Does NFL team fandom transcend political ideology or is it an expression of political ideology? The 2017 NFL season kicked off last weekend as a microcosm of the polarizing political climate in this country. Some fans aren’t tuning into games because of continued racial inequality protests during the National Anthem.… More
New research reveals 4.3% of “House Hunters” episodes feature gay people A record-high number of Americans think our country is divided – I count myself among them. Political divisiveness is so pervasive and ever-present that I find myself consistently searching for ideological bridges – topics that forge connections across ideology… More
Television carriage disputes – fights between TV providers over the right to carry content – occur frequently. Most of the time, they are accompanied by public relations efforts meant to activate viewers to get involved in the dispute so they don’t lose their content. In 2009, Time Warner Cable placed… More
Sports fandom is a core part of my identity. It is a central component of my family, my history and my culture. I spend an embarrassing amount of time and energy analyzing the plights of my Broncos, Dodgers and Trojans. The use of “my” is not an error — I… More
If a pitcher threw a no-hitter but no one could watch it on television, did it really happen? Josh Beckett, who pitches for my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, immediately became the best story of this young baseball season when he no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend. Any no-hitter is amazing,… More
Adam Amel Rogers is Project Specialist at the Lear Center. On January 20, publicist Howard Bragman sent a text to Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler that read, “The eagle has landed.” The moment had arrived – standout NFL prospect Michael Sam was ready to come out. Zeigler penned an exclusive look… More
Adam Amel Rogers is a Project Specialist at the Lear Center. For what seems like a lifetime, those who follow gay issues in sports have been addressing the same tiresome series of questions: “Is America ready for an openly gay athlete in one of the four major team sports?” “When… More
Adam Amel Rogers is a Project Specialist at the Norman Lear Center. Are famous gay people better off than they were five years ago? In September 2007, the Lear Center convened a lively roundtable of experts to discuss the Hollywood climate for gay and lesbian entertainers. The discussion analyzed the… More
Adam Amel Rogers is a Project Specialist at the Norman Lear Center. Our nation’s young people are living in a war zone. School bullying is at epidemic levels, educators largely lack resources to intervene and cyberbullying ensures that the tormenting continues well after the school bell rings. No one has… More
Adam Amel Rogers is a Project Specialist at the Norman Lear Center. To this die-hard Denver Broncos fan, the past football season has been an unforgettable wild ride. My beloved team used a series of unbelievable last-minute comebacks to rise above their talent level and win their division and a… More