Why Don’t Cities Cheer for Their Cultural Institutions Like They Do for Their Sports Teams?

Recently, Jeremiah Marks, President of RADAR Nonprofit Solutions, and I found ourselves in a spirited debate about my recent article, What Classical Music Can Learn from Professional Sports. As we discussed the parallels between the two, one question kept coming up: Why is there so much more civic pride around sports teams than cultural institutions?

It’s a puzzling phenomenon. After all, many cultural institutions — symphony orchestras, opera houses, ballet troupes, theater companies, museums — are far older than the local sports franchises in most cities. Yet, while people paint their faces, wear jerseys, and flood stadiums to support their teams, few would think to do the same for their city’s symphony or art museum. Why is that?

Jeremiah and I landed on one key difference: competition. Sports are built on the drama of winning and losing, a narrative that creates emotional highs, crushing lows, and a deep sense of loyalty. Cultural institutions, on the other hand, operate in a less combative, more collaborative space. While this fosters a different kind of richness, it also lacks the visceral appeal of rivalry.

Adding Competition to the Mix: Friendly Rivalries in the Arts

One way to tap into the emotional energy and civic pride seen in sports is through friendly competition. Imagine cultural institutions across cities competing to draw the largest audiences, generate the most innovative programming, or receive the highest community ratings.

• Arts Championships: National Arts Service Organizations could hold annual contests in conjunction with their existing conventions. Nominees would have the opportunity to showcase their work in front of judges and a live audience, both in-person and streaming online. Winners earn city bragging rights and prominently displayed trophies. There’s a reason art forms like drum corps, string bands, and barbershop harmony have such passionate fan bases: the competitive spirit adds an emotional spark. In classical music, we already have a similar dynamic for Ring Cycle enthusiasts. Let’s leverage that passion and extend it to other cultural treasures.

• Seasonal Rivalries: Local museums or theaters could hold friendly rivalries, such as comparing ticket sales or visitor engagement stats, creating a playful competition that motivates attendance.

• Collaborative Competitions: Teams of institutions in a city could collaborate on projects and compete for national awards fostering both collaboration and civic pride.

Why It Works: Competition ignites passion and engagement. By creating stakes and encouraging audiences to “rally” behind their favorite institutions, cultural organizations can foster deeper connections with their communities.

But surely, competition isn’t the only reason. There are deeper cultural, structural, and emotional factors at play. Let’s explore these and then consider what cultural institutions might learn from the world of sports to build a more passionate fanbase.

Why Civic Pride Favors Sports Over Culture

1. Narratives and Storytelling
   Sports are built on clear, engaging stories: underdogs overcoming the odds, rivalries stretching back decades, and players who represent the hopes of their communities. Cultural institutions often struggle to tell equally compelling stories about their artists, curators, or performances.

2. Accessibility
   Sports events are marketed as universally accessible, with clear rules and communal rituals. The arts, unfortunately, still carry an air of exclusivity that can alienate potential audiences.

3. Community Engagement
   Sports teams thrive on fostering a sense of identity. People wear jerseys, gather in bars, and proudly declare allegiance to their team. Cultural institutions, while often serving a broader societal purpose, haven’t yet built comparable rituals that foster community identity.

4. Emotional Investment:
   Sports spark raw, emotional investment. The shared joy, anger, triumph, and heartbreak that unite fans of a local team cut through individual differences, fostering a powerful sense of community. These emotions spark spontaneous conversations with strangers and keep fans eagerly discussing what’s next. Cultural institutions, by contrast, inspire awe and intellectual appreciation but often struggle to evoke the same primal, visceral emotions that drive unwavering loyalty.

5. Leverage Merchandising and Branding:
   Sports teams are masters at branding. Cultural institutions should take a page from their book: limited-edition merchandise tied to special performances or exhibits, themed apparel that reflects the institution’s identity (like orchestra-inspired hoodies or museum-branded sneakers), and even mascots could add an element of fun and pride.

6. Engage Through Technology:
   Imagine a platform where patrons draft their “fantasy teams” of performers, curators, and arts administrators, earning points based on ticket sales, critical acclaim, or audience votes. This gamification of the arts could create friendly rivalries and drive engagement. Platforms like this could make the arts world far more dynamic and interactive.

A Closer Look at Community Rituals

While all of these strategies have merit, the most intriguing solution not only has the greatest potential for transformation but also the lowest costs.

Sports thrive on ritual. From the seventh-inning stretch to the team anthem sung before every game, these moments unite fans in a shared experience that feels uniquely theirs. Cultural institutions have the opportunity to create similar rituals that foster a sense of belonging and pride.

What This Could Look Like:

• A City Anthem: Imagine every symphony concert starting with a rendition of a city anthem, composed by a local artist, performed exclusively by the orchestra, and sung by the audience. Over time, this tradition becomes a signature moment that unites the community. For example, here in Philly, when someone starts singing “Fly, Eagles, Fly,” you can bet that I and many others will stop what we’re doing to join in. The same kind of civic pride could be fostered through the right cultural anthem.

• Interactive Moments: Encourage audience participation with pre-show trivia, a collective sing-along, or even a “lucky row” giveaway during intermission. These small moments can make attendees feel personally connected to the institution.

• Opening Night Traditions: Museums or theaters could host community kickoff events for new exhibits or seasons, featuring food trucks, local celebrity appearances, live music, and behind-the-scenes tours to create a festival-like atmosphere.

• The Big Event: The NFL season is relatively short, with only 17 regular-season games, but every single one matters. Many casual fans don’t follow the entire season but everyone tunes in for the Super Bowl — a massive cultural event. Ballet operates similarly. While companies perform multiple productions throughout the year, “The Nutcracker” is the Super Bowl of ballet, often providing the financial foundation for the rest of the season. There are more Nutcrackers out there in classical music genres beyond just ballet. What could be the equivalent for opera, for example?

Rituals build identity and foster a sense of ownership. People return not just for the art but for the experience of being part of something bigger — a tradition that they help sustain.

The Future of Civic Pride in the Arts

While cultural institutions and sports teams operate in different spaces, they share a common goal: to bring people together through shared experiences. By adopting strategies like community rituals and competition, the arts can inspire the same kind of pride, loyalty, and passion that sports teams enjoy.