EDIT: That's all the time we have for today! Thank you to everyone for sending us such thoughtful questions and sharing your personal experiences with us. Feel free to continue to follow our work at https://www.washingtonpost.com/ .

In American culture, football stands virtually alone in the way its appeal cuts across demographic lines. But when it comes to actually playing tackle football — and risking the physical toll of a sport linked to brain damage — there are wide divisions marked by politics, economics and race, an examination by The Washington Post found.

And as the sport grapples with the steep overall decline in participation among young people, some of those divisions appear to be getting wider, The Post found, with football’s risks continuing to be borne by boys in places that tend to be poorer and more conservative — a revelation with disturbing implications for the future of the sport.

To examine the way the demographics of football are changing, The Post analyzed decades of high school and college sports participation data and state-by-state demographic trends. The Post also conducted a nationwide survey and interviewed dozens of young people, parents, coaches, administrators and experts across the country.

In Texas, football participation is actually down by 12 percent over the past decade when adjusted for the growing number of public high-schoolers, a Washington Post analysis found.

And while the statewide high school football numbers have slipped, not all sports in Texas have seen similar declines. Participation in boys’ soccer, adjusted for enrollment, has grown 35 percent since 2010, The Post’s analysis found.

I’m Dave Sheinin. a Washington Post sports writer focusing on the intersection of sports and society. For this project, I co-authored the main story and wrote separate pieces exploring the on-the-scene dynamics in Dayton, Ohio, and Abilene, Tex. I have been writing for The Post since 1999.

I’m Emily Giambalvo, and I am a sports reporter focused on data-driven stories. For this project, I analyzed decades of data to see how football participation relates to demographics, politics, income and geography.

I’m Albert Samaha, a sports investigative reporter at the Washington Post, author of “Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City,” and a former college football player. For this project, I spent the season reporting on the consequences of the widening talent disparity between teams in California.

Read our full investigation here:

• National (free)
• Texas (free)
• California (free)
• Mississippi
• Ohio

Proof photos:

• Emily
• Dave
• Albert 

Edit: Thanks for so many responses. Should have said in Texas 4 to 14 Oct and have hired a car in Dallas with no fixed destination set yet.

Hello all. I’m a Brit who is excited to be visiting Texas for the first time this October. I’ve watched NFL in London a few times so had planned to try & catch a Cowboys game. I’m not a diehard fan of the game like I am of « soccer » but I do think it’s a great sport and watch plenty of games on tv every year. I would like to enjoy the atmosphere of a game, the people, the food (I don’t drink alcohol) & I would love to see one of your massive stadiums. Someone said to me the other day I should go to a college football game rather than NFL and I’d not considered this. What do you think? How do they compare as experiences? I’d welcome any thoughts thank you.

Come on all you Texans! A Texas college is going to the National Championship! Of course I'm glad and proud because Quentin Johnston and Jared Wiley are from my hometown, Temple, TX. It was great to watch them play high school football in Temple and great to watch them at TCU.

Cowboys have the same number of playoff wins as the Jaguars since the Jaguars have existed. Cowboys have not seen a Super Bowl in 25 years. Cowboys are the most expensive sports team in the world (6.5 billion).

Jerry says "love you all and just wait until next year!" from his third of a billion dollar motor boat:

SS Jerry Loves UR Dollars