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Season 5, Episode 57 – Audrey Feldman – Conversations with Sports Fans

As the United States moves toward its midterm elections, it seems an appropriate time to have Audrey Feldman join Conversations and discuss the recent research she and her colleagues at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government completed earlier this year.The title of the working paper Audrey co-authored with Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy, Dr. Todd Rogers, is Shared Sports Fandom Powerfully Reduces Partisan Animosity.A doctoral student in Public Policy at the Kennedy School, Audrey discusses the impetus for the research, the process, and the findings. Not to bury the lead, but in a nutshell, being a fan of the same team increases feelings of mutual warmth. And, across partisan divides, the more passionate the fan, the stronger the depolarizing effect. A fan herself, Audrey shares memories of her youth attending college football games with her father, a University of Michigan alum. Audrey spent her undergrad years at the University of Notre Dame (much to her dad's initial chagrin), so she knows a thing or two about the culture surrounding a college football Saturday. Links Referenced:Shared Sports Fandom Powerfully Reduces Partisan Animosity⁠ – 2026 Draft Paper from Harvard's Audrey Feldman & Dr. Todd Rogers⁠Fandom and Social Connection Initiative⁠ – Launched by Rogers and Feldman with an unrestricted gift from Fox Sports⁠New York Times Guest Essay⁠ – Authored by Rogers, Feldman, and Ben Valenta (Fox Sports)Impact of Muslim Soccer Players on Fans' Islamophobia – 2021 Paper from a research team from the University of Colorado, Stanford University, and Yale UniversityIf you’re enjoying Conversations with Sports Fans, please consider supporting our work ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For as little as 99 cents a month, generous supporters such as you can keep these episodes commercial-free.

As the United States moves toward its midterm elections, it seems an appropriate time to have Audrey Feldman join Conversations and discuss the recent research she and her colleagues at Harvard University’s ⁠Kennedy School of Government⁠ completed earlier this year.

The title of the working paper Audrey co-authored with Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy, Dr. Todd Rogers, is Shared Sports Fandom Powerfully Reduces Partisan Animosity.

A doctoral student in Public Policy at the Kennedy School, Audrey discusses the impetus for the research, the process, and the findings. Not to bury the lead, but in a nutshell, being a fan of the same team increases feelings of mutual warmth. And, across partisan divides, the more passionate the fan, the stronger the depolarizing effect.

A fan herself, Audrey shares memories of her youth attending college football games with her father, a University of Michigan alum. Audrey spent her undergrad years at the University of Notre Dame (much to her dad’s initial chagrin), so she knows a thing or two about the culture surrounding a college football Saturday.

Links Referenced:

• ⁠Shared Sports Fandom Powerfully Reduces Partisan Animosity⁠⁠ – 2026 Draft Paper from Harvard’s Audrey Feldman & Dr. Todd Rogers
• ⁠⁠Fandom and Social Connection Initiative⁠⁠ – Launched by Rogers and Feldman with an unrestricted gift from Fox Sports
• ⁠⁠New York Times Guest Essay⁠⁠ – Authored by Rogers, Feldman, and Ben Valenta (Fox Sports)
• ⁠Impact of Muslim Soccer Players on Fans’ Islamophobia⁠ – 2021 Paper from a research team from the University of Colorado, Stanford University, and Yale University

If you’re enjoying Conversations with Sports Fans, please consider supporting our work ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For as little as 99 cents a month, generous supporters such as you can keep these episodes commercial-free.

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