Chicken Jockey! A Defining Cultural Moment
Is Minecraft the new National pastime?
The Minecraft movie is the year's first blockbuster movie. The film has grossed $281 million domestically and $550 million globally in two weeks. It is an interesting data point for the film industry. Much like the Barbie movie, this blockbuster is thriving by drawing in an already established fandom. The success of “A Minecraft Movie” and the lackluster performance of the Captain America reboot have significant implications for the film industry. Superhero movie series that ask the audience to watch dozens of movies may be dead while franchises based on beloved toys and video games may be the next big genre.
But, the tone of the audience response to the Minecraft movie points to something even bigger. We may be witnessing a leading indicator of a fundamental shift in American culture.
The film has generated a viral moment that reached established media – Jack Black shouting “Chicken Jockey!” This scene has prompted audience reactions that necessitated significant cleanup of popcorn and even calls to the police.
It has Grown-ups confused and amused.
Why are audiences responding with such passion?
I’ve got a simple answer. Minecraft is a “unifying” fandom for Gen Z because it is widely shared and loved by younger generations. Within Gen Z, everyone knows it. And now, “Chicken Jockey” has become the chosen catchphrase. The massive Minecraft-loving fandom now has a rallying call.
Unifying fandom is an important thing in an increasingly fragmented culture. As technology enables unlimited content choices and demographic trends reduce cultural cohesion, it is the rare cultural entity that is shared across society. Broadly shared fandoms provide connections within a population and largely define mass market culture. As a case in point, the NFL has the broadest fandom in current America. There is no better representation of the modern culture than the spectacle of the Super Bowl (the sport, the music, the food, the gambling, and the advertising).
So how does Minecraft compare with other fandoms? And how does Minecraft fandom vary across generations?
The figure shows the fandom rates for Minecraft and Major League Baseball across Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. I use baseball as a comparison because of its status as the National pastime. The AI built into Chrome defines “National pastime” as follows:
"National pastime" refers to a popular leisure activity or sport that is considered characteristic of a particular country or region, often reflecting the culture and values of its people. In the United States, baseball is widely known as the "national pastime"
A healthy 30% of Millennials, Gen X, and Baby are baseball fans, while only 19.7% of Gen Z are MLB fans. The lower fandom rates in Gen Z are a glaring warning sign for Major League Baseball. Baseball’s status as a sport that reflects the “culture and values of its people” is uncertain. Gen Z’s reduced interest suggests that baseball may lose its status as a core, mainstream sport and be reduced to a niche sport.
The key result is the comparison of Minecraft fandom to baseball fandom. For the three older generations, Minecraft fandom trails baseball fandom. It's close for Millennials (31.9% for Baseball vs 25.1% for Minecraft), and baseball dominates with Baby Boomers (31.0% to 5.2%). However, for Gen Z, Minecraft fandom is about double Baseball fandom. Minecraft's 39.1% fandom rate in Gen Z means that within Gen Z, Minecraft is more widely shared and loved than MLB is in the older generations.
This is big news. It represents a fundamental shift in American culture. In 2025, Minecraft is closer to being a National pastime for Gen Z than MLB is for Baby Boomers. It’s a fascinating and disturbing prospect. A society with games like Minecraft as its national pastime is going to be very different from one that focuses on baseball.
It’s also not surprising. Fandom is built on shared experiences, and almost every kid with a computer has played Minecraft. The result is that Minecraft provides a shared point of reference that unifies the younger generation. The average member of Gen Z has probably spent more time playing Minecraft than watching MLB and has a friend group more interested in discussing Chicken Jockeys than Major League catchers.
I am surprised how the Minecraft way more popular than baseball with young folks!. While baseball holds onto significant fanbases with older generations, Minecraft's dominance with Gen Z suggests a major cultural shift is underway and feels like things are changing!.
What struck me most is how a single moment like “Chicken Jockey!” can ripple across platforms and become a defining part of a film’s cultural footprint. It wasn’t a planned marketing move—it just happened, and fans ran with it. Now, it’s almost impossible to separate the phrase from the movie experience itself. It’s a great reminder that today, fans aren’t just passive viewers—they help shape the culture around the content.
The fact that it stems from Minecraft also says a lot about how interconnected fandoms are today. A gaming reference easily crossed into the movie world and sparked a real-world ritual. At the same time, it raises questions about balancing that shared excitement with the communal nature of a theater setting. As much as these traditions build connection, they can sometimes overshadow the experience itself. It shows how powerful—and sometimes unpredictable—fan-driven buzz can be when the audience becomes part of the performance.