Arsenal fans on parade day
Full disclosure: I’m not a sports fan. There, I’ve said it. Not bothered, don’t care and not particularly interested in football.
Growing up in a house where the Match of the Day theme tune was my cue to retreat to my bedroom and listen to the latest punk EP, and endless footage of The Open meant it was time to get my sketchbook out, I actively avoided sport. At school, I never had the competitive spirit required to care whether I won or lost and was once known to throw down a golf club in frustration when my dad and brother complained that I wasn’t taking the game seriously enough.
I was lucky enough to be born in Scotland and spend my childhood there, so growing up in Glasgow, I understood that the rivalry between Rangers and Celtic was about far more than football. It was intertwined with the city’s history, religion, politics, class and national identity. I also spent forty years living in Arsenal’s heartland before moving to rival Tottenham – but let’s gloss over that. From my back garden I could hear the roar of the crowd from Highbury. My children automatically became Arsenal supporters, despite following me in not being particularly interested in the game itself. Arsenal was simply our community’s team.
BUT – while I may not care to watch or play football, or any sporting event for that matter, I do love a celebration and the coming together of community.
After attending my first Arsenal match (watching, not playing, obvs 😂), I began to understand. I saw the generations of family history, the unleashing of joy, frustration and emotion and the powerful sense of belonging. I understood the importance of gathering in the pub, singing the songs and sharing the victories and the disappointments, even if I still didn’t understand the offside rule.
I even began to appreciate the appeal of those awful nylon football shirts. They weren’t simply brightly coloured polyester tops emblazoned with logos and sponsors. They were symbols of belonging. They represented a community of people connected by a shared passion, regardless of age, class, culture or gender. People who saw the club as part of their identity, rather than simply a football team.
Gunners street style
When Arsenal reached their first UEFA Champions League final in twenty years and ended a twenty-two-year wait for the Premier League title, my corner of North London erupted with joy. I may not know the names of most of the players – okay, maybe I know two of them – but I went to the victory parade and happily sang along to North London Forever and appreciated football’s remarkable ability to create communities that cross social boundaries.
Mayor of NYC Â Mamdani, celebrates Arsenal & Knicks wins
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, after fifty-three years without an NBA title, the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs to become champions. The city immediately announced a historic ticker-tape parade, the first in the team’s history, while City Hall, subway stations and public buildings glowed orange and blue.
Knicks fans
At a time of political fatigue, the victory provided a rare moment of collective optimism. Spontaneous street gatherings sprang up across the city, creating a sense of unity across neighbourhoods and demographics. The championship became far more than a sporting event. It became a cultural moment.
The Tartan Army
And back to Scotland.
The 2026 World Cup kicked off with a 1 nil win for Scotland against Haiti. Never have I been more proud to be Scottish as when The Tartan Army turned Boston into a temporary Scottish city, creating a festival atmosphere that won over local residents, businesses and media.
The Tartan Army has a long-standing reputation for being friendly, humorous and community-minded. They have won awards for their behaviour at previous international tournaments and are often held up as an example of positive football fandom. Not only did they provide a good time in Boston for the fans, they also brought the party to the Boston community with bagpipe performances in residential streets and friendly interactions with local residents and tourists. The Red Sox even leaned into the phenomenon by holding a Scotland-themed event at Fenway Park. Thousands of Scottish fans attended, bringing football chants and songs into a baseball stadium, creating a unique crossover between American and Scottish sporting cultures.
The Tartan Army at Fenway Park
When it came to football street style, kilts, sporans and Scotland shirts were the preferred OOTD, while Boston’s revolutionary history and anti-English heritage provided ironic material for “Boston T Party” T-shirts with references to Bannockburn and Scottish independence, creating a playful cultural connection between Scotland and Boston’s revolutionary past.
The World Cup is giving fashion folk lots to talk about before kick-off  with Loewe dressing Spain off the pitch, Nikebringing names like Jacquemus and Peaceminusone into the mix, and the U.S. men’s team is stepping out in Boss. Levi’s has also joined the conversation with its U.S. Football collection.
The Congolese team
One of the most talked-about images of the tournament so far was the Congolese team’s arrival in Houston. The players wore black tuxedos with leopard-print sashes – a reference to La Sape, the famous Congolese fashion movement that celebrates elegance, creativity and self-expression – illustrating how a team brings culture, style and identity, as well as football boots.
Of course brands are keen to tap into the hype surrounding major sporting events and create products that appeal to fans. But there is something bigger happening here. In an age of personalised feeds and fragmented interests, we are seeing a renewed desire for “monoculture moments” – occasions when everyone is participating in the same story at the same time.
Therefore, a successful sportswear brand realises that they aren’t really selling performance. They’re not even selling clothes. They’re selling membership of a community.
So football, schmootball. I’m still not especially interested in watching the actual matches – although I do love the atmosphere in the pub – but there is no denying that anything capable of bringing people together in this way is a wonderful thing.
Recently, while moving house, I found my son’s Arsenal shirt from the last time they won the league and he attended the victory parade with his dad. He’s not really a football fan either, but the shirt marked a moment in time – a memory, a connection and a shared experience.
And if Scotland somehow win the World Cup – in our dreams – I’ll be wearing my tartan trousers and singing Flower of Scotland for a week.
