Final yr, ESPN sought to look at the life outcomes of NFL gamers who are actually nearing retirement age and partnered with unbiased health-policy analysis, polling and information group KFF to survey practically 550 gamers from the 1988 season. The ESPN/KFF Survey of 1988 NFL Players included questions on their bodily and psychological well being, their funds and households, and their attitudes about soccer at this time.
Prime takeaway:
The surveyed NFL gamers usually tend to be residing with continual ache or a incapacity, are extra depressed and are much more prone to report having some sort of cognitive decline than the common American man. However overwhelmingly, they'd make the identical resolution to play skilled soccer once more. Learn extra concerning the survey's findings »
Extra from the survey:
To view your entire survey and skim KFF's stories, visit KFF's website »
The ESPN/KFF survey was partially impressed by a name from Alayna Gilbert — widow of former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Daren Gilbert — who contacted the community and expressed concern about her husband's struggles earlier than he died in 2022, and concerning the state of lots of his teammates. Whereas these males relish the brotherhood they constructed via the sport, they're additionally dealing with the lack of at the very least 10 teammates and the swift bodily decline they blame on soccer. Learn ESPN's story on the 1988 Saints, ‘They Have been All Younger' »
For extra on the '88 Saints:
ESPN gathered a number of 1988 Saints gamers and the spouse of a deceased teammate in a New Orleans-area restaurant named for iconic former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert to speak about their lives in soccer. Watch the roundtable conversation »
The Gilbert household's relationship with soccer embodies lots of the sentiments drawn from the ESPN/KFF survey: appreciation for the game and its values, consciousness of its dangers and uncertainty about its security for the following era. Watch the Gilberts' story »
Learn the survey's methodology
The ESPN/KFF Survey of 1988 NFL Gamers was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF in collaboration with reporters at ESPN. The survey included a consultant pattern from the 1,532 former NFL gamers who participated in at the very least one recreation through the 1988 season. The survey was carried out from Oct. 17, 2024, via Nov. 30, 2024, each on-line and by phone. All knowledge assortment was managed by Davis Analysis.
Pattern and make contact with strategies
Gamers' contact data was researched and verified via a number of sources, together with LexisNexis and Advertising and marketing Programs Group (MSG). Of the 1,532 gamers, 128 had been recognized as having died both previous to or throughout knowledge assortment. For these people, researchers tried interviews with a proxy. Gamers and their proxies had been contacted by way of a mailed letter that defined the undertaking and supplied an internet site to finish the survey and a telephone quantity for the person to finish the survey with a reside, skilled interviewer. Those that did not reply obtained follow-ups by way of electronic mail, mail, telephone calls and textual content messages.
The ultimate pattern consists of interviews with 546 former gamers. An extra 18 interviews with members of the family of deceased gamers, in addition to one interview with a member of the family of a residing participant who was recognized as having cognition points, helped to contribute to the reporting.
All survey contributors had been supplied a $100 present card or the choice to donate the quantity to Gridiron Greats, a charity supporting former NFL gamers.
Illustration issues
The undertaking workforce took cautious consideration to make sure the surveyed gamers precisely mirrored the demographics of the league in 1988 throughout variables together with race and ethnicity, place, groups and years within the league.
The ultimate pattern intently matched the demographics of all 1988 gamers, and no extra weighting changes had been wanted.
The general response charge for residing gamers was 40%, and for members of the family of deceased gamers, it was 16%.
The margin of sampling error for the complete pattern is plus or minus 3 share factors. For outcomes primarily based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be increased.
Further word
Nationwide comparability knowledge all through the report is predicated on KFF evaluation of Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) 2023 Behavioral Danger Issue Surveillance System (BRFSS); Nationwide Heart for Well being Statistics 2023 Nationwide Well being Interview Survey (NHIS); the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Neighborhood Survey (ACS); and KFF's 2023 Racism Discrimination and Well being Survey. Knowledge from BRFSS is amongst males ages 55 to 74; all different knowledge is amongst males ages 55 to 75. All estimates are primarily based on self-reported survey outcomes and may differ from different medical estimates.
Concerning the workforce
Reported and written by Mark Fainaru-Wada, Paula Lavigne, Elizabeth Merrill and Shwetha Surendran. Edited by Mike Drago and Laura Purtell. Reality-checked by John Mastroberardino. Video manufacturing by Rayna Banks, Juanita Ceballos, Laura Ramirez and Willie Weinbaum. Copy edited by Lindsay Avant, Kate Howley, Brett Pauly, Mary Sadanaga, Kathryn Sherer and Min Shin.
Produced by ESPN Inventive Studio: Matt Becker, Robert Sales space, Quinn Costantini, Chris DeLisle, Dominique DeMoe, Jessi Dodge, Kaitlin Marron, Elliott Muñoz, Zacarias RipollCid, Garrett Siegel and Rachel Weiss.
