“There’s nothing that feels the same when you have that same energy of all the people in one place,” he told NBC News in a text message on Wednesday. He added, “It was very nice and special;
It’s something that doesn’t happen outside of the World Cup.”
The viral trend first emerged during a 0-0 friendly draw with Switzerland in March as Norway prepared for the World Cup and quickly became the country’s trademark national celebration.
Locke said these trends are “a way for people to express their culture.”
The Norway team has pointed to its historical roots by posing in Viking costumes for its departure photo ahead of the tournament.
Before this summer, Norway had not qualified for the World Cup in 28 years, but the team has now reached the knockout rounds.
Scotland fans, known collectively as the Tartan Army, have also been a visible presence during the team’s knockout matches in Boston and Miami.
Despite Scotland’s mixed performance in the tournament, an estimated 50,000 Scotland fans travelled to Boston for the team’s matches, eager to enjoy themselves. Fans dressed in traditional Scottish skirts often announce their arrival with the sound of bagpipes playing in the streets.
Ahead of Scotland’s ill-fated clash with Brazil on Wednesday, a large contingent of the Tartan Army attended a Miami Marlins baseball game, bringing with them bagpipes and a party. Fans have also followed the more modern Scottish tradition, decorating statues with traffic cones in both cities.
The Scottish bagpipes are not the only unique instrument at the tournament; Swiss fans are also recognisable by their ringing cowbells. However, one famous sound symbol that will not be seen at this year’s tournament is South Africa’s vuvuzela – a plastic horn that was banned from World Cup stadiums along with other noisemakers after its widespread use at the 2010 tournament held in the country.
“What we are seeing in the stands and on the streets of North America at this World Cup is a very intriguing expression of national identity, reflecting a change in the way culture is produced and disseminated in global sport,” said Paul Widdop, associate professor and reader in sports business at Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain.
“What is important is not whether these practices are authentic or traditional,” Widdop said via email. Importantly, they serve as simple, repeatable forms of cultural expression that can be recognised across borders.
For fans of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the symbol of national identity has taken on an entirely unique form.
Throughout the tournament, Congolese fans rallied around Michel Nkuka Mboldinga, a supporter who attends matches as a living statue representing one of the country’s national heroes: the assassinated independence leader and prime minister Patrice Lumumba.
