American sports commentary focusing on politics may be relatively new, but sports and politics have always been friends.

I think in terms of pro sports in America everything's a bit artificial (maybe because of being regional entities) and less political, but at the collegiate level the politics fly.

Who you support says a lot about your family and background, especially if you all aren't direct grads. Compare fans of Georgia Tech vs Georgia, or Texas vs Texas A&M. California vs Fresno st, etc.