The Politics of American College Football

Abstract

Even as revenues and valuations for American college football programs rise rapidly, football faces increased scrutiny about safety concerns which potentially threaten its continued popularity. Recent media suggests a political divide in how football safety issues affect fan identification, with survey evidence asserting football enthusiasm is negatively correlated with Democratic Party affiliation. To more rigorously examine this assertion, we empirically examine how education, income, ethnicity, political affiliation, and school enrollment are associated with college football program values. Results indicate that Democratic affiliation is negatively associated with program values, while college education rates and income are positively associated with program values.