Konner Metz takes a look at the ever more prominent conversation on sports and politics.

Sam Ford/THEREVIEWIn a country that focuses heavily on politics, where do sports fans lie on the political spectrum?

BY KONNER METZSenior Sports Reporter

Where do sports fans lie on the political spectrum? Will sports fans of certain leagues come out in droves to vote for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the 2020 general election?

These questions come during a year in which sports and politics seem to be linked more than usual. Between the current election, athletes standing up for social justice, and leagues creating initiatives for increased voter participation, that relationship has been augmented.

But could sports or athletes alienate a portion of their fans by involving political and social messages? That question leads to understanding where fans of certain sports lean on the political spectrum.

In 2017, FiveThirtyEight looked at the search interest of seven sports and the Trump vote share in markets (cities and towns) across the United States. This comparison was then used to indicate which of the sports lean Democratic and which lean Republican.

For instance, the NBA is considered more popular in Democratic markets because markets that were more likely to search NBA news had a relatively low share of votes for Trump in the 2016 election. Meanwhile, markets with higher trends for college football searches saw higher vote shares for Trump . Thus, college football is considered more popular in Republican markets.

Six of the seven sports looked at by FiveThirtyEight showed a significant lean to either side of the political spectrum. However, the NFL showed no significant skew; search interest for the league was essentially the same in all markets, no matter if the market had a 20% or an 80% Trump vote share.

This middle ground in its fan base could be an explanation for the NFLs hesitancy to be heavily involved in political or social issues. Other sports, like the NBA and MLB, are perhaps offered more flexibility in political and social statements.

This past summer, commissioner Adam Silver did not hesitate at all in making the NBA an avenue for social justice awareness. Players were permitted to put messages of social justice on their jerseys, and Black Lives Matter was written on all courts in support of the movement for racial justice.

The NBA, along with the MLB, underwent a boycott of games following the shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin . Silver said that he wholeheartedly support[ed] the leagues players shining a light on important issues of social justice.

Over the course of the summer, though, the NBA has experienced a decline in ratings a trend that has led President Trump to publicly call out and criticize the league. But with a rearranged schedule, the ongoing effects of the pandemic and declines in sports ratings across America, not all the blame for lost viewership can be put on the increased involvement of social and political messages.

In fact, a large portion of fans remain likely to still watch sports that include political messaging from athletes. Schuyler Reed, an avid NBA, NFL and soccer fan, and a registered Democrat in New Jersey, does not mind athletes voicing their opinions.

I believe that athletes have the platform and the following where they should be able to stand for issues that they believe in, Reed said. The way leagues, such as the NBA, have helped [athletes get their message across] has been very supportive.

Other fans look at sports as an escape from political and social hostility in the country. Dorothy McKain, a lifelong MLB fan, leans on the side of keeping politics out of sports, despite being a registered Democrat in Delaware and planning to vote for Joe Biden.

She said she watches sports to get away and that the two should be separate. On Trumps public criticism of the NBA, she said he came across as having poor judgement and looking unprofessional.

Andrew Surowiec, a Michigan voter who leans center right politically, looks at sports the same way in terms of an escape from national news. He has been supportive of the NHL striking a balance.

I feel like the NHL has done a good job at condemning hate and racism and everything in between but keeping the politics out of the sport, Surowiec said. Politics dont belong in sports, so anyone that criticizes it is in the right.

While the NHL has seen less political and social involvement as a whole, and from its players, ratings have still dropped. Increased competition from other leagues and a lack of scheduling normalcy are two possible factors independent of social messaging.

During such an unprecedented time, the Marist Poll conducted a polling of sports fans to see how certain factors would increase their viewing habits. Athletes speaking out on political issues saw the second highest percentage of making sports fans less likely to watch live sports.

Still, nearly half of respondents noted that athletes speaking out would cause no difference to their viewing, and a substantial 21% would be more likely to watch given athletes voicing their political opinions.

The above table supports the idea that politicizing of sport is not the leading factor in ratings decline seen across the board during 2020. Even so, are the four major professional sports alienating a portion of fans by refusing to eliminate political and social issues from live broadcasts?

The answer to that question remains somewhat unclear, as declining ratings have many possible explanations. What is known is that the four major sports leagues will run the risk of angering and driving away fans on both sides of the spectrum, no matter how they handle the evolving social and political climate.

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The anatomy of sports fans and politics The Review - University of Delaware Review