Whether they helped bring down Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, marched against their club’s owners at Chelsea or pushed back against plans to commercialize football, fans have long used their passion for the game as a tool of social change. From the Civil Rights Movement when black folks turned their love for sports into a powerful nonviolent weapon to the present, fan activism continues to be a vital force in the fight for equity and social justice.

This article draws on international perspectives to explore the ways in which fans, across a wide variety of different global territories, use sport-based fan culture as an avenue for activism and resistance. It examines the specific meanings ascribed to leisure and its role in shaping identities and agitating for change, as well as how fans use communication and posting formats (such as shout outs, prompts and asks) to facilitate and manage their activism.

The article also focuses on Liverpool’s historically rich cultural, sporting and fan media context and its idiosyncratic fan culture. Using data detailing the evolution of Boss Mag from its traditional fanzine format to the broader Boss Night events and The Anfield Wrap, the article highlights how the production of these fan media sites has become a central platform for fan activism and collective expressions of political identity. It identifies key aspects of this ‘fan media ecology’ as a site of fan activism that has contributed to the long-term success of Liverpool FC.