Football is the ultimate team sport.

For New England Patriots defensive lineman Keion White, who initially figured he'd join the military after high school, the game has afforded him a college education, a career in the NFL, and as he shared on Monday evening, a lot of perspective.

"Football is a real interesting sport being that a lot of us come from different places, but we come together to reach a common goal," White said, speaking on a voting forum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

"That allows you to have access to a lot of different perspectives and it's a value we miss out on in politics today. A lot of people surround themselves only with people who look, think and talk like themselves. Therefore, they have very polarized views because their worldview is so small. To have a more total democracy you have to talk to someone who has a different perspective, and we do that all the time in our locker room. Now, I see disagreements differently, and not like the other person is an enemy who is out to get me, but as a person not exposed to the same experience as I was."

As part of the NFL Votes initiative, Keion joined the Patriots Foundation and its president, Josh Kraft, in a nonpartisan voting forum targeted towards college-aged individuals to discuss the importance of voting ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The forum was open to the public, and using football and sports in general as a touchpoint with the youth, both White and Kraft hoped to address the issues they see in political discourse today and provide a game plan to change the course.

Politics have become a divisive topic, and for that, society could learn a lot from the men inside football locker rooms and their fan bases.

"I've been lucky enough to be at Patriots (championship) parades, and as you go down that parade route, you see anyone and everyone," Kraft said.

"There's a whole mix of people from different races, ethnicities, socioeconomic situations, but everyone is out because barriers are broken down in celebration. That's what sports do. It's one

of the few things that truly unites everyone within a community, because everyone can agree on that team. ... The biggest difference between that and politics is respect. One big problem we see is two people disagreeing on something and completely shutting down. That's no way to move forward. You have to listen to people you disagree with and respect their opinion, not demonize them, or we aren't going to move forward."

Ordinary constituents, regardless of their political affiliation, probably have more similarities than they do differences.

In today's society however, that doesn't always seem to be the case, which makes everyone's individual vote that more important. The more people who turn out to the ballot box, the better elections and policies represent a democracy.

"If you agree with everything that goes on in our democracy in the United States or if you don't, it's still one of the greatest places to live," Kraft said.

"What makes it great is that it sustains the right each of us have to go vote, and that's so important, because there's a lot of places where individuals and normal citizens don't have that opportunity."

In his role on the panel, White represented the young voter.

He spoke to those of a generation who perhaps feel like their vote can't impact change or who seek instant gratification in each election. White urged them to consider the long term, and the fact that these elections could result in policies that have effect for years to come. They aren't voting for themselves, but for their children, and their children's children, and the life they want to set up for them.

That's why, just one day removed from a Week 7 matchup all the way in London, White made sure to honor his commitment to speak on the forum in Boston.

"For me, this is very important, especially coming from the background I come from," White said.

"In my community, I hear often that people feel like their vote doesn't matter or it doesn't affect change. I think people need to really see and understand how powerful their singular vote is on the local level, on the state level, and even on the federal level. So by being here and doing things like this, it shows people who look like me that this does matter, and gives them an opportunity to see themselves in me."