A "Feeling" On Clubs, Players, and Fan Loyalty

The industry of sport benefits from a "mystique" generated to claim the attention of a global audience.

The slick marketing machine lathers one with reasons to be enamored with your team; the chronicles of an organization’s history, astute positioning of logos and legendary players, pride in obtaining paraphernalia, the "glow" of the stadium/arena, and the resultant good natured slogs at opposing fans in sports bars and streets across the globe.

It is part of the fantasy of tuning out the real world for a few hours, living vicariously through the rise, fall, and rise again of the fortunes of a team of one’s chosen passion. Through carefully sculpted media you believe wholeheartedly that nothing matters but pure love of the sport itself, loyalty to club, and the individuals gathered to celebrate and participate be they fan or player.

Of course every so often that fantasy is pierced with moments of commotion. The fans pontificate on why our player heroes don’t "work hard enough in practice," "don’t show commitment," "are greedy," or any number of catch phrases assigned to a player who "isn’t performing up to expectation."

Why who wouldn’t give an arm and a leg to play our chosen sport to make an incredible living and gain worldwide acclaim!? Why is someone who is given the opportunity letting it slip?

The reason is the sports world is not a prism though which to see a refracted vision of life, it is very much like the regular working world. Sport is big business with billions of dollars at stake.

Players work for large clubs to earn their living. In that climate certain organizations have shown themselves ruthless, unaffected and manipulative: of players (a dime a dozen) and of course us, the fans. Players are bought and sold with impunity and then the fan is lied to until convenient to the organization, isn’t that so Fergie?

If we look at football there are multiple scenarios where under one administration a player can be in favor and under another out of favor despite performance.

We are not far removed from the age where the footballer was a commodity. The book “Football: sociology of the global game" By Richard Giulianotti makes this point, “…players were effectively ‘owned’ by the clubs. Greater freedom of contract was won gradually in Europe from the 1960s as a process of labor market modernization.”

It is not unthinkable to conclude that this mentality still prevails in football today. Cast a gaze to the luxury suites at any stadium and consider the point. Even casual football fans can name a handful of players who were "excused" from their favorite clubs with no clear reason. The footballer was only to be concerned with results and nothing else. Thus perhaps it is that the mentality pervades and my theory is that a certain African striker in Spain offended many with his outspoken views.

This is a case that troubles me personally because it involves a club that I support and one of their most dedicated servants. The case of Samuel Eto’o.

Sam’s the type of story that naturally lends itself to that sentimental fan attachment. In summary, the cast off of the alleged best team in Spain arrives at their arch rivals and proceeds to torment his former club by rising to his potential and winning trophies all the while gleefully rubbing his former team’s noses in it.

He became a true barca legend and given a few more seasons could have been the leading scorer in club history. Now he has been "excused." His new coach gamely takes full responsibility saying he doesn’t have a reason only a "feeling." 

Huh??

Blaugrana fans everywhere were left wondering and scratching their heads. Only the most dedicated (or is that deluded) of fan did not want to have Laporta and Guardiola assigned appointments for psychological evaluation. When it came to gametime Eto’o delivered the goods. There is no disputing that, look at the goals, look at the trophies. Now you get rid of him on the basis of a "feeling"?

Most clubs in that scenario like to plead the loyalty card and tell fans the player is all about money and being greedy. On cue there were reports in the media of protracted contract negotiations and claims by Laporta that Eto’o was not answering his phone.

Yet as one of the world’s best strikers, a contender for the "Pichichi" (golden boot in Spain) every season, a club offering a one-year contract extension with no improvement in salary must surely be joking. If indeed Eto’o was motivated by money as is frequently tagged to "ethnic" players, wouldn’t he have signed with Manchester City?

Incidentally, Kaka transferred to Real under the pretext of helping out Milan financially, if this were really the case shouldn’t he have gone to Man City? Just a sidebar.

Eto’o was packaged to Inter along with 40 million. Huh? Couldn’t they have taken the money and offered Eto’o a better deal? Surely he wouldn’t have cost the entire 40 million to resign and his jersey sales, etc would have recouped the cost of resigning him.

Messi’s lucrative deal was done without clamor, why not a striker in his prime? How do you breakup a strikeforce that scored a century of goals in all competitions, based on a "feeling"?

Eto’o was also characterized as being a negative force in the locker room. What does that mean? How exactly? Sure Eto’o may not have exuded great class at all times,   but come now, who wouldn’t like to stick it to a former employer who didn’t appreciate your services? And he made a point of scoring against Madrid. So much so that Iker Casillas was glad to see him go to Italy.

Sure Eto’o was a temperamental figure as evidenced by fallouts with coaches, players and even an attempt to leave the pitch during a game. In fairness he was heckled with racist comments on that occasion and assessing the racial situation in Spain, it must get to any person at some stage.

Athletic Bilbao’s coach had likened Sam’s behavior on one occasion to someone who "just came down from the trees." Sam is dead wrong in this instance but the comment betrays the underlying mentality to those who follow Spanish football closely. The modern world’s new God, Science, tells us that we are all 99.9% genetically the same. We all came down from the trees if that is the case.

I digress.

When it came to gametime, Eto’o delivered the goods. There is no disputing that, look at the goals, look at the trophies.

So what happened? The full details may never be revealed in Sam’s case, perhaps his comments here offer a clue. Perhaps he was just a little too outspoken, a little too interested in making a difference, a little too convinced that his one voice meant something to those in power.

The whole scenario reminds us that sport is business and like the working world it can be ruthless and mercenary. Players, like workers, are all to behave like robots and have nothing to say besides approved company monologue.

Nothing on inequitable treatment, betterment of working conditions, or any other independent thought at occurs.

Clubs on a whole want us to accept that the people running around on the field think no higher and feel no deeper than representing a club no matter the treatment. Perhaps this is why we get so attached to the players and their fortunes. They are the ones in the front lines, writing the pages of history for the club, bringing glory to the club, and yet are quickly and quietly cast aside when they show themselves more aware.

Similarly, our efforts cause our organizations to advance their goals but if you point out problems and possible solutions at work, you are viewed as the one trying to upset the apple cart. Quite often someone who has never exerted themselves in the process comes along to say you are surplus to requirements.

I appreciate Barca, I respect the club. However, with no personal attachment to Catalan or its history (which is remarkable), it is the stories and personalities of the players and their collective achievements that bring me to be a fan.

How do I continue to pledge loyalty to a club that has treated one of its legends in such a manner? How do I accept that from the organization that purports to be “mes que un club”? Indeed the same sense of attachment is not quite there as I watch Barca today, although I believe they will be Spanish champions again.

Perhaps an answer is to accept that it is just the business of the sport as similar to business on the whole. Perhaps it is to accept that every club has its culture and players are expected to adapt no matter what. Perhaps it is to accept that no matter the issue all are expected to subjugate themselves under the banner of the established hierarchy and protocol. Perhaps it is to accept that every club has treated players in the manner that Eto’o was seemingly treated.

Perhaps...perhaps in a climate where the club’s survival depends on the dedication of the fans and the passion of their players…perhaps it is time that the players and the fans had a "feeling"that they should demand and be accorded more respect than that.