Whether they’ve helped bring down their club manager, marched against their team’s owner or pushed back against plans to commercialize football, fan protest stories remind us that fan activism is more than just a passing fad. In this special issue, our contributors examine how fans use the shared fellowship of fellow-feeling to express their values and push for change.
In a series of photo captions that have been published as stand-alone slide shows, Georgia Hampton provides a vivid portrait of the way in which football fans can protest. Her photos offer a window into the look and sound of these events, and a reminder that a good protest story doesn’t need to be complicated or overly political. The key is to focus on people, and if possible, to quote them. We recommend quoting at least one person in a news short and three people in a longer report.
Graeme Souness has been quick to point out that the boycott of this weekend’s match against Tottenham is “an ingrates’ response.” It certainly seems that way to West Ham fans, who feel they’re being treated like a cash cow by owners Paul Sullivan and Brady.
Our other essays take a deeper dive into the core debates around fan activism. Melissa M. Brough and Sangita Shresthova highlight how efforts by celebrities (authors like John Green, pop stars such as Hong Kong’s Cheuk Yi Lin, and cult TV actors such as Gillian Anderson) to mobilize their fan bases can be a useful tool for political change. But they also raise important questions about the limits of celebrity-driven activism, and about how fans themselves can be active agents in the struggle for social change.