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PODCAST

Heart of a Fan

For sports fans and enthusiasts, Heart of a Fan explores the deep emotional connection between fans and the teams they love.Host Matthew Barry shares real stories from across the sports world — from the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NWSL, MLS, MLB, and NHL — spotlighting the fan experiences that make community possible.Whether it’s lifelong supporters, grassroots organizers, or emerging voices in women’s sports, every episode celebrates sports fandom, supporters groups, and the moments that bring people together

sports personal journals

All Episodes

80:20

Flags of Our Fans: Mexico - Two Flags, One Heart

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/10/23

What does it mean to be a fan of El Tri or a Liga MX club — when you live miles away from the stadium, across the border, in a country that doesn't always feel like home? In this second episode of Flags of Our Fans, we follow the heartbeat of Mexican soccer fans living in the U.S., exploring how dual identities shape the way they love the game. These are the fans who chant in Spanish at American bars, raise their kids in rival kits, and carry generations of pride and memory with them — even w...

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67:57

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/09/02

What happens when the only professional sports team left in Connecticut — the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun — faces threats of relocation? In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we explore why women’s basketball in Connecticut is more than just a game. Fans of the Connecticut Sun share what this team means to them, how UConn basketball culture shaped their WNBA loyalty, and what would be lost if the franchise left Mohegan Sun Arena. You’ll hear lifelong fans reflect on how fandom builds identity, memory...

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55:14

Flags of Our Fans: Los Angeles – Fans United Against ICE

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/08/12

In the debut episode of Flags of Our Fans, we travel to Los Angeles to hear from sports fans, supporters’ groups, and community leaders standing on the frontlines of resistance. From tenant rights organizers to passionate American Outlaws chapters, these voices reveal how sports fandom can be a rallying point for courage, connection, and justice. You’ll hear powerful firsthand stories from advocates confronting ICE raids, fighting for affordable housing, and protecting their neighbors. From M...

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61:40

The Comeback Begins at Home: How Sports Helped Heal...

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/07/30

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans faced more than physical destruction—it faced the loss of identity, tradition, and community. But in parks, rec centers, stadiums, and stands, the comeback quietly began. In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we explore how sports helped heal a city—not just through the Saints’ return to the Superdome, but through the voices of youth coaches, community organizers, and neighborhood fans. From the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club to NORD to high schoo...

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16:22

Flags of Our Fans: Prelude — Fan Embassies 101

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/07/15

What is a fan embassy—and how can it help fans feel safer, more welcome, and more connected during the 2026 World Cup? In this special prelude to Flags of Our Fans, we sit down with Thomas Concannon of the Football Supporters’ Association to explore the purpose and power of fan embassies: pop-up support hubs run by supporters, for supporters. From safety advice to finding your people in a new city, fan embassies are about more than travel—they're about belonging. As we head into a tournament ...

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55:39

We Cheer Anyways: Pride in the Stands

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/06/11

What does it mean to be proud in a stadium where you’re not always welcome? In this special Pride Month episode, we sit down with LGBTQ+ fans who are reclaiming space in the stands—even as the world outside grows more hostile. From grassroots movements like PrideRaiser to the deeply personal weight of safety, inclusion, and chosen family, this episode explores what it means to show up when you’ve been pushed out. Guests include: Kate Fasco, a queer supporters’ group leader creating safer spac...

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27:01

Pray for the Win — Faith, Fandom, and Pope Leo XIV

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/05/29

What do sports fandom and religion have in common? In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we explore how faith shows up in sports—from game-day prayers to lifelong belief in a team that keeps letting you down. With Pope Leo XIV—a Chicago native, Villanova alum, and White Sox fan—now leading the Catholic Church, the line between spiritual devotion and sports devotion feels thinner than ever. We’re joined by: Dr. Jeffrey Scholes, professor of religious studies and director of the Center for Religio...

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35:52

Special Episode – Join or Die: What Fandom Can Teach...

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/05/21

In this special episode of Heart of a Fan, host Matthew Barry sits down with Rebecca Davis—co-director of the Netflix documentary Join or Die—to explore the power of community, the decline of civic life, and why sports fandom might be the last great space for belonging in modern America. Based on the groundbreaking research of Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone), this conversation dives into what we’re really losing when we stop joining clubs, cheering together, or showi...

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33:40

Is Fandom the Cure for Male Loneliness?

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/05/13

Men are lonelier than ever — and often afraid to talk about it. Could fan communities be part of the cure? In 2023, the NYT asked: Is the cure for male loneliness out on the pickleball court? It sparked a meme. But behind the jokes is something serious: men struggling with connection, stigma, and silence. This week on Heart of a Fan, we ask: Can sports fandom — tailgates, group chats, road trips, and emotional highs and lows — offer something more? Hear from fans like James Eastman, Thomas “...

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36:57

Episode 28 – Everyone Deserves a Seat at the Game

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/04/15

What does it really mean to make sports fandom accessible? In this episode, we sit down with three powerful voices—disability advocate and hockey fan Chanel Keenan, KultureCity Executive Director Uma Srivastava, and Raiders superfan Keith Smith—to explore the physical, sensory, and emotional barriers that can keep fans from fully joining the stadium experience. From navigating stadium layouts and sensory overload to rethinking outdated systems and design assumptions, this episode explores the...

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46:36

Episode 27: How to Build a Women’s Sports Fanbase...

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/03/31

Want to grow a women’s sports team the right way? This episode gives you the blueprint. With expansion on the horizon for leagues like the WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL, the real challenge isn’t just where the next team lands — it’s how to build a fanbase that actually sticks. In this episode of Heart of a Fan, Matthew Barry sits down with Lauren Teague, Dr. Ceyda Mumcu, Jennifer Garrett, and Shea Dawson for a crash course on how to grow women’s sports fandom with authenticity, consistency, and commun...

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50:09

COVID: Five Years Later – How the Shutdown Changed...

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/03/11

What happens when sports stop completely? In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we reflect on the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown—and how it permanently changed sports fandom, fan engagement, and community building across leagues. Through real stories from fans and supporters of Nashville SC, Detroit City FC, and the Seattle Sounders, we explore how people stayed connected when live sports vanished. From virtual tifos to robot flag-wavers, fans found creative ways to preserve thei...

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36:15

Episode 25: Championship Glory, Brotherly Love

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/02/25

In this episode of Heart of a Fan, we dive deep into the emotional and social impact of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl victory. This wasn't just a win on the field—it was a victory for a city, a community, and fans around the world. We explore the powerful concepts of Collective Effervescence, Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRGing), and the Emotional Benefits of Shared Experiences, all through the lens of Eagles Nation. From fans celebrating with strangers on Broad Street to those honoring...

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40:33

Episode 24: The Heart of Black Fandom (w/ Black...

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/02/05

Have you felt swallowed up in a large crowd before? You and everyone in that crowd may have that same common thread tying you all together, for our case a favorite team or sport, but outside of that, there’s a vast array of different opinions, rooting interests and identities that make it up. It’s quite easy to feel isolated in this large world we live in, especially if you have a different lived experience than those around you. So, when the opportunity arises for a safe space in a fan...

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11:58

Episode 23 - Lifting Up LA

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/01/16

Here is what we've seen/received from the supporters groups and fan organizations of Los Angeles. Please give what you can to help those dealing with the effects of the LA Wildfires:https://secretlosangeles.com/available-resources-for-those-affected-by-socal-wildfires/https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eaSXTYlLY_spJ-_w43ac55qu6X4YtgApgRGfads3cM4/htmlview#https://x.com/Mosaic1781/status/1877948274990006732https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-luis-and-his-family-after-the-altadena-fire?attri...

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56:02

Episode 22: Fanfare w/ the Pro Football Ultimate Fan...

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/01/14

If you watched any of the playoff games that kicked off this past weekend for the NFL, did you notice anything unique about the crowds? Any elaborate costumes or signs that you could point out? Every Sunday, you’ll see these kinds of fans in NFL crowds and over time, they become something of local legends. Anyone can become a fan of a team, regardless of how much energy they invest into that team, but what separates these fans from the superfans? This is the question that I entered into ...

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5:26

Notes From The Host: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Heart of a Fan ·

2025/01/07

To kick off the new season of #HeartOfAFan, join Matthew Barry as he shares some notes with you on the project's first year and what we have planned for this upcoming year!If you have a story about how you’ve built a community through sports fandom or wish to record your own unique story of fandom, please feel free to reach out to us at our website, heartofafan.org. If you’ve enjoyed what you just heard, please consider subscribing to get new stories in your inbox every Tuesday.🎧 New ep...

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33:59

Episode 21: Bowled Over (feat. Matt Brown and the...

Heart of a Fan ·

2024/12/10

If you are interested in donating to the Maldonado family, please click on the link here: https://mealtrain.com/zrm14dAs the year gets colder and the days in 2024 become shorter, we tend to cling to the warmth and comforts of the holiday season; Crackling fires, warm cocoa, and one of the more underrated parts of the season: a football game on your TV almost every day for the month of December. For most fans and alumni across the country, things such as roses, oranges, and sugar become more t...

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27:17

Episode 20: As American As Meat Pies

Heart of a Fan ·

2024/11/26

In London, England, it’s been well documented that there’s a fervor for football. This year took a next step in growing that love as the whole month of October featured at least 2 games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and 1 game at Wembley. Even if one of these games doesn’t feature one of the 32 teams that a British fan could root for, there’s a plethora of podcasts, fan communities and watch parties that they can take part of. Sounds familiar to the Premier League experience in the States, huh...

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54:19

Episode 19: Comforting Columbus

Heart of a Fan ·

2024/11/19

How is it that someone we have never personally met before can grow to have such an impact in our lives and our communities? That question is the base on which so many sporting legends have built upon in the last 100+ years of professional sports. It’s incredible not just in sports, but in life, to see the actions of one individual uplift those around them. It’s equally as horrifying to see how the actions of one individual can tear down a community overnight.Since August 29th, we’ve seen bot...

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40 results

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