Our future kids won't play football, my wife and I have already talked about this. Neither one of us has the genes to produce to a DI caliber football player, so the risk-reward equation is very unbalanced. I don't think you can logically justify the long term health risks for something that is a "game" with no payoff... there are plenty of things that are "fun" that are a bad idea to do.
What about Lacrosse or hockey? It seems the risks are very similar depending on the position being played.
To your point about the risk/reward, I played college ball so my son may have the size and ability to play as well. Football was a very meaningful part of my life. I learned quite a bit and it opened up doors that may have otherwise been closed. I had one concussion in the ten years I played so for me, the game has been a net positive.
It seems like the concern for most people is the possibility of the "big hit", whether their child is on the receiving or delivering side of the collision. The bigger concern for me is being repeatedly hit, even if it is low impact. Everyone on the field is at risk of taking a big hit (obvious, I know). However, there are certain positions, namely RB, MLB and the interior linemen, that require the player deliver or absorb several hits to the head. There's just no way around it. There's chance my son will have the build to play some of those positions and that is a concern. I would prefer he plays on the edge, whether it's DE, OLB, OT, or TE, rather than the interior of either unit (he's not playing RB, WR or corner).
Aside from position, there are two other factors I'd consider; special teams and coaching. He's not playing special teams. He's not playing kickoff, kickoff return, punt or punt return. I understand some people may disagree here. If you're part of a team, you have to contribute to help the team. That said, there's no chance I'm letting my kid sprint forty yards down a field so he can launch his body at another player. If you can pull yourself back from the "tough guy" mentality and the tradition of the game, I think reasonable minds can agree this is simply ridiculous. If the game has any chance of being played fifty years from now, kickoffs and punts will have to be critically analyzed and eliminated from the game.
Coaching, specifically with respect to practice, is another issue I'd have to review. I grew up in an era where coaches would use drills like the "nutcracker" or "oklahoma". These drills obviously build toughness but they also increase the amount of helmet to helmet hits a player takes. I have no problem with a coach breaking down my son and building toughness but it can't be done at the expense of his health. Back to special teams, you can't have a good special teams unit unless you repeatedly run a live drill at practice. Nobody in their right mind wants their child to take ten reps of kickoff three days a week at practice. It's just not going to happen.
Changes have to be made that may make the game less enjoyable for fans but the game won't exist unless the changes are made.
So, short answer for me is it depends.
