The World Cup’s Strangest Rituals Reveal How Belonging Really Works

Why? People value what they have had a hand in making.

The importance of co-creation is on vivid display in the most successful fan rituals. A chant that is borrowed, practiced, altered, and taught to others is not a finished product. It is a poem still being written. People do not simply consume it. They carry it, improve it, and invite others into it.

Organizations spend enormous resources trying to create a sense of belonging from the center through onboarding experiences, engagement surveys, retreats, values statements, and culture programs. Some of this work has value, but much of it begins from the wrong premise. It assumes belonging can be delivered fully formed to a recipient.

Sociologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger described “legitimate peripheral participation” as the way newcomers enter communities. People rarely begin at the center. They watch first. They imitate. They try a small version of the behavior. They learn what is admired, what is expected, and what is forgiven. Over time and with practice, participation becomes part of their identity.