fastwalker
Full Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2019
- Messages
- 408
Who owns Manchester United? Obviously the Glazer's are the legal owners of the Manchester United brand, assets and resources, but does that mean that they 'own' the club? Remember United is more than its brand, assets and resources (all of which can be purchased as a legal entity), it is also a social entity ie: the loyalty, passion and commitment of fans. The truth is this: without the latter the former depreciates in value and if the former were to depreciate in value, then the Glazers will likely be gone within months.
Sounds easy doesn't it? But here lies the problem:
1. There is no homogeneity in fandom - like all owners the Glazer's have rightly calculated that United fans are disparate and all have different trigger points and passion levels. There are some that follow the club home and away, others who have never been to a United game but follow avidly from afar, others who follow the club in name only and others who associate with the club's success etc etc. The term 'fan' is a silly generic term used to describe a diverse and eclectic group and in that chaos the Glazer's thrive, because the fandom cannot and does speak with one voice. There is no leader or shop steward with the authority to speak on behalf of the fanbase and mobilise it to action.
2. Fans are fickle - the so called 'anti-Glazer' movement has been around for about 14 years. However, there is nothing quite like the shiny object of on-field success to cause United fans to start thumb-sucking again. A win here and a win there is all that is required to cool the fury of the Glazer-out movement.
3. United fans are not ready to 'kill' the club in order to save it - the Glazer's know only too well that the vast majority of United fans love the club way too much to harm it in order to save it. Forget the FC United protest - much as it has been a model in fan ownership of football clubs, it has in no way diminished or loosened the grip that the Glazer's have on United.
4. United fans are addicts - the truth is that like fans in other clubs the Glazers, being the savvy business people they are understand that United fans are like drug addicts. Much as we protest, complain and spew anti-Glazer frustration, we will then go off an buy as much merchandise as we can afford. By so doing, we provide the Glazers the very incentive they look for to remain at United. Until such as time as the profits drop and Sky Sports are greeted by empty seats for live games don't expect anything to change.
The fact is this: it is not that United fans don't have the power. Far from it, we have all of the power. We know it and most of all the Glazer's know it as well. The problem is that we just do not know how to harness the power that we have.
Any thoughts?
Sounds easy doesn't it? But here lies the problem:
1. There is no homogeneity in fandom - like all owners the Glazer's have rightly calculated that United fans are disparate and all have different trigger points and passion levels. There are some that follow the club home and away, others who have never been to a United game but follow avidly from afar, others who follow the club in name only and others who associate with the club's success etc etc. The term 'fan' is a silly generic term used to describe a diverse and eclectic group and in that chaos the Glazer's thrive, because the fandom cannot and does speak with one voice. There is no leader or shop steward with the authority to speak on behalf of the fanbase and mobilise it to action.
2. Fans are fickle - the so called 'anti-Glazer' movement has been around for about 14 years. However, there is nothing quite like the shiny object of on-field success to cause United fans to start thumb-sucking again. A win here and a win there is all that is required to cool the fury of the Glazer-out movement.
3. United fans are not ready to 'kill' the club in order to save it - the Glazer's know only too well that the vast majority of United fans love the club way too much to harm it in order to save it. Forget the FC United protest - much as it has been a model in fan ownership of football clubs, it has in no way diminished or loosened the grip that the Glazer's have on United.
4. United fans are addicts - the truth is that like fans in other clubs the Glazers, being the savvy business people they are understand that United fans are like drug addicts. Much as we protest, complain and spew anti-Glazer frustration, we will then go off an buy as much merchandise as we can afford. By so doing, we provide the Glazers the very incentive they look for to remain at United. Until such as time as the profits drop and Sky Sports are greeted by empty seats for live games don't expect anything to change.
The fact is this: it is not that United fans don't have the power. Far from it, we have all of the power. We know it and most of all the Glazer's know it as well. The problem is that we just do not know how to harness the power that we have.
Any thoughts?