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Game Changers: The Evolution of Sports & Culture

In October 2024, Scarlett Johansson wore a “The Met” Metropolitan Museum of Art baseball hat to game four of the Mets vs Dodgers NLCS matchup. Google searches for the hat soared as the image from the broadcast went viral. People from across the fandom spectrum could enjoy the unique experience of sports and culture overlapping; creating one, beautiful (and increasingly elusive) monocultural moment.  

 

"For a long time, sport was a microcosm of society: whatever happened in society was reflected in sport... Now what happens in sport increasingly has the power to impact society and life OUTSIDE of the sport space." – Dr. Kristi Oshiro, Assistant Professor of Sports Administration at Belmont University

 

Sports has always been a cornerstone of American identity; but today, its impact is felt far beyond just the playing field. As sports permeate every facet of entertainment and culture, the line between sports enthusiasts and pop culture aficionados is blurring. In our 2025 study, “Game Changers: The Evolving World of Sports & Culture”, we found this cultural crossover manifesting in many ways:

This new generation of fans want their passions to intersect – with 77% of Gen Z sports fans saying they love when their passion for sports overlaps with their other interests (Paramount Sports Study, 2024). And we’re seeing this play out today through Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson’s runway walk at Paris fashion week, Neymar’s ever growing popularity on Twitch, the explosion of #BookTok and its connection to the NHL, and so much more.

 

Women’s sports and emerging sports are providing a welcome, untainted space for these next-gen fans eager to expand their sports fandoms. Over half of all sports fans find the environment of new teams more welcoming that legacy teams (Paramount Sports Study, 2024), and a top three reason people are most excited about women’s sports today is its greater cultural acceptance of women in all sports (Paramount Women's Sports Study, 2024). That’s one of the reasons why Natalie Portman founded Angel City FC - to shift soccer culture in the US. She said in an interview: “Watching my son idolize players like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan the same way he did Lionel Messi or Karim Benzema, I realized that amplifying female athletes could rapidly shift culture.”

 

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