Heart of a Fan

What does it mean to be a fan of El Tri or a Liga MX club — when you live miles away from the stadium, across the border, in a country that doesn't always feel like home?

In this second episode of Flags of Our Fans, we follow the heartbeat of Mexican soccer fans living in the U.S., exploring how dual identities shape the way they love the game. These are the fans who chant in Spanish at American bars, raise their kids in rival kits, and carry generations of pride and memory with them — even when the world tells them they don’t belong.

With voices from across Pancho Villa’s Army and Liga MX fan communities, this episode dives deep into the emotion, politics, and passion of immigrant fandom. We hear stories of family, resistance, cultural tradition, and what it means to support your team from somewhere else. Featuring perspectives from Mexican-American fans, cross-border club supporters, and a special upcoming segment with California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, who brings her immigrant journey full circle through the lens of sport and solidarity.

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What happens when the only professional sports team left in Connecticut — the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun — faces threats of relocation?

In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we explore why women’s basketball in Connecticut is more than just a game. Fans of the Connecticut Sun share what this team means to them, how UConn basketball culture shaped their WNBA loyalty, and what would be lost if the franchise left Mohegan Sun Arena.

You’ll hear lifelong fans reflect on how fandom builds identity, memory, and resilience:

• Why the Sun are essential to Connecticut’s team identity and culture.
• How women’s basketball provides visibility, tradition, and healing.
• What fan rituals reveal about loyalty, resilience, and the future of the WNBA.

This is more than basketball — it’s one of those sports stories that shows how sports fandom creates belonging, connection, and community at a time when loneliness is at an all-time high.

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to explore companion case studies, reports, and ways to share your own fan story.

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In the debut episode of Flags of Our Fans, we travel to Los Angeles to hear from sports fans, supporters’ groups, and community leaders standing on the frontlines of resistance. From tenant rights organizers to passionate American Outlaws chapters, these voices reveal how sports fandom can be a rallying point for courage, connection, and justice.

You’ll hear powerful firsthand stories from advocates confronting ICE raids, fighting for affordable housing, and protecting their neighbors. From MLS and NWSL stands to NBA, NHL, WNBA, NFL, and MLB fan communities, these supporters are proving that identity and belonging go far beyond the scoreboard.

This episode shines a light on the intersection of fandom, activism, and identity—reminding us that the stands can be as much a place of solidarity as they are a place of sport. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the terraces, this is a story about the power of fans to stand united when it matters most.

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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans faced more than physical destruction—it faced the loss of identity, tradition, and community. But in parks, rec centers, stadiums, and stands, the comeback quietly began.

In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we explore how sports helped heal a city—not just through the Saints’ return to the Superdome, but through the voices of youth coaches, community organizers, and neighborhood fans. From the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club to NORD to high school fields across the region, we hear what it meant to come back together through fandom.

This is a story about what happens when cheering isn't just about the score—it's about survival, pride, and rebuilding what matters most.

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What is a fan embassy—and how can it help fans feel safer, more welcome, and more connected during the 2026 World Cup?

In this special prelude to Flags of Our Fans, we sit down with Thomas Concannon of the Football Supporters’ Association to explore the purpose and power of fan embassies: pop-up support hubs run by supporters, for supporters. From safety advice to finding your people in a new city, fan embassies are about more than travel—they're about belonging.

As we head into a tournament that raises big questions about nationalism, safety, and identity, this episode lays the foundation for what’s ahead in the docuseries. We explore how national supporters groups like the American Outlaws, Pancho Villa’s Army, and The Voyageurs can use fan embassies to build a better tournament experience—especially for immigrant, first-time, and vulnerable fans.

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What does it mean to be proud in a stadium where you’re not always welcome?

In this special Pride Month episode, we sit down with LGBTQ+ fans who are reclaiming space in the stands—even as the world outside grows more hostile. From grassroots movements like PrideRaiser to the deeply personal weight of safety, inclusion, and chosen family, this episode explores what it means to show up when you’ve been pushed out.

Guests include:

• Kate Fasco, a queer supporters’ group leader creating safer spaces from the ground up
• Dan Ryan, lead engineer behind Prideraiser, on the emotional power of visibility
• Dr. Travers, sociologist and author, on trans inclusion, women’s sports, and the backlash against progress

This isn’t just a celebration. It’s a call to protect the communities that keep fandom human.

Whether you’re in the front row or fighting from the sidelines—this one’s for you.

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What do sports fandom and religion have in common?

In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we explore how faith shows up in sports—from game-day prayers to lifelong belief in a team that keeps letting you down. With Pope Leo XIV—a Chicago native, Villanova alum, and White Sox fan—now leading the Catholic Church, the line between spiritual devotion and sports devotion feels thinner than ever.

We’re joined by:

• Dr. Jeffrey Scholes, professor of religious studies and director of the Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life, who unpacks the rituals, myths, and emotional pull that connect sports to faith.
• Jordan Lazowski, editor of Sox On 35th, who shares how the White Sox community is reacting to having one of their own in the Vatican—and why sports fandom may be the most spiritually honest identity we have.

Whether your sacred space is a stadium, a pew, or the spot on your couch where you wear your lucky jersey—this episode is for you.

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In this special episode of Heart of a Fan, host Matthew Barry sits down with Rebecca Davis—co-director of the Netflix documentary Join or Die—to explore the power of community, the decline of civic life, and why sports fandom might be the last great space for belonging in modern America.

Based on the groundbreaking research of Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone), this conversation dives into what we’re really losing when we stop joining clubs, cheering together, or showing up for one another—and how we can rebuild that connection through student sections, supporters’ groups, and small acts of togetherness.

Whether you're a lifelong fan or just feeling the weight of isolation, this episode is for anyone who believes in the power of showing up—for your team, your community, and your future.

🎧 Featuring:
 – Why social capital matters more than ever
 – How fandom functions as modern civic life
 – The story behind Join or Die and its mission
– What teams, fans, and institutions can do to rebuild trust

📍Watch the film: joinordiefilm.com
🎥 Now streaming on Netflix
🌐 Learn more: heartofafan.org

Men are lonelier than ever — and often afraid to talk about it. Could fan communities be part of the cure?

In 2023, the NYT asked: Is the cure for male loneliness out on the pickleball court?
It sparked a meme. But behind the jokes is something serious: men struggling with connection, stigma, and silence.

This week on Heart of a Fan, we ask: Can sports fandom — tailgates, group chats, road trips, and emotional highs and lows — offer something more?

Hear from fans like James Eastman, Thomas “Grim” Brannon, Nafis Ricks, and Jaguars Fan of the Year Tyler Derby on how their fan communities became a lifeline. We also explore the “online disinhibition effect” — why fans sometimes attack their own — and how we can build more emotionally honest fan spaces.

💛 This episode is dedicated to Raiders fan Kelsey Ramos. Please consider donating to her family and to Grim’s cancer fundraiser via the links below.

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Donate & support featured fans:
→ https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kelsys-kids-through-their-loss
→ https://gofund.me/ada6e76b

Learn more or share your own story:
→ heartofafan.org

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What does it really mean to make sports fandom accessible? In this episode, we sit down with three powerful voices—disability advocate and hockey fan Chanel Keenan, KultureCity Executive Director Uma Srivastava, and Raiders superfan Keith Smith—to explore the physical, sensory, and emotional barriers that can keep fans from fully joining the stadium experience.

From navigating stadium layouts and sensory overload to rethinking outdated systems and design assumptions, this episode explores the difference between being ADA-compliant and truly inclusive. We also dive into the social model of disability, the emotional power of communitas, and why exclusion from shared fan experiences severs more than just attendance—it severs connection.

Because fandom is more than watching a game. It’s memory. It’s belonging. It’s community. And everyone deserves a seat at the game.

If you have a story about how you’ve built a community through sports fandom or wish to record your own unique story of fandom,  please feel free to reach out to us at our website, heartofafan.org. If you’ve enjoyed what you just heard, please consider subscribing to get new stories in your inbox every other Tuesday.

🎧 New episodes every other Tuesday on Spotify, iTunes, or heartofafan.org.