Media Release
The new program brings together scholars, sports leaders, and civic organizations to explore how sports can strengthen American democracy.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Reimagining Democracy Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation today 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:
“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:
The program will announce additional research and public programming in the months ahead.
Courtney Carter DeJesus is the Associate Director of Communications at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
Podcast
On this week’s episode of “Terms of Engagement,” Miles Rapoport, former Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center, joins cohosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss universal voting in the United States.
Podcast
High voter turnout is often celebrated as a sign of a healthy democracy, with election officials viewing strong participation as evidence of public engagement and political legitimacy. On Terms of Engagement, Professor Jason Brennan joins cohosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to examine whether higher turnout actually strengthens democracy.
Commentary
In this opinion piece, Audrey Feldman, Todd Rogers and Ben Valenta — participants in the Sports, Democracy and Civic Health project — describe their findings showing that shared fandom can soften partisan animosity and make political opponents more willing to connect.
Commentary
In this opinion piece, Audrey Feldman, Todd Rogers and Ben Valenta — participants in the Sports, Democracy and Civic Health project — describe their findings showing that shared fandom can soften partisan animosity and make political opponents more willing to connect.
Q+A
New research from More in Common explores how sports connect Americans across differences and strengthen their community ties.
Commentary
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.
