Americans typically think of sports as entertainment. But sports also have a social function that makes sports part of that reservoir of communal affection called social wealth.
That’s because sports give young people relationships, identity, and a place in school. They also give people something to talk about. But the students who might benefit most are often left on the sidelines.
A new study on “Sports Fandom” from More in Common finds that 71 percent of the most passionate sports fans use sports to connect with someone new, compared with 50 percent of moderately engaged fans, 28 percent of less engaged fans, and 13 percent of nonfans. More passionate fans also report more frequent contact with friends and family and less loneliness.
At a moment when Americans worry about isolation and social division, sports is a shared ritual and language that can cross differences of age, background, and politics.
