of youth tackle football—a sport with well-documented health risks—religious involvement appeared to coincide with greater support, not greater caution.
This seeming contradiction suggests that cultural and spiritual meanings attached to football may override safety concerns, at least for some Americans. The sport may be viewed not only as a rite of passage but also as a way to honor tradition, build character, and even serve a higher purpose. Some religious communities may interpret participation in football as an expression of faith or divine calling, reinforcing positive attitudes toward the sport despite its risks.
The concept of divine protection may also play a role. The researchers suggest that frequent religious service attendance could foster beliefs in God’s providence, which might lead some people to view the dangers of football as manageable or even necessary tests of faith and character. This could produce what psychologists refer to as an “illusion of control,” where people underestimate the risks associated with an activity because of their belief in divine oversight.
“In the case of football, the cultural and spiritual symbolism inherent to the sport—discipline, grit, teamwork, glory—can outweigh safety concerns. If we want to make youth sports safer, especially in religious communities, we have to engage with those values directly and not just present the medical data,” said Joanne Ford-Robertson, a professor of practice at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
While the study provides evidence that religious factors shape opinions about youth tackle football, it is not without limitations. “Our data are not nationally representative, and we asked about attitudes towards ‘kids’ playing tackle football without specifying an age range—so attitudes toward football for a 7-year-old might differ from those for a 13-year-old or a 16-year-old,” Upenieks noted. “We also lacked more nuanced measures of religiosity, such as specific theological beliefs, personal prayer frequency, or views of God, which could shed more light on why religion predicts support for football.”
Another important area for future exploration is the potential role of churches and religious organizations in promoting safer youth sports environments. Given their influence within communities, religious institutions may be uniquely positioned to balance enthusiasm for football with messages about safety and well-being. Pastors and congregational leaders could help frame participation in ways that emphasize character and discipline without downplaying the health risks.
“This study is part of a broader effort to understand the ‘dark side’ of religion and health—instances where religious beliefs and practices may inadvertently promote behaviors that carry significant risks,” Upenieks explained. “In the case of football, our findings suggest that for some Americans, the cultural and spiritual symbolism of the sport can outweigh concerns about children’s safety. Engaging religious communities in conversations about these trade-offs could be key to creating safer youth sports environments.”
“Faith and sport are both powerful forces in American life. When they align, they can inspire people—but they can also reinforce traditions that need critical examination. Our goal isn’t to vilify football or religion, but to understand how they interact.”
The study, “Religiosity and U.S. Adult Support for Youth Tackle Football: Risk Aversion or Playing for the Glory of God?“, was authored by Laura Upenieks, Joanne Ford Robertson, and Chris Knoester.
