The state of the American social fabric — enormous, diverse, and rent by stark partisan divides — is daunting enough that it can be hard to think about, let alone try to mend.
At the Harvard Kennedy School, two social scientists are advancing the proposition that sports fandom, a powerful social phenomenon and force, may have a role to play in improving lives and strengthening societies.
That proposition is probably controversial. It’s certainly underexplored.
So a new project, launched by Professor Todd Rogers and doctoral student Audrey Feldman aims to fill the gap, with its first wave of findings set to publish in the months ahead.
Leaving aside the billion-dollar business, fandom is an undeniable social fact. In the U.S., nearly three-quarters of people say they follow a pro sports team, and the majority of those consider their fandom to be an important part of their identity.
