Most Americans identify as sports fans – more than identify as church-goers, in fact. Is it good for sports fandom to play such a prominent role in society? After all, we know how tribal, obsessive and competitive we can get about our favorite sports teams. But there’s evidence that sports fandom offers benefits to American society, as a whole. For example, it fuels networks of relationships and can help reduce political polarization. In this podcast episode, we’ll hear why sports fans often have more friends and are more satisfied with other aspects of their lives, too. And we’ll cast a critical eye on the influence sports has on the way we think about gender, patriotism and the American Dream. How can we maximize the positive impact of sports fandom in society?

Podcast Guests:

Jennifer Moglia, sports journalist, student at Quinnipiac University, Rangers and Mets fan

Ben Valenta, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Analytics at Fox Sports, co-author “Fans Have More Friends”

David Sikorjak, President of Dexterity Consulting, former Senior Vice President of Analytics at Madison Square Garden, co-author “Fans Have More Friends”

Michael Serazio, Associate Professor, Department of Communication at Boston College, author of “The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture”