Keith Strudler: Storming The Field

On November 24, 2019, the Harvard – Yale football game was delayed for nearly an hour during halftime because students from both schools stormed the field to protest their respective university’s perceived inaction around climate change. It took a little bit of time, but after repeated requests over the stadium loudspeaker and a small number of arrests, the gathering of future CEO’s did eventually return to the bleachers of the Yale Bowl which allowed them to finish the game – although not without fear of running into darkness. In this case, fans used the public opportunity of one of the nation’s most storied football rivalry games – known simply at “The Game” – to make their point known, in this case, a point about how the planet is on a collision course with extinction. Whether you see this as a noble exercise in pursuit of climate justice or a group of misguided ego-centric young adults is up to your point of perspective. Regardless, a point was made, and the game continued.

Such was not the case this past weekend in Manchester, England, where a perhaps more fervent group of soccer fans decided to make their point known before Sunday’s Man U – Liverpool match. Hours before the match, a group of around 200 fans gathered outside the stadium to protest. Not about climate justice, or any other form of justice, but about how much they hate the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United who have been largely reviled by the team’s massive fanbase since buying the team in 2005. The protest moved from peaceful and outside the stadium to more agitated and inside stadium grounds. Unable to regain order, the game was postponed until sometime in the future, an embarrassment for anyone involved in the Premier League and a remarkable disruption for players, networks, and non-protesting fans. It is perhaps the most public, fan-induced game cancellation since the Malice at the Palace in Detroit or even Disco Demolition Night in Comiskey Park, where fans were equally angered about the Bee Gees.

The grievance from Man U fans is deep and enduring and has been brought to this illogical conclusion with the failed attempt to launch the Super League, which would have brought a small cohort of European football clubs together for a closed league while largely dismantling the current constitution of national soccer leagues. That was the final straw for a group of fans who increasingly felt that the Glazer family used their soccer club as a sort of hedge fund instead of a public trust. Man U, perhaps more than any sports franchise in the world, has built an economic empire of television, sponsorship, and stadium dollars. At this point, it’s more brand than team, which fans would say is reflected in the club’s results, where they’ve fallen behind rivals over the past several years – including crosstown Manchester City, which sits atop the Premier League standings.

I’ll put aside the question of why British authorities couldn’t figure out how to keep 200 or so soccer hooligans from cancelling a major sporting event, particularly in an age where life is telegraphed on social media. And we could discount the entire event as the insanity of a small group that has lost relative touch with reality, willing to wreak havoc because their team is currently in second place in the standings.

That said, I do think the larger issue here is the idea of what it means to own a sports team, especially a storied franchise like Manchester United. To many owners, like perhaps the Glazer family, when you buy something that costs several billion dollars, it’s yours. Which means you should have some say in what you do with it. That makes sense at many levels. I imagine we all feel the same way about our house, our car, or the pants you’re wearing.

The problem is, that’s not how most fans see it. To most sports fans, no matter who actually owns the team, it will always belong to them, the collective. Which also makes sense, given what most sports fans invest in the enterprise, both fiscally and, more to the point, emotionally. The Glazer family may have given a fortune for the team. But those 200 fans feel like they’ve given their heart and soul, which, I’d argue, feels like even more.

Of course, that doesn’t mean this protest was right or okay, or if there’s anything we can do about it. But at the very least, it explains something.

As for the issue with climate change, well, that will have to wait until the next Harvard – Yale game.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.