Fans become part of a “we,” turning games into shared experiences.

Joy feels bigger and heartbreak more bearable when experienced together.

Belonging and connection can lead to collective mattering.

Beyond sports, communities and causes help us matter together.

I have been enjoying watching some of the FIFA World Cup matches this summer from Vancouver, one of the tournament's host cities. I have not made it to a match in person, but I have found myself just as fascinated by what is happening around the matches. Families crowd around televisions. A restaurant down the street fills with jerseys and flags. Friends text each other to organize watch parties, and strangers who have never met end up trading smiles after a spectacular goal. Entire communities seem to share the anticipation before kickoff and the heartbreak or elation that follows.

Watching this collective enjoyment unfold, I began to wonder whether what draws us to events like the World Cup is about more than sport.

Perhaps it is about our need to matter together.

Research on sports fandom suggests that people derive part of their identity from the groups to which they belong. Fans do not simply watch games; they become part of something larger. Victories become "our victories," and losses become "our disappointments."........

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