A Soccer Experiment Brought Strangers in New York Together Over Sports — Here's Why
While sports can stir up plenty of animosity, it's no secret that they can also unite people. Yet, it can be easy to overlook how shared fandom can connect strangers until a recent viral experiment showed that even New Yorkers open up during a game.
A Flyer With Five Simple Words Brought People Together
Photo: Weston Kloefkorn
In the modern world, with everyone glued to their phones, connecting can often feel tough. However, a recent Heineken experiment showed that sports can cut through those digital barriers and spark real interactions.
As a part of the company's Fans Have More Friends initiative, an experiment was run involving soccer (or football as they call it). An Australian fan named Joe was living in New York and felt like he had nobody to watch soccer with. Joe's friend, the YouTuber and social media star Zac Alsop, was aware of the struggle and decided to act. He put together a straightforward flyer featuring Joe's photo, the words “Have a Beer With Me,” soccer ball graphics, and details about when and where to gather.
In 2023, Yahoo! Finance republished an Insider Monkey article that named New York City as the 14th "unfriendliest" city in the world. With that in mind, it certainly seems like the experiment should have flopped. However, that wasn't how things turned out at all.
When the Australian soccer fan went to a New York bar to watch an important Champions League game, he had no idea what was waiting for him. When he opened the door, Joe was shocked that hundreds of other fans had shown up to enjoy the game with him, including a former World Cup winner, Bastian Schweingsteiger. Heineken's experiment highlighted how a shared love of the game can connect strangers, even in a city known for keeping its distance.
Alsop posted footage of the experiment, including Joe's shocked reaction, on his Instagram account.