Todd Rogers launches new Fandom and Social Connection Initiative to study the science and impact of sports fandom

Today, the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is announcing the launch of the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative: a new lab to study the impact of sports fandom on individuals, society, and culture. The lab is led by Todd Rogers, Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

The three-year research initiative, funded by FOX Sports, will advance the science of fandom by exploring how fan communities –– especially in sports –– help maintain and strengthen social bonds. The work will examine fandom’s role in fostering connection, improving well-being, and creating shared experiences, while exploring the impact that it can have reducing polarization, loneliness, and other key societal challenges. As part of this effort, the research will focus on two core objectives: elevating fandom as a vital social good and identifying interventions that deepen engagement among existing fans. 

“Sports fandom is one of the most powerful forces in American life, and yet it is deeply understudied. This initiative will change that,” said Todd Rogers, Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. “Our goal is to understand fandom scientifically: what makes it so meaningful to so many people, how it builds and sustains relationships, and how we can expand and amplify its benefits.” 

“Fandom facilitates human connection, galvanizes relationships, and enhances well-being,” said Ben Valenta, Executive Vice President, Strategy & Analytics, FOX Sports. “Through this initiative FOX is deepening its commitment to understanding fandom as a social catalyst and cultural force—and to identifying new ways to strengthen, grow, and expand fan communities in meaningful and inclusive ways.” 

Fandom is an important part of the identities of most Americans and people around the world, but it is rarely studied in social science.  

• Most Americans are sports fans: More than three quarters of Americans identify as fans of a major sports team. 83% of fans describe themselves as “passionate” about their team, and 65% report that their fandom is important to their identity. Fan communities also reflect the full diversity of the country, cutting across demographics and backgrounds. 

• Fandom helps people build relationships: Live games and shared viewing experiences provide natural opportunities to gather, while fandom offers an easy and universal way to start conversations. The rhythm of a sports season fosters ongoing interaction, helping relationships grow over time while reducing barriers like coordination challenges or social anxiety. The initiative will study how the fixed schedule of sports can reduce the coordination barriers to maintaining relationships. 

• Fandom leads to shared joy and synchronization: People become fans because it’s fun—and that enjoyment is amplified when experienced together. Research shows that shared viewing can lead to emotional and even physiological synchronization, strengthening bonds between individuals and communities. 

 Todd Rogers is a behavioral scientist who has conducted and scaled intervention research that improves communication, increases civic participation, reduces student absenteeism, and now expands the benefits of fandom. This initiative will support scholarly research that builds on an op-ed that he co-authored in TIME magazine last year.  In it he made and HKS doctoral student Audrey Feldman made the case for why all Americans should be football fans.  It drew on their emerging research in this area, noting that football fans have “wider friendship networks, stronger feelings of belonging, and less alienation.” His academic work has been published in Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Economic Review, Nature Human Behaviour, Psychological Science, and Management Science, and he is a regular commentor in prominent media outlets.  

For more information on the initiative, visit fandomandconnection.org.