Live sport events are often characterized by intense soundscapes marked by chanting, singing and synchronized applause. In this study, we examined in what ways collective sound-making is perceived as an expression of shared social identity at stadiums during live sports events. We focused on the Scottish Celtic Football Club whose political and religious history is central to supporter identity. We conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 12) about sounds produced during games, their meanings and importance to fans. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we generated two main themes: (1) collective sound production expresses a shared identity rooted in common political and religious history, (2) collective sound production reflects a shared present experience that contributes to cognitive, relational and affective transformations among individuals in the crowd. Overall, our analysis shows how social identity is constructed and celebrated through sound within a specific socio-historical context, and can be an indicator of psychological transformations in the crowd.
Haddad et al. (Thu,) studied this question.