Why does the World Cup feel bigger in a crowd?

Why does the World Cup feel bigger in a crowd?

Vancouver crowds have become a defining image of the World Cup experience

The appeal behind Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup crowds

Across Vancouver, thousands of soccer fanatics are filling fan zones and public plazas to watch FIFA World Cup matches, with some sites reaching capacity during major games.

Between June 11 and June 28, the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE drew more than 330,000 visits, according to the Vancouver host committee.

At The Shipyards in North Vancouver, RCMP have turned people away from Canada Soccer House several times after the site reached capacity.

Lisa Ono, the manager of public affairs and programming for Granville Island, says their public watch party site, which has room for about 1,000 people, has been at capacity "essentially since day one."

"It's been incredibly successful," she said. "What's been really amazing is all of the different fans from different countries that are coming en masse."

Taunya Geelhoed, chief operations officer for the host committee, said attendance at the PNE fan festival has grown week by week.

She said the festival is giving people a way to feel close to the tournament, even if they don't have tickets to attend games at B.C. Place.

Geelhoed also praised attendees for their behaviour and for creating a welcoming experience for families and fans from around the world.

"People feel really safe, really comfortable," she said. "That's a testament again to how people are showing up."

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So why are people waiting in lines, packing into fan zones and watching with strangers when they could see the match at home?

According to Neil Armitage, a sociology lecturer at the University of British Columbia who has researched sports spectatorship, the warm summer weather helps — but that's just one factor.

He says events like the World Cup tap into "the desire to collect and come together and be in something bigger than what we are individually."

That can help explain why a busy watch party may feel more attractive than an empty bar or a quiet living room.

"If you turned up into a bar and there was no one in the bar, you and your friends would say ‘We can't stay here to watch the game. We need to go where people are,'" Armitage said.

"There's this kind of acknowledgment … that we need this close proximity."

Armitage links that feeling to the idea of collective effervescence, a term introduced by French sociologist Émile Durkheim to describe the shared energy and sense of unity people can feel when they gather for the same event or ritual. In other words, the crowd can make the game feel bigger.

Watching soccer in a crowd can also offer a break from the challenges of daily life, according to Armitage.

"Our lives are so full of complexity and nuance," he said. But for 90 minutes, he said, "life becomes simple. It's just red versus blue or whatever it may be."

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But Armitage notes that some people are turned off by the idea of large gatherings.

"When you see the crowds [in Vancouver], the numbers are amazing," he said. "But it's not everyone…. There are people not there as well."

Watch parties expected to stay busy

With the tournament moving deeper into the knockout rounds, organizers expect public watch parties to stay busy.

On Granville Island, Ono said the watch parties are "getting more and more popular" as the tournament continues, with lineups forming up to three hours before opening.

She encouraged people to walk, bike, take transit or use the ferry if they plan to attend future games.

At the PNE, Geelhoed said organizers also expect more large crowds, especially for Canada's next match.

"I really expect that we'll continue to see more and more people coming to the festival to enjoy and experience the World Cup," she said.

Laurence Watt is an associate producer with CBC B.C. assigned to directing The Early Edition show in Vancouver. You can reach him at laurence.watt@cbc.ca or on Twitter @_laurencewatt.