Fan Views...
A Board driven by greed
Matthew Bazzell, author of 'Theatre Of Silence: The Lost Soul Of Football' takes a look at how Arsenal has become part of football's commercial circus...
The truest form of patriotism is to be sceptical and to question; not just go along with what we’re supposed to believe. In this case we feel that as true Arsenal fans, we cannot simply sit back and accept a situation where our club has alienated its core support.
Our grievances are not minor issues.
Our club makes around £50 million a year in profits (after all expenses including debt payments) by admission charging that has priced out far too many dedicated fans. What we have seen in football has been social gentrification where the original fan-base of clubs has been ruthlessly abandoned to make way for a more affluent consumer. It used to be a game for all, now it’s a hobby for those who can afford it. That is scandalous, amoral and does not deserve to met with apathy.
Our complaints are not exclusive towards Arsenal. Indeed football as a whole has lost its soul and is now an industry of obscene greed. What once was the People’s Game is now a commercial circus which exploits the loyalty of its followers. As Arsenal fans we feel it our duty to concentrate our grievances on the club we support, because nowhere is the change in football culture that we once loved more apparent than at the Emirates. The ticket prices are extortionate, and the over repressive attitude of the stewards inside the ground is far too draconian. We feel like kids under the eye of headmaster, and the release of energy that people used to get from football has been nullified so as not to upset any of the new breed of fan who have paid their money to sit down and be entertained.
The corporate branding of the club has been so extreme that it’s taken over the whole image of Arsenal FC. We feel like we have no say in the direction that our club moves in. For example the club crest that we loved was replaced because of commercial reasons, to a new cartoon style badge, which so many of us hated and did not feel represented the class and history of Arsenal FC. Our views in this were simply not important.
The club has been very successful in attracting a new breed of supporter and this has patched over the fact that so many fans have stopped going. The number of us no longer there is possibly bigger than that 60,000 who do attend regularly. We understand that our absence won’t bother the club when the stadium is full like it currently is. But if they can lose our custom, they can lose the custom of absolutely anyone.
The truest form of patriotism is to be sceptical and to question; not just go along with what we’re supposed to believe. In this case we feel that as true Arsenal fans, we cannot simply sit back and accept a situation where our club has alienated its core support.
Our grievances are not minor issues.
Our club makes around £50 million a year in profits (after all expenses including debt payments) by admission charging that has priced out far too many dedicated fans. What we have seen in football has been social gentrification where the original fan-base of clubs has been ruthlessly abandoned to make way for a more affluent consumer. It used to be a game for all, now it’s a hobby for those who can afford it. That is scandalous, amoral and does not deserve to met with apathy.
Our complaints are not exclusive towards Arsenal. Indeed football as a whole has lost its soul and is now an industry of obscene greed. What once was the People’s Game is now a commercial circus which exploits the loyalty of its followers. As Arsenal fans we feel it our duty to concentrate our grievances on the club we support, because nowhere is the change in football culture that we once loved more apparent than at the Emirates. The ticket prices are extortionate, and the over repressive attitude of the stewards inside the ground is far too draconian. We feel like kids under the eye of headmaster, and the release of energy that people used to get from football has been nullified so as not to upset any of the new breed of fan who have paid their money to sit down and be entertained.
The corporate branding of the club has been so extreme that it’s taken over the whole image of Arsenal FC. We feel like we have no say in the direction that our club moves in. For example the club crest that we loved was replaced because of commercial reasons, to a new cartoon style badge, which so many of us hated and did not feel represented the class and history of Arsenal FC. Our views in this were simply not important.
The club has been very successful in attracting a new breed of supporter and this has patched over the fact that so many fans have stopped going. The number of us no longer there is possibly bigger than that 60,000 who do attend regularly. We understand that our absence won’t bother the club when the stadium is full like it currently is. But if they can lose our custom, they can lose the custom of absolutely anyone.
THE FOOTBALL BOOK WITH A ROTTEN EDGE!
They used to call it the people s game but not anymore; silent crowds, soulless all-seater stadiums, rip-off ticket pricing, corporate priorities, players diving, 24/7 fixtures, aggressive stewards, overbearing advertising, overpaid players, agents and of course - Sepp Blatter. All of these and more are the target of a relentless attack from Matthew Bazell, who asks why no one is singing anymore. In a heartfelt personal account, Bazell examines the way in which football, both on and off the field has lost its soul to greed, but argues that, ultimately it's the supporters who have the power to reclaim the game.
This new edition includes updates, pictures, new material and a special guest chapter by John Lydon.
They used to call it the people s game but not anymore; silent crowds, soulless all-seater stadiums, rip-off ticket pricing, corporate priorities, players diving, 24/7 fixtures, aggressive stewards, overbearing advertising, overpaid players, agents and of course - Sepp Blatter. All of these and more are the target of a relentless attack from Matthew Bazell, who asks why no one is singing anymore. In a heartfelt personal account, Bazell examines the way in which football, both on and off the field has lost its soul to greed, but argues that, ultimately it's the supporters who have the power to reclaim the game.
This new edition includes updates, pictures, new material and a special guest chapter by John Lydon.
