🪭 Go Team! 7/27/25

Hi Everyone,

I want to do something slightly different for this newsletter. It’s going to have a theme.

I didn’t necessarily intend to do this, yet as I started planning the weekend more and more, I planned an increasing number of events that were associated with multiple fandoms. So, in my finite wisdom, I decided to dedicate this newsletter to the examination of this concept.

Now, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that everyone is a fan of something, whether that be Football, Star Wars, or Taylor Swift. But have you ever sat down and thought about what it means to be a fan?

During my downtime, I listened to Fans: A Journey into the Psychology of Belonging by Michael Bond to get a better grasp of the subject. From this book, I learned about the concept of social Identity, where we define ourselves based on our group memberships, about how being a fan of anything could be classified as a parasocial relationship, how we use the concepts of Basking In Reflected Glory (BIRG-ing) and Cutting Off Reflected Failure (CORF-ing) to improve and protect our self-esteem, and, funny enough, how the word fan derives from the word fanatic.

The truth of it is, while the concept of the fan and its associated fandom has been thought of as a product of mass consumer culture in the 20th Century, we have been fans of things for our entire existence as a species. At the end of the day, being a fan brings a sense of meaning and belonging into our lives. It can help our mental health, allow us to define and explore our individual identities, and help us achieve things we could not achieve alone.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this slightly-researched and by no means comprehensive look at fandoms. Hopefully, along the way, we will also find out What’s Up With Will…

First up is the fandom of the Superhero.

The superhero genre arose in the 1930s and 40s, with the big two, DC  and Marvel, starting in 1934 and 1939, respectively. This rise coincided with the Great Depression and World War II, and, according to the research of many social scientists, initially became popular due to their ability to provide a means of escapism from the grim reality of life at the time. And, ever since, I would argue, superheroes transport us to a fantastical world, far, far away, where we can find solace. Growing up, I would imagine universes of superheroes and villains where the fictional superpowered version of myself would do battle against bad guys.

Thursday marked the release of a new Fantastic Four Movie, so I decided to make it a super day by seeing Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

I have always been more of a Marvel guy, but I heard good things about Superman, so I figured I would give it a try. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I enjoyed that they managed to not give an origin story, and yet still make it work. Overall, the pacing was good, the comedy was fun, and it offered an exciting start to a new cinematic universe. Here’s hoping it works out better than the last iteration of the DC Extended Universe.

I have been a fan of the Fantastic Four ever since the 2005 version, so I opted to go to the opening night “Fan Event” in 4DX. So there I was, packed into an almost full theater, as we watched one of the first showings of the movie.

I was slightly underwhelmed. I thought the movie was okay to good, but nothing great. Which is so sad, because everyone seemed to love it online. For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t entirely click with the characters. Additionally, I thought the pacing was off, and for being a self-contained movie, it felt a little too inside-baseball. However, I did love that the crowd went wild after seeing Galactus, as well as when the Thing said his iconic line: “It’s Clobbering Time!”

By contrast, 4DX was great! It was like being on a theme park ride for two hours, and I say that in the best way possible. The chair vibrated and jostled for all the action sequences, and smoke, lights, and water added to the intensity of the scenes. I wouldn’t choose this for any movie of cinematic merit, but for a superhero movie:

HECK YEAH!

The next fandom up on the list is that of Baseball.

Did you know that the word fan in its modern-day interpretation is widely believed to be attributed to baseball fans? Ted Sullivan, a baseball manager, reportedly coined the term in 1883 about baseball enthusiasts who visited his stadium.

Baseball, and sports as a whole, is quite an interesting fandom because, unlike most fandoms, it is a zero-sum game. After each event, there will be a winning team and a losing team, which leads to unreasonable love for one’s team and unreasonable prejudice against the other. We can see this at games as the group identity of being a fan for a team can override our own. Social scientists have even observed a phenomenon in sports fandom where individuals expand their sense of self to include their favorite team, forming what is known as a categorized “we.” The only other place we see this emerge is in talking about national identity.

On Friday, Rylee and I went to the Giants vs. Mets game with Ken and Jessa. I have been enjoying the seats at the edge of the field. While it is far from the action, it probably has some of the most passionate fans. They yell cheers like “What's the matter with [insert opposing player name]?”, “he's a bum”, and people talk enthusiastically about player stats and trades. For Friday games, they bring out a flag that covers our seats. WE ended up losing 1-8, but Ken, Jessa, Rylee, and I had a great time hanging out.

Now, gather round, as we talk about the next fandom, Magic: The Gathering (MTG).

MTG was created by Richard Garfield, a mathematics graduate student with a passion for game design. After making multiple prototype games, Garfield was approached by a fledgling game company at the time called Wizards of the Coast to develop a simple game that could be played during downtime at gaming conventions. Over the next two years, Garfield developed MTG, taking inspiration from board games, strategic mechanics, and the collectibility of baseball cards. In 1993, the game was released, and with it, the trading card game genre was born.

MTG is an interesting fandom because, while there is an overarching storyline and lore, when playing the game, you become an active participant in its universe. The moment you begin to play, you become a “planeswalker,” a powerful wizard who can travel between the worlds of MTG to collect powerful spells and creatures and battle against others. This means that each of our actions makes meaning in this universe and will ultimately create a personalized storyline in MTG.

On Saturday, MTG released a new set, so Connor and I played in a tournament to get a first look at the new cards, AKA a prerelease, at It’s Your Move Games.

MTG Players often get a bad rap as unsocial nerds with poor hygiene, and while there are people who fit the stereotype, you might be surprised by what a diverse crowd the game brings together. At the start of the tournament, I sat next to a hyper-passionate boy who couldn’t stop raving about how cool every card in the new set was. I met a chill business consultant with a PR background for Big Tech, who effortlessly beat me with class and style. Then I played against a woman in her late 20s/early 30s who started playing a month ago, and you could see and hear her excitement from playing the cards and making interactions occur. And my last opponent was a girl in the 7th grade who told me that she loved all of the school subjects equally, except for P.E., that is.

I think this shows the greatness of fandoms. While there can be elements of toxicity in fandoms, the ultimate goal is a sense of community. The best form of a fandom is one where it’s safe to be different and to be yourself, because we are all in it together.

I ended the tournament winning 2-1, but I let the 7th-grade girl take the prize for our game. I’m hoping for some good karma…

Now, last but certainly not least, is the mega-fandom that is Disney.

Walt Disney started the Walt Disney Company back in 1923 in his uncle’s garage, and has since become the mega-entertainment company that it is today. Along the way, the company has developed a fanbase with such fervor and love for its IP that society has given them a very special moniker: Disney Adults.

I’m not going to go into the details about the history of Disney because I think it is very well documented, and I don’t want to give away just how much of a Disney Adult I am. I will say, though, on a personal note, I think a large part of my connection to this fandom is through my memories and experiences with Disney. Growing up, we would visit Disney World with my extended family, and since my family is spread across the US, it would be one of the few times we all get to see each other. Plus, we got to spend time together at the most magical place on Earth, riding all the rides, meeting all the characters, and being a part of the rich storytelling that Disney does best.

2025 marked the 30th anniversary of A Goofy Movie, so on Sunday, Rylee and I went to a very special showing in SF. Upon arriving, everyone was decked out in A Goofy Movie merch, and when we entered, we played A Goofy Movie Trivia, as well as being able to watch a special interview with the Director of the film.

As for the movie itself, the only way to describe it was A Goofy Movie meets Rocky Horror Picture Show. We did call-outs based on things that were happening on screen, pulled out glowsticks for the songs, and bounced around an inflatable car while watching driving scenes. We even went up on stage for the final scene of the movie. It was, in all senses of the word, Goofy, and we both had a great time.

• On Friday, after the Giants game, Ken and Jessa took us to Novela, a classy book/library themed bar in SF. What a novel concept! I was just happy they let me in decked out Giants Gear, although it was probably because they felt sorry for me on account of the 1-8 loss. The drinks were decorated to various literary characters, and used unique flavors like lavender, yuzu, and aloe liqueur to capture the character’s essence. I got the Aster Grey, a refreshing and juicy vodka-based drink with grapefruit, mandarin, and cucumber.

• Imagine the sketchiest looking restaurant you can think of. This is exactly what the hot-dog shack Casper’s is. Despite its appearance, Connor assured me that the hot dogs were solid when we went to get a late lunch after the MTG tournament. I ordered a Chili Cheese Dog, which was layered with so much chili that it was questionable if it was still a hot dog. I enjoyed the meal though!

Labeled as the world’s most challenging puzzle, and at one point had a $10,000 prize if anyone could solve it, Maze by Christopher Manson is a picture book that asks you to solve it. This video is a look at this book. In many ways, it feels like a precusor to some of the video games I play today like Blue Prince.