Making Daily Headlines · Page 7
City Fans Separate the Anthem From the Scoreboard
· New York time
Manchester City supporters booed the Premier League anthem before watching their team move six points clear at the top of the table, the BBC reports. The afternoon demonstrated that dissatisfaction with a competition's institutions and enthusiasm for winning its matches can occupy the same seat without requiring separate tickets. Supporters are frequently expected to hold a tidy position about the sport they follow. Actual fandom is less orderly. People can dislike an administrative structure, question its decisions and still care intensely about whether a pass reaches the right person. Emotional consistency is not included in the season-ticket package. The sporting result strengthened City's position at the top. The crowd's reaction added a different layer, showing that success on the field does not automatically purchase affection for the organization running the competition. The anthem and the league table were receiving distinctly different customer reviews. This is football's unusual customer relationship. The product can inspire devotion even when the customer would prefer to boo the packaging. Most businesses would find that alarming. Football simply schedules another fixture. A league table measures points, not institutional affection. Anyone trying to combine those into one statistic would need a very large spreadsheet and probably several columns devoted entirely to sighing.
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