By Drew Duffy

As a PPE major on the Denison Football Team, I observed a striking contrast between the political perspectives of my teammates and those of my classmates amidst the 2024 Election cycle. My teammates seemed significantly more conservative and supportive of Trump than the student body as a whole. I began to wonder if my experience was indicative of a political rift between varsity athletes and non-athletes. Are Big Red athletes more…red?

To answer my question, I turned to 127’s Denison survey data from October 2024, which gathered information on students’ demographics, campus involvement, and political beliefs.

As it turns out, my observation was not anecdotal: Denison varsity athletes are, in fact, significantly more conservative than non-athletes. Nearly half of male athletes surveyed (48%) identify as Republicans, more than twice the rate of men who are not on athletic teams. Among women, the gap is even wider, with female athletes being more than 2.5x as likely to identify with the GOP compared to women who are not on athletic teams.

This is an extraordinary difference on a campus where Democrats dominate. Overall, less than 17% of the student body identifies as Republican. Denison’s athletes are not just more conservative – they appear to be the backbone of our university’s conservative voice.

Socioeconomic disparities help explain this political divide. Athletes at Denison come from wealthier families than non-athletes. Two-thirds of varsity athletes identify as upper-middle or upper-class, whereas just over half of non-athletes report the same. Less than 7% of athletes consider themselves lower-middle or lower-class, compared to over 20% of non-athletes.

This economic disparity reflects the significant financial barriers that middle and working-class families face when it comes to youth, high school, and collegiate athletics. Club sports, private coaching, and even access to well-funded high school athletic programs are privileges that many families simply cannot afford.

Athletes at Denison are also more White than non-athletes. While about 70% of non-athletes are White, this figure rises to over 80% among athletes, at least in the survey. Representation of Black, Hispanic, and other non-Asian racial groups among athletes is less than half that of their non-athlete peers, dropping from 17.2% to just 7.1%.

Barriers to higher education facing many communities of color, coupled with the financial exclusivity of competitive athletics, are evident in the lack of diversity on Denison’s varsity sports teams. This racial homogeneity matters politically: White Americans, particularly those from wealthier backgrounds, are more likely to identify as conservative. As athletes at Denison are disproportionately White and affluent, these demographic patterns help explain their stronger alignment with Republican politics compared to the broader student body.

These disparities are further reflected in key differences between students’ experiences at Denison. For instance, varsity athletes appear more likely to join fraternities and sororities. 22% of non-athlete women and 18% of non-athlete men are affiliated with Greek life at Denison, compared to 27% of female athletes and 25% of male athletes.

This increase, while modest, reflects the broader trend that White and higher-income students—groups already overrepresented among varsity athletes—are also typically overrepresented in Greek-letter organizations. Athletes may also be seeking to expand their social network beyond their teams and into private campus groups.

Additionally, varsity athletes view President Weinberg more favorably than their non-athlete peers, suggesting yet another area where their Denison experiences diverge. On a scale of 0 to 100, female athletes report an average warmth of 73.7 compared to 67.4 for non-athletes. The difference is even more pronounced among men, with the average warmth score rising from 65.6 for non-athletes to 79.3 for athletes.

While socioeconomic differences may certainly contribute to differing feelings toward university leadership, we can find a more direct explanation within athletes’ unique relationship with the university. Varsity athletes benefit from significant institutional support for athletic programs, fostering close-knit relationships among student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff, and administrators.

Weinberg, a former Division III athlete himself, now serves on the NCAA Division III Presidents Council. He can often be found in the stands of games cheering on the Big Red and has made it a priority to maintain strong relationships with both coaches and student-athletes. His visible support for athletics and deep understanding of its value to a liberal arts education likely contribute to his higher favorability among athletes.

Indeed, Denison athletes are a paradigm of systemic economic and racial barriers that undermine access to higher education in America. Nonetheless, it’s important to recognize the value of the political diversity they bring to campus. I find myself engaging in political debates with my teammates far more often than with my classmates. While this is natural given the time I spend with my team, it also reflects the fact that my teammates—and Denison athletes as a whole—better represent our nation’s political diversity. My conservative teammates not only push me to better articulate and defend my positions, they also deepen my understanding of political perspectives and life experiences different from my own.

Drew Duffy ‘27 is a defensive lineman on the Varsity Football Team studying Philosophy, Politics & Economics. He serves on the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics and is the President of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.