Kicking the Football Habit

When Buffalo Bills tight end Damar Hamlin collapsed of cardiac arrest after making a tackle, it set off a flurry of think pieces and debates about the safety and future of football. But with over 100 million viewers expected to watch the Super Bowl this year, it seems like football’s future is pretty clear. So, if a player almost dying on the field isn't enough to stir a longer, sustained debate about safety in the sport -- then, what is? Audie sits down with former NFL player Nate Jackson and sociologist Daniel Sailofsky — who quit the NFL after a decade of being a super fan — to talk about football's hold on the country and the moral quandary of supporting the sport.  To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Om Podcasten

Every Thursday on The Assignment, host Audie Cornish explores the animating forces of this extraordinary American political moment. It’s not about the horse race, it’s about the larger cultural ideas driving the conversation: the role of online influencers on the electorate, the intersection of pop culture and politics, and discussions with primary voices and thinkers who are shaping the political conversation.