We live in a world where more is never enough for those who already have more than they will ever need, and that obsession to always be acquiring that motivates the greedy and sociopathic who tend to make it to the top of corporate and political power structures in our late-stage capitalist hellscape inevitably trickles down to the prices we pay at the gas pump in the grocery aisle and when we want to watch football.
As such, in the midst of a cost of living crisis with everyone paying more and feeling
like they’re getting less for it, endlessly squeezed on both sides in a society that reminds all of us every day that our only true value to those in charge is how much capital can be squeezed out of our pockets and put into theirs, naturally Liverpool Football Club would have decided they need more money from the pockets of supporters.
“We know and understand LFC has increasing costs,” read a statement from the club’s fan supporters board. “So do loyal supporters. LFC has increasing revenues built on the backs of supporters. Supporters do not, and see no share in those rewards. LFC have chosen a path that leads in the wrong direction. We’re extremely disappointing by today’s announcement of price increases each season [and] for the next three seasons.
“We’ve engaged with the club in direct discussions since early February. This followed a meeting with the club’s board and ownership last October. We felt this was an opportunity for the club to do what we might expect from those who pride themselves on it meaning ‘more’: [to] be different from others, support fan loyalty, and work collectively on a solution that does not come at the expense of supporters.”
Fan pushback to the current round of increases is perhaps less about the current round of increases in isolation, with many matchday tickets only expected to rise by a couple of pounds, and more about the really quite tone deaf commitment to and formalization by the club of future seasonal price increases that could quickly leave many of today’s most loyal match going supporters unable to keep up.
That the club regularly trumpet their record profits doesn’t help with the perception that they are bleeding fans on already tight budgets to add a drop to a bucket that won’t actually notice it. The trash football that’s been on display this season and an increasingly frequent negative mood amongst supporters at Anfield probably doesn’t help, either, with making it feel like the actions of a cadre of out of touch rich jackasses.
Ah well. Corporate profits will increase until morale improves. Or until until the proletariat rise up and free themselves from their chains and free the current class of rich and powerful from this mortal coil. The whole lot of them. As a treat. So probably not the latter any time soon.
