I was rooting for Bad Bunny
Cultural experiences such as artistic and athletic competitions are a last medium of togetherness
By VIOLET ZANZOT — vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
“Oscars porn.” Fabulous. My new favorite descriptor for a movie that feels like its aim is transcendence, but misses the mark by an inch and feels pretentious. My friend introduced this turn of phrase into my life after we watched our first Oscar-nominated film this year. Our hope is to watch all of the “Best Picture” nominees before the 98th annual awards show, which will take place on March 15.
Those of you who closely watch the collective social calendar know this event is taking place about a month and a half after the 2026 Grammys and a month or so after the 2026 Super Bowl. These events, in turn, have both happened around a backdrop of 2026 Olympics excitement. Needless to say, big things are happening in our shared cultural world. These big things are not just significant for the lives of today’s nobility — actors, musicians, athletes and influencers — but they are exciting for those of us in the mortal world all the same. Not only do they fill us with anticipation and energy and give us something to pay attention to, but I think they’re also good for us — all of us as a society, a cohesive people.
It is no secret that the world has grown more divisive in recent years. We buy the same goods from the same supply chains but from very different stores, and thus they carry their own independent meanings. We watch different shows on different streaming platforms. We log on to different apps. On those apps we consume very different content. Everything meant to be common — experiences, feelings, entertainment — has been divided by methods, means and meanings. Even things we might perceive as common, we experience so differently that they feel individual. And yet, we come together across all the terribly variable intellectual reality landscapes, or realms of consciousness, to watch movies dubbed “Oscars porn,” eat Super Bowl wings and critique every best singer, songwriter and discography.
There aren’t many spaces like this where people of different demographics come together to comment on the world around them. In spite of everything feeling like it drips with political innuendo and radiates frictional energy, people find common ground in these mediums. Viewers may hate the Super Bowl commercials, or even the Halftime Show (which is criminally insane), but they root for teams all the same. They may find politics in the Olympics, but they celebrate their nation alongside the athletes all the same. Oscars onlookers may find ping-pong players too erotic in “Marty Supreme,” but they sell out box offices all the same. Even when people protest or when they find places to introduce turmoil, they still pay attention to the same media. It seems like the root cause of our disagreements today is lack of exposure to a common truth, but not here. These spaces are common.
As opposed to finding your voice in your echo chamber, common spaces allow people to find opinions in something shared. So even when these spaces become politicized, what they maintain is their shared nature. The thing that is being picked apart is happening under one microscope with a billion different lenses, rather than holding nothing constant.
With that in mind, it is all the more special that people can cheer for (and with) people they disagree with. Regardless of how they feel about Bad Bunny, Seahawks fans cheered in unison. Because these kinds of competitions allow people a space to separate the art from the artist — for better or for worse. If you disagree with Kendrick’s politics, but recognize his lyrical excellence, you watch the Grammys from the edge of your seat, engaged with the experience regardless of political affiliation.
The momentary reorganization of cultural experiences, either by removing political barriers or by overcoming them, creates a place for people to come together to cheer for rather than shout against competitors — connecting out of pride, not fear. I wasn’t cheering for the Eagles last year because I had any real stake in the game; that’s not what brought me together with other fans in midnight green jerseys, but because we loved the same team. Identity distinguishers become dominated by fandom. These kinds of arbitrary, ritualistic events that celebrate human competition and ingenuity create a moment for togetherness in an isolated world.
Written by: Violet Zanzot— vmzanzot@ucdavis.edu
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