The Reimagining Democracy Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has announced a program examining how professional sports and fandom can strengthen civic health and democratic life in the United States.
Led by Archon Fung, Ash Center director and Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, and Tova Wang, director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice, the Sports, Democracy, and Civic Health program brings together scholars, election officials, democracy advocates, professional sports organizations, leagues, athletes, and civic organizations. It will explore how the shared identity and sense of belonging fostered by sports can build trust, reduce polarization, encourage civic participation, and strengthen connections across differences.
“For millions of Americans, sports are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds come together around a shared identity and purpose,” said Wang. “That sense of belonging represents an important, and still under explored, resource for strengthening American democracy.”
The program builds on more than five years of work by the Reimagining Democracy Program, including research on how sports teams can use their facilities and fan networks to increase voter engagement.
Alongside the Ash Center, participants engaged in this work include:
Lara Brown, Senior Policy Advisor to the Center on Civility and Democracy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Political Scientist
Amina Bulman, Chief Revenue Officer, Boston Legacy FC
Michael Butterworth, Governor Ann W. Richards Chair for the Texas Program in Sports and Media, Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, and Director of the Center for Sports Communication & Media at The University of Texas at Austin
Griffin Colaizzi, Research Fellow, More in Common
Michael Crawford, Vice President, Spitfire Strategies
Elizabeth B. Delia, Associate Professor of Sports Management, UMass Amherst
David Friedman, Executive Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer, Boston Red Sox
Michael Hanmer, Professor of Government and Politics, Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, University of Maryland
Lilah Haye, Government & Community Relations Specialist, Las Vegas Raiders
Ashleigh Huffman, Senior Director, Sports and Society, Aspen Institute, former Chief of Sports Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State
Joe Kennedy, Co-Founder of The Team and Director of Athletics and Sports Leadership, Obama Presidential Center
Jason Mangone, Executive Director, More in Common
Andrew Maraniss, Sports Historian, Athletics Special Projects Director, Vanderbilt University
Jane McManus, former Reporter for ESPN, NYU Tisch School of Global Sports
David Nickerson, Professor of Political Science, Temple University
Jay Osterman, Founder & Executive Director, redclover impact
Piper Overstreet-White, SVP, Government and Community Relations, Las Vegas Raiders
Farah Pandith, Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate, Muhammad Ali Center
Scott Pioli, former NFL Executive, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons; consultant and speaker
Todd Rogers, Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
David Sikorjak, Founder, Dexterity Consulting
Donte Stallworth, former NFL Player
Kevin Sullivan, Kevin Sullivan Communications, Inc. and Senior Adviser, George W. Bush Presidential Center
Ben Valenta, VP Marketing, Fox Sports
“This project connects rigorous research with the practical experience of leaders across sports and civic sectors,” said Fung. “By learning what teams, leagues, and sports organizations are doing for their fans and in their communities, we can investigate how the power of connection in sports can be used to support a healthier and more inclusive participatory democracy.”
The Sports, Democracy, and Civic Health program will pursue three principal goals:
1. Reframe sports as not only an entertainment business, but also a belonging business that contributes to civic, democratic, and social health.
2. Synthesize and share research and narrative storytelling on how sports fandom can foster trust, compassion, social connection, and civic participation.
3. Offer practical strategies and frameworks for teams, leagues, athletes, civic organizations, and scholars to leverage the connective power of sports to strengthen democracy.
The program will announce additional research and public programming in the months ahead.
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