Is the fantasy of football worth the potential price? That's what football athletes, fans and doctors are asking after a new study published in late August revealed that from a sample of athletes who played at least one NFL game in their careers and who died between 2016 and 2021, a minimum of around 25% -- that's one in every four of those players --  had a brain condition called CTE upon their death. But what do these findings really mean for one of the world's most lucrative sports leagues, and how might our cultural ideas about football be creating blind spots for us when we consider the risks of the game? To find out Brittany is joined by <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/182264497/gene-demby"target="_blank" >Gene Demby</a>, co-host of NPR’s Code Switch, and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/people/lz-granderson"target="_blank" >LZ Granderson</a>, host of the LZ Granderson Show podcast, and op-ed columnist at the LA Times. Want more episodes at the intersection of labor, entertainment, and pop culture? Check these out: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/08/19/nx-s1-5936555/has-broadway-lost-its-way"target="_blank" >Has Broadway lost its way?</a><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/08/14/nx-s1-5930390/people-are-struggling-financially-even-on-tv"target="_blank" >People are struggling financially. Even on TV.</a> Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the <a href="https://988lifeline.org/"target="_blank" >988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline</a> by dialing 9-8-8, or the <a href="http://www.crisistextline.org/"target="_blank" >Crisis Text Line</a> by texting HOME to 741741. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Would you let your kids play football?

It's Been a Minute

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews