As watch parties have suddenly become America’s favorite pastime, 2026 is shaping up to be the Summer of Fandom.
Whether in bars, parks, hotels, museums, backyard parties, public plazas or designated fan zones, events like the World Cup, the NBA Finals, and Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 at the White House have given fans reason to meet up by the dozens or thousands to cheer. More than 1 million people are expected to line the streets in and around the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan for Thursday’s New York Knicks victory parade. Just as World Cup fans are sporting their favorite teams’ jerseys and colors, Knicks devotees are still favoring blue and orange in solidarity to the team’s first NBA title since 1973.
Larry Olmsted, author of “Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding,” said Tuesday, “I think interest in and passion for sports as entertainment or spectacle is reaching new heights.”
U.S. fans’ relatively newfound interest in soccer and Formula 1 racing as well as team indoor sports have not only increased viewership for those, but also for the NFL, the NBA, NASCAR, and other entities, he said. “Sports is reaching new heights, but not necessarily traditional fandom for a particular team. Especially in big markets, success always attracts fair weather fans. For example, the Knicks will be more popular short-term, but that’s not true for every NBA team.”
