#17: Crying fans
What do Taylor Swift and soccer games have in common?
👋 Hi friends, it's Hesam with issue #17 of 4 bits. 4 bits is a biweekly newsletter where I share thoughts and musings on how to build memorable experiences.
Here’s what I’ve been listening to: Sub Focus feat. Hayla - I Found You. (Spotify). I first heard it in the locker room of the gym I frequent. You never know when you’ll come across a good track, and I’m thankful for the magical app that is Shazam.
Crying fans
What do Taylor Swift and soccer games have in common? Crying fans.
Last week, I went with my daughter to the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie. Not knowing what to expect, we walked into the nearly empty movie theater, bag of popcorn in hand, bottled waters smuggled from home. There are only a few places I've been that attempt to rob you by overcharging for bottled water when you’re being entertained: movie theaters, stadiums, and nightclubs.
We sit and watch, mesmerized by the flashy effects and details behind the performance. There's a seemingly limitless number of wardrobe changes for Taylor. Vivid visuals on the stage adjust throughout the night to fit each era. Everyone in the audience is wearing an LED wristband that is controlled remotely by an operator, allowing parts of the stadium to light up in a flash of color, often synchronized to the beat.
But what stood out to me the most wasn't the effects or the flashy lights. It was the crying fans. And they were everywhere.
From the moment the performance begins with Cruel Summer and Taylor screaming “All right, Los Angeles…we have arrived to the first bridge of the evening!”, you see quick shots of fans throughout the concert. And they’re singing along to every single song with tears streaming uncontrollably down their faces.
What is it about a live performance that makes you cry? You've heard these songs many times before. Maybe it’s the chance to see the artist live after months or years of anticipation. Maybe it’s the effects and visuals. Maybe it’s you being surrounded by thousands of other fans, paying homage to the person you admire, sharing this moment together.
As I thought about this more, I realized there’s another puzzling place where you see crying fans: soccer games.
I consider myself to be a casual soccer game observer. That means when the World Cup or Euro Cup is coming around, I watch the games alongside friends as an excuse to get together. I join the WhatsApp groups where people bet on brackets, but I never bet. I stay on the sidelines, watching the action.
Fans at soccer games have an unparalleled level of dedication to their team. As the most popular sport in the world, soccer brings together people from all backgrounds to come together and watch athletes run back and forth in an enclosed field trying to kick a ball into the goal. Or at least I think that’s the way it works.
During these crucial soccer tournaments, you’ll see fans in the stadium wrapped in their team’s flag and wearing the team jersey. They’re yelling at the top of their lungs, often with coordinated chants.
And when their team loses, they cry.
And when their team wins, they cry.
There’s a flood of emotion that comes with winning or losing a competition. You’ve been following this team for months, years, maybe even decades. And the difference between winning and losing can come down to the last few seconds. Even the toughest bully can be brought to tears if their team wins or loses.
In these moments, the details of the “experience” don’t really matter. Taylor Swift without flashing lights and costume changes would still bring people to tears. Watching your favorite team play against their biggest rival would still move you even if you have the worst seats in the stadium and were sipping overpriced bottled water. The anticipation leading up to the game or concert and the chance to be there is all that matters.
We can do what we can do amplify someone’s experience while they’re in these moments, but regardless of what we do, one thing remains true: some of the best, most emotionally moving parts of an experience can’t be manufactured.
THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!!! It is so fascinating. It is cultish and involuntary but mesmerizing as an entrepreneur because even if you can only harness a ounce of it in your business, you have something special.
I forgot you were a semi Swiftie... contemplated going to watch the movie here too, but it didn’t fit our schedule. The theaters here don’t jack up the prices nearly as much as the US, but we still go get stuff at AH before going in.