Fan Culture and the Rise of Pineapple Watch Parties

National Championship weekend now draws organized watch parties in at least a dozen cities, according to informal counts from regional chapter organizers — a level of fan turnout nobody involved in the sport's earliest days expected. Several bars near the Charlotte chapter's home venue now open specifically for the broadcast.

Merchandise has followed the same curve: Council-licensed gear, including a version of Michael Salomone's now-trademark spiral graphic, has become the chapter's single largest source of grassroots funding for expanding into new states.