The Traditional Football Fan: an ethical critique of a selective construction

Abstract

This paper critically examines the Neo- Marxist / leftist claims that the commercialisation of football in the U.K is having an adverse effect on the “traditional fans”. The claims are predicated upon the belief that the traditional fans are custodians of the game’s (football) best interests and their de facto exclusion because of increased ticket prices (and other commercial factors) is both a form of bourgeois exploitation and damaging to the game. The paper offers a philosophical critique of the underlying theory and rejects the conception of the “traditional fan” proffered.