Sport brings people together through a shared love and joy. It provides a source of comfort and ease for millions around the world. It isn’t just entertainment, though– it can also be used as a powerful political tool. Politicians can use sport to build community, connect with ordinary voters and communicate their political values. It has often been underutilised as a political tool because it can be hard for politicians to convey genuine passion and interest. New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, however, is challenging this idea. He is proving to be a great model for using this tool. Mamdani has embraced football and basketball not only as a fan, but as part of how he connects with the public. This has been important to his political strategy and public perception.
Before Mamdani was elected New York City Mayor, he made his sporting allegiances no secret. Through his social media, many people quickly learnt that he is a massive Arsenal fan and New York Knicks fan. Instead of ignoring this passion, he embraced it and made it a central piece of his political identity. Through his love of sports, particularly football, a working-class game, he has been able to communicate several policies as well as his socialist values.
His relationship with it goes beyond mere interest. His deep knowledge of both Arsenal and the New York Knicks has helped him cultivate an image of an “everyman” politician; someone who understands the highs and lows of supporting a team because he has experienced them himself. This authenticity is important. Often, politicians fail in attempts to appear more connected to ordinary voters by associating themselves with popular sports. This is because these attempts can easily feel performative. Mamdani’s sporting identity, however, clearly predates his political career. When Arsenal were in their ‘banter era ’, Mamdani was tweeting about it. Earlier this year, he celebrated their Premier League success.
This connection Mamdani has with football has allowed him to use sport to communicate progressive politics. Whilst sport tends to be used by politicians to distract from domestic issues and boost national pride, Zohran Mamdani has used it to challenge corporate greed and combat high living costs- issues at the heart of his political agenda. During his mayoral campaign, he launched the “Game Over Greed” petition. This challenged FIFA’s approach to ticket pricing for the 2026 World Cup games. He criticised dynamic pricing and called for limits on resale prices and affordable tickets for residents. By doing this, he was sending a strong message that the world’s biggest sporting event should not be hijacked by corporate greed and be inaccessible to the people living in the cities hosting it.
By calling out FIFA in this way, Mamdani was able to translate a political argument about corporate power and affordability into something tangible for ordinary people. Instead of talking about the cost-of-living crisis in purely economic terms, he pointed to something millions of people understand immediately: being priced out of watching your team play. The World Cup is supposed to be a time of unity and jubilation. People should not feel excluded, and it should not be inaccessible. Mamdani successfully used football as a vehicle for his wider argument that essential experiences should not be reserved for those who can afford the most.
As mayor, he worked with FIFA to secure 1,000 World Cup tickets priced at $50, while also establishing more than 100 free public viewing events for New Yorkers and visitors. These initiatives were important because they allowed the World Cup to function as more than just entertainment. Through these spaces, people were able to gather, celebrate and develop a shared sense of civic identity.
Earlier this week, he secured 1,000 affordable tickets to the US Open, allowing more New Yorkers to watch elite-level tennis, making the US Open Main Draw more accessible to New York City residents.
While politicians on the left such as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have occasionally engaged with sport, it has rarely been central to their political identities. Mamdani appears to have recognised that sport offers an opportunity to reach people beyond traditional political spaces. His approach is particularly significant because sport has often been associated with the political right. Politicians have used football to appeal to ideas of patriotism, national identity and traditional culture. This has been seen in Britain, where Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing party Reform UK, has previously argued that football and politics should remain separate before releasing Reform-branded football merchandise.
Mamdani is not using sports to be divisive. Rather, he is attempting to associate it with affordability, accessibility, community and collective identity. Authenticity is the strategy.
Perhaps the most important part of Mamdani’s approach is that he does not appear to be manufacturing a sporting personality for political purposes.