Tova Wang
Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice
Sports, Democracy and Civic Health
Seeking to explore ways scholars, the sports industry, and civic organizations can work together to help strengthen civic life in America through sports.
Related Programs
Sports remain one of the few spaces where Americans of different races, classes, religions, sexual orientations, nationalities, and political beliefs come together around a shared identity and purpose. Fans experience powerful feelings of joy, belonging, and collective pride. When the home team wins, “we won” refers to anyone who shares that allegiance. This common identity can foster trust, empathy, social connection, and civic pride—capacities that are essential to a healthy democracy.
For the last 6 years, the Reimagining Democracy Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has collaborated with academics, election officials, democracy advocates, and professional sports organizations to explore how Americans’ love of sports can support civic health and participation. Initial work has focused on how teams can use their facilities and fan networks to increase voter engagement, work we continue to do.
The Ash Center has now also expanded its work to examine the broader ways in which professional sports and fandom can strengthen democratic life and how teams, leagues, scholars, the sports business industry and civil society can intentionally harness that potential.The Project on Sports, Fandom, and American Democracy will explore the underrecognized but powerful role that sports play in sustaining civic life in the United States. Its goals are to:
- Reframe sports as not just an entertainment business, but also a belonging business that contributes to civic, democratic, and social health.
- Synthesize and present research and use narrative storytelling to explore ways in which sports fandom produces social goods like reduced polarization, increased trust and compassion, and higher civic participation.
- Offer practical strategies and frameworks for teams, leagues, athletes, civic organizations, and scholars to leverage the connective power of sports to strengthen democracy.
Participants Include:
- Lara Brown, Senior Policy Advisor to the Center on Civility and Democracy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, Political Scientist
- Amina Bulma, 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, Exec. Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs, 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, VP Government 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
Additional Resources
- What Boston’s World Cup Summer Showed Us About Sports and Civic Life
- Leveraging Sport for Civic Engagement at Boston Legacy FC’s Mutual Aid Fair
- Nevada Secretary of State, Clark County announce partnership with the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL to open Allegiant Stadium as a polling location on Election Day
- Take me out to the voting booth
- Former Patriots executive Scott Pioli’s new passion is more patriotic than ever
- Allegiant will host the Super Bowl. Will it host voters next?
- Athletes’ advocacy for voting rights garners broad support, poll finds
- Former NFL exec: Sports venues ideal polling places
Meet the Experts
Archon Fung
Director, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation;
Co-Director of the Program on Democracy and the Informed Public;
Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government
Upcoming Events from this Program
Democracy 250: The Impact of Sports on the History of Civil Rights in America
Online Event
Zoom Webinar
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm EDT
Upcoming Events
Content Creators, Election Administration and Voting: Can Social Media be used to Improve the Voter Information Environment
Online Event
Zoom Webinar
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT
Commentary
What Boston’s World Cup Summer Showed Us About Sports and Civic Life
Thanks to the World Cup, Boston had an unforgettable summer. In this commentary, the Ash Center’s Tova Wang and former New England Patriots executive Scott Pioli break down how the city can harness that energy to build stronger communities and transform local sports culture year-round.
Q+A
Surveying Sportsmanship as a Framework for Civility
Sports may seem far removed from the challenges facing American democracy, but both rely on a shared commitment to rules, competition, and respect for opponents. As political polarization deepens, some scholars are looking beyond traditional civic institutions and asking whether the values that govern athletics can help strengthen democratic life. New research from the Ronald Reagan Center on Civility and Democracy suggests the answer may be yes.
Feature
Reimagining Democracy 2026 Summer Reading List
Tova Wang, director of research projects in democratic practice at the Ash Center, shares her top picks for summer reads focused on making democracy more resilient, responsive, and inclusive.
Video
Winning as a Team: How the Las Vegas Raiders are Supporting Civic Engagement
Policy Brief
Voting with the Las Vegas Raiders: The Impact of Allegiant Stadium as a Polling Location in 2024
Sports facilities are uniquely positioned to provide an enjoyable voting experience and strengthen civic engagement. A new report by Tova Wang, Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice, explores the impact of stadium voting in 2024 at Allegiant Stadium, drawing widespread, bipartisan support from voters and election officials and strengthening the relationship between the Las Vegas Raiders and the surrounding community.
Video
CommUniversity Session: Sports, Activism, and Philanthropy
Ash Center’s Tova Wang joined the CommNS and representatives from various professional sports organizations and their foundations to discuss the way athletes and teams are engaging in communities, causes, and giving processes.
Video
Engaging Fans, Empowering Voters: How Professional Sports are Promoting Civic Engagement
The Ash Center hosted a discussion with representatives of the NBA, NFL Votes, the co-founder of Vet the Vote, and the Deputy Secretary of State of Georgia to discuss how these partnerships are succeeding at supporting voter participation and fair and secure elections.
Feature
Sports Franchises and Election Administrators Team Up to Create New Polling Places
The Ash Center’s Tova Wang and NFL executive Scott Pioli make the case for using sports stadiums as polling places this fall.
Video
CEA Conference: Sports Teams and Election Administrators: Partnering to Create Polling Place Access
Scott Pioli and Tova Wang discussed ways that sports franchises and election administrators have partnered to increase polling place access by opening up their facilities for elections.
Case Study
Voting in 2020: Professional Sports Stadiums & Arenas as Polling Places
The primary findings of this report are that sports facilities make excellent polling sites and team involvement in promoting voting is uniquely helpful in sharing the importance of participation.
Q+A
What role can sports teams play in 2024 voter turnout?
Ash Center Senior Researcher Tova Wang and NFL Network analyst Scott Pioli answer questions about how sports teams can foster civic engagement.
Feature
What happens when sports stadiums and arenas are used as polling sites?
Research shows professional sports stadiums and arenas are not only ideal polling locations, but support for their use in elections reaches across the aisle and benefits the team.