When my family and I were traveling in Costa Rica this summer, my sons often wore their Ohio State Buckeyes t-shirts. Hiking to waterfalls and ziplining through jungles, they wore their fandom on their chests, and wouldn’t you know it, two thousand miles from home, strangers would spot them and shout an “O-H!” or stop us to ask where we were from.
It should surprise me, perhaps, that we found fellow fans so far from home, but it doesn’t. I grew up in Buckeye-land, so I know the deal. My family followed Ohio State football and the Cleveland Browns with a devotion that almost rivaled our Sunday church attendance.
To find another Buckeye out in the wild is to find a friend. It’s to share a common language, an instant connection that transcends geographic location, age, and gender. And while there are plenty of reasons to have complicated feelings about sports (trust me, I have my own), there’s something absolutely lovely about that.
I recently came across More in Common’s study about sports fandom and belonging. I recommend you read the whole thing—it’s utterly fascinating—but I was especially intrigued by these two findings:
The stronger the fan, the more interested they are in working across the aisle: 72 percent of High Value fans say they are interested in working toward a shared community goal with someone whose politics differ from theirs, compared to 49 percent of Non-Fans.
The correlation between fandom and community engagement is consistent across belonging, trust, neighborhood connection, and volunteering. The fans who are most invested in the game tend to be the ones most invested in the community around them.
I didn’t expect my thesis to be that we need to watch more sports together, but it appears that’s absolutely the case. Sports fandom might be the easiest, most accessible lever to pull if we’re hoping to gather people across generational divides, political differences, and income brackets. Folks might not want to attend a city council meeting, but they’ll show up for a game day watch party. And that actually really matters! Having opportunities to talk with people who are different than us, especially around a shared interest, breaks down misconceptions and barriers that keep us apart.
Not only that, but shared fandom also combats loneliness and isolation. Outside of faith communities, it’s tough to find an arena so rich with traditions and rituals, corporate singing and shared chants. Like I said before, if you shout an “O-H” at any airport in the world, you’re likely to get an “I-O!” in reply. Watching sports together holds the possibility of both group celebration AND commiseration, each of which increases social bonds and feelings of belonging.
Importantly, More in Common’s study found that watching sports together increased a sense of belonging, regardless of the individual’s level of fandom. You don’t have to paint your face or know what a first down is to get the benefits of gathering.
A game day watch party is one of the easiest invitations you’ll ever make. You don’t need a theme or decorations. You don’t even have to coordinate schedules or plan ahead. If fifty million people are tuning in on any given Saturday, chances are good a lot of folks near you already had time in front of the TV on their schedules. Why not take advantage of that and enjoy the game together?
We love to host potlucks for game days, and often ask guests to bring an appetizer or drinks to share. At our last watch party, we explicitly said we “weren’t doing dinner,” and this is the spread we ended up with. 😅
What can I say? People love an excuse to order a massive amount of wings and spend a whole evening munching on potato skins while half-watching/half-chatting with friends.
If you’re wanting to connect with your neighbors and build stronger social bonds, maybe it’s as easy as sending off a “Hey, want to come watch the game with me?” text and making a big batch of chili.
With that in mind, I’ve rounded up my favorite recipes for game day below. This list is very crock pot heavy, because that’s the vibe. We’re going for easy, laid-back recipes that feed a crowd. Here’s to cheering on our favorite teams and making friends along the way!
➡️ Reuben Dip
For some reason it feels wrong to make this outside of the three week St. Patrick’s Day window, but what could be more right than a crock pot full of cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef, and Thousand Island dressing? This stuff is too delicious to not be a year round staple.
➡️ Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
If you want to serve a meal, this recipe is your girl. It’s sweet and just a touch spicy, great with any kind of BBQ sauce, and perfect piled on buns, tortilla chips, or mac and cheese.
➡️ Sliders
A couple of years ago, I got very into sliders, and hence, I have three great choices for you: Roast Beef Sliders, Shredded Beef Sliders, and Hawaiian Ham and Swiss Sliders. I even made Sliders on Ritz Crackers. Y’all, do I have a problem?
➡️ 3 Bean Cilantro Lime Salad
When you need something colorful and vaguely healthy on the table, this salad delivers. It’s fresh and tangy, great on its own or as a dip with tortilla chips. It’s also vegan and gluten free, so a great option to fit a variety of dietary restrictions.
➡️ Crock Pot Steak Chili
I’m just a girl, standing in front of her weather app, begging it to be 60 degrees so I can finally make some ding dang chili. This steak chili is a crowd favorite, but if you’re craving something a little lighter and less likely to give you heartburn (hello, middle aged friends!), we also love this Crock Pot White Chicken Chili.
➡️ Knorr Spinach Dip
I'm always skeptical of recipes that come off the back of packaging, but I'm happy to report this one earns its reputation. It's cool, creamy, takes about 10 minutes to stir together, and always disappears. We like to serve it in a sourdough bread bowl, with hunks of the bread for dipping, but of course it’s great with vegetables, too.
➡️ Meat Candy
These are ridiculous in the best way. Bacon wrapped Lil Smokies covered in brown sugar and baked until their crispy savory little meat candies. These are always the most popular thing I make for any party.
➡️ Walking Tacos
I’m guessing several of you have had these while watching a sporting event at your high school. They’re the perfect portable dinner, and kids and grown ups both love them!
➡️ Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Cookies
A classic made for a crowd! Cut these into bars and you can feed a small army of fans (or perhaps your kid’s entire football team).