Will football’s popularity ever decline?

By G. Romero Wendorf

Sports talk about football concussions is all the rage these days. Especially after 49ers rookie Linebacker Chris Borland walked away from a $2.9-million contract last month, citing his concern over how pro football might affect his health later in life. The $2.9 million might not sound like much among the ranks of the NFL elite, but given Borland’s stats during his rookie season (107 tackles and two interceptions), it was a safe bet the former Wisconsin Badger was on the fast track to make millions more down the road after his four-year rookie contract expired in 2017.